Our Values in Action

rePurpose Program

Our rePurpose program helps you give new life to things your organization no longer needs. Your furniture—or whatever asset you need to dispose of—goes to deserving nonprofits in your backyard and around the world, which lets them focus scarce funds on their mission. You immediately transfer title, which frees you of any liability. You might also be eligible for a tax credit for the fair market value of the items donated. Most important, the earth benefits from what it doesn't get—waste that would otherwise clog its landfills.

Tangible Business Results

The rePurpose program provides you tangible business results in addition to being a socially responsible solution for disposing unwanted corporate assets. When you rePurpose, you might be eligible for a tax benefit for the fair market value of the items donated.

Perhaps most important, the program ensures immediate title transfer to the receiving organization. This frees you from the risk and costs associated with liability. You also get a strong sustainability story you can use with internal and external audiences. Choosing to rePurpose demonstrates your stewardship of resources by diverting unwanted assets from landfills. It is a concrete way that your organization can act on its commitment to preserve and care for the environment.

Kind to the Earth

In addition to you and the beneficiaries, the earth benefits from the rePurpose program. Using the program significantly reduces the amount of unwanted assets going to landfills. Currently, our research shows that when organizations replace furniture three-quarters of it if disposed of and one-quarter is reused. Of the three-quarters that is disposed, 67 percent ends up in landfills.

Also, our research indicates that using rePurpose to dispose of 100 offices reduces carbon emissions by 37.5 tons. Most important, the rePurpose program helps to transform the disposing of no longer needed furniture from a negative impact on the earth to a positive charitable donation. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) recognizes the importance of programs such as rePurpose and its contribution to earth-friendly design. LEED awards points for proper disposal of furniture.

A Turnkey Approach

The whole rePurpose process simply requires you to contact us. Once your project is registered, we do all the rest. We manage the process from beginning to end so your business can spend time focusing on your work and not your unwanted assets. And the program isn't limited to furniture.

We'll help you properly dispose of copy machines, paper clips—even the excess letterhead that has the former name of your business unit. All these items are of value to nonprofit groups in your immediate community and around the world. In fact, part of the rePurpose program allows you to suggest deserving nonprofits for consideration.

Want to learn more about rePurpose? Contact us.

Peace of Mind for John Deere

Given it's nearly 175-year history as a maker of implements to work the land, the John Deere Company—not surprisingly—has always been a good environmental steward. So when they began a major renovation of their Illinois headquarters to create work environments that were more open and collaborative, they turned to the Herman Miller rePurpose program to help them dispose of their existing furniture.

"We didn't want it to go to a landfill," says Craig Mack, Manager of Deere & Company's General Office Facilities. "We had tried to donate unused furniture previously on our own, but it wasn't working out. So when Jeannette Smith of Pigott (a local Herman Miller dealership) told us about rePurpose, we decided to go with it."

Mr. Mack says the process was "very seamless. Green Standards (Herman Miller's partner organization) lined up the recipients, Pigott handled everything in terms of delivery, and we had the peace of mind knowing the furniture was going to someone who could really use it."

Several local organizations benefited from the donation, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Salvation Army, a home for the blind, a small daycare center and Habitat for Humanity.

"The timing was fabulous because our affiliate organization was getting ready to move into the building next to ours," says Cindy Kuhn, a Director at Habitat. "We were able to furnish it all with the donated furniture, which was in really good shape. We were thrilled to receive it."

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