Sayl – The Little Pieces Add Up

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Sayl – The Little Pieces Add Up

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Integrating ocean-bound plastic into products and processes

Herman Miller has upgraded the Sayl chair to contain up to 1.36kg of Ocean Bound Plastic per chair. Sayl’s eco-dematerialized design uses less material in more inventive ways to provide ergonomic comfort, and a smaller footprint. The unique design keeps the chair lightweight, and less material is used in its construction.

“Using business as a force for good, we aim to preserve our environment for future generations. We do that as part of our greater purpose, by designing for the good of humankind. From the materials we source, to how we manufacture our products and our broader global impact. All these small changes will add up, little by little, and we’ll see our impact get bigger and bigger. “

Herman Miller is a founding member of NextWave Plastics, a consortium working to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastic supply chains. By integrating this transformed plastic into Herman Miller products and processes, Herman Miller are reducing the volume of plastic waste, little by little.

8 million metric tons of plastic currently in the ocean

+8 million metric tons added every year

Every minute the equivalent of one garbage truck is dumped into the ocean

Fewer parts, less material, and still everything a good chair should be

Yves Béhar applied the engineering principles of suspension bridges to create Sayl. Its eco-dematerialized design uses less material in more inventive ways to provide ergonomic comfort, and a smaller footprint. The unique design keeps the chair lightweight, and less material is used in its construction. The addition of Ocean Bound Plastic to Sayl expands upon this sustainable legacy.

The smart engineering and high style of the Sayl work chair can also be found in the Sayl stool and side chair. Work chairs, side chairs and stools feature an upholstered seat with either a suspension or upholstered back. Side chairs feature either a 4-leg design, which stacks up to 4-high, or sled base

Design Story

Herman Miller asked designer Yves Béhar to design a highly affordable chair that would incorporate everything Herman Miller is known for – beautiful design, first-class ergonomics, elegant engineering and respect for the environment.

The notion of using a suspension tower to support an unframed suspension back meant that the flexible elastomer suspension material could be stretched in a way that provided the greatest tension at points where support is needed and the least in areas that would allow for the most expansive range of motion.

So why “Sayl”, rather than, say, “Bridge”? Take a look at the chair from the side. See the resemblance to a full mainsail? The name reflects the sailing vessels that pass beneath the bridges that inspired the original design. Replacing the “i” in “sail” with a “y” is a nod to the innovative Y-Tower structure of the work chair.