12 Sustainable Home Office Desk Chairs For 2024
Working from home is no longer a fad, it’s a long-term reality for millions of Americans.
And that means that millions of Americans need to get a well-designed new desk chair.
A poorly chosen home office chair can cause serious health issues, particularly back pain, over long-term use.
A great home office chair is ergonomically suited to be kind to your body and the greatest chairs are also sustainable!
So, with that in mind, we’ve been out to test dozens of sustainable home office chairs to find the absolute best for you. Before you get too deep into choosing an office chair, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the different types of chairs, so that you can buy the right style for your life and style.
Capisco Chair by HAG
The Capsico is supplied by Fully, a company with a good reputation for being kind to the environment and for delivering well-designed ergonomic chairs that really provide the right support as you work.
The Capsico Chair is made of recycled materials and they use packaging which is fully reusable or recyclable to transport it.
We were also pleased to see that they are GREENGUARD certified, which gives you assurance about the eco-friendly creds.
If you want to pick up a lower cost version of these chairs, Fully has an “Open Box” program which allows you to buy products that have been returned for a lower cost than the ordinary product – it comes with the same quality guarantee, though.
Herman Miller Mirra 2 Chair
We love Herman Miller products because this is a company that really works to deliver eco-benefits and this chair is a great example of this.
The chair is certified by the C2C as a bronze rated product. It contains 46% recycled content and 93% of the content is recyclable.
It’s lighter than the original Mirra Chair and that means the company has reduced the carbon footprint of production by a quarter.
It is also manufactured in a facility with 100% renewable energy sources.
And none of this changes the fact that it’s one of the best ergonomically adjustable home office chairs we’ve ever tested.
Noho Move
Noho is a brand from New Zealand and they use recycled and reclaimed materials to build their chairs and the mesh uses sustainably sourced wool.
The plastic content is upcycled from fishing nets and carpets which is great.
One thing we love about Noho is that they will let you return your first two items within 100 days if you’re not happy with them for a full refund.
So, you can’t lose out when you try the Move at home, if it’s not your thing, just send it back.
But we think it will be your thing, as it’s so comfortable! The 4-way flex system allows for the ultimate in back support but with a chair back that is totally unrestrictive.
We can highly recommend their chair toppers range too.
Herman Miller Cosm Chair, High Back
You can’t go wrong with Herman Miller.
This Cosm High Back Chair is absolutely fantastic for those who live at their desks and want to invest in premium comfort.
You’ll be happy to learn they use FSC certified wood, cradle-to-cradle certification processes, and are committed to upcycling.
And yes, as with all Herman Miller chazirs, they have a 100% green energy driven manufacturing facility.
There are loads of customization options too, which means you can really have a bespoke experience.
And if you want to know just how green Herman Miller is at any point, they publish an annual sustainability impact report that you can find on their website.
Steelcase Amia Chair
This product has been C2C Bronze-level certified since 2017 and they use at least 34% recycled content to create a 97% recyclable chair.
The materials are designed to be harder to separate to promote that end-of-life recycling too, which is a good idea.
And speaking of end-of-life? Amia helps you to resell, donate or recycle the chair using their partner the Steelcase Environmental Partnership.
What really makes the Steelcase Amia special though is its Live Lumbar technology which adjusts constantly to ensure you get maximum back support.
A word of warning though, it’s not the best chair for very tall people… the backrest is a bit short.
Humanscale Smart Ocean
Humanscale’s products are so beautifully designed that we wish they made furniture for every room in our home but as home office chairs go? They make a real statement.
They use recycled and eco-friendly materials in their manufacturing process and the company has achieved the GREENGUARD certification.
They provide a free consultation and training for your chair so that you know how to get the most out of their ergonomic features and can tailor your home office chair to your body.
Humanscale also deserves credit for being one of the most transparent companies when it comes to sustainability reporting, everything’s on their website.
We think you will also enjoy the customization options that they can offer.
Allsteel Acuity Task
Allsteel’s facility is powered by nothing but wind power! They have a full CRC Bronze certification for the components in their chairs too.
We like that they provide complete disassembly instructions to help recyclers when they need to pull one to pieces at the end of life.
They have a public set of socially responsible business practices and they require their suppliers to adhere to them too.
The Acufit system automatically adapts to your body too, so you only have to make a couple of tweaks to be sat in complete comfort.
Jardan Mina
Jardan is an Australian company whose products are made to order from sustainable sourced materials.
When they use foam in their products it’s always GECA certified.
Jardan boasts that their philosophy is “small footprint furniture” and they are all about sustainability and doing better tomorrow than they did today.
They run quarterly drills on their practices to ensure they are always inline with the industry’s best sustainable practices.
And their chairs are incredibly well-made, buy a Jardan and you’ve got a chair to last a lifetime.
Herman Miller Aeron Ergonomic Chair
Yes! Herman-Miller’s Aeron is just too good a chair not to make it to our list.
And as you’d expect, it’s made with 100% renewable energy and it has up to 91% recyclable content.
Herma-Miller only works with suppliers that are as committed as they are to reducing their overall environmental impact.
The PostureFit SL design of this chair is meant to fit to the natural shape of your spine and then it helps to distribute pressure on the back evenly, while wicking away any heat build up.
The only downside of the Aeron is the price tag, because, otherwise, it’s a best in class product.
Knoll – Life
Knoll have a wealth of certifications proving their green credentials are substantive and trustworthy.
They use sustainably sourced materials, solar energy production and make “to order” to reduce the volumes of waste they generate.
Their production is also 100% PVC and VOC-free, which is very kind to the planet.
The Life is incredibly well-tailored to ergonomic living and they have a huge range of customization options too.
