Environmental Product Declaration

Liberty Ocean

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Liberty Ocean, manufactured by Humanscale. Declaration SmartEPD-2025-082-0582-01, prepared according to NSF BIFMA PCR for Seating: UNCPC 3811, v.4, valid until September 5, 2030.

Download the EPD (PDF)

Functional unit: 1 Unit of product of Seating
Valid until: September 5, 2030
PCR: Furnishings

Declaration details

Manufacturer: Humanscale
Program operator: Smart EPD
Declaration number: SmartEPD-2025-082-0582-01
Date of issue: September 5, 2025
Valid until: September 5, 2030
Product category rules (PCR): NSF BIFMA PCR for Seating: UNCPC 3811, v.4 (version 4)
Standard: ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930:2017
Functional unit: 1 Unit of product of Seating
System boundary: Cradle to gate with other options (A1 - A3, A4, A5, B1, B4, C1 - C4)
Product specificity: Product Specific
Manufacturing specificity: Facility Specific
Manufacturing plant: Humanscale Piscataway (220 Circle Drive North, Piscataway, NJ, USA)
Product category: Furnishings › Chairs
Product SKU: L213BM10CF10XFSHNSC
Product service life: 10 years
Verifier: Jack Geibig, Ecoform, LLC
LCA software: Carbon Bright 1.2.2
Program instructions: Smart EPD General Program Instructions v.2.0, March 2025

Life cycle assessment results

Results per 1 Unit of product of Seating.

Environmental Impact Assessment Results

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	C2	C3	C4
GWP-total	kg CO2 eq	6.54e+1	3.86e+0	1.24e+1	6.69e-2	3.08e+0	4.34e-1
GWP-total (excl biogenic)	kg CO2 eq	7.50e+1	3.86e+0	2.76e+0	6.69e-2	3.08e+0	4.34e-1
GWP-biogenic	kg CO2 eq	-9.64e+0	0	9.64e+0	0	0	0
ODP	kg CFC 11 eq	4.88e-6	5.40e-8	2.24e-8	9.38e-10	3.35e-9	1.62e-9
AP	kg SO2 eq	3.27e-1	1.61e-2	2.84e-3	2.79e-4	1.78e-3	5.29e-4
EP	kg N eq	3.38e-1	5.95e-3	2.76e-2	1.03e-4	2.70e-3	9.49e-2
POCP	kg O3 eq	4.99e+0	4.34e-1	3.12e-2	7.54e-3	5.28e-2	1.24e-2
ODP	kg CFC 11 eq	3.44e-1	1.61e-2	2.84e-3	2.79e-4	1.72e-3	5.48e-4
AP	kg SO2 eq	3.44e-1	1.61e-2	2.84e-3	2.79e-4	1.72e-3	5.48e-4
EP-marine	kg N eq	3.51e-1	5.95e-3	2.77e-2	1.03e-4	2.62e-3	1.20e-1
ADP-fossil	MJ	1.07e+3	5.42e+1	8.78e+0	9.40e-1	2.21e+0	1.38e+0
GWP- total	kg CO2 eq	7.10e+1	3.86e+0	1.24e+1	6.69e-2	3.03e+0	4.84e-1

Resource Use Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A4	A5	C2	C3	C4
RPRE	MJ	5.36e+1	7.77e-1	-9.68e+1	1.35e-2	-4.08e-1	-1.02e-1
RPRM	MJ	1.27e+2	0	9.72e+1	0	6.12e-1	1.22e-1
RPRT	MJ	1.81e+2	7.77e-1	3.82e-1	1.35e-2	2.04e-1	2.07e-2
NRPRE	MJ	9.10e+2	5.42e+1	8.45e+0	9.40e-1	-1.26e+2	-1.14e+2
NRPRM	MJ	1.66e+2	0	3.38e-1	0	1.28e+2	1.16e+2
NRPRT	MJ	1.07e+3	5.42e+1	8.78e+0	9.40e-1	2.21e+0	1.38e+0
SM	kg	9.45e+0	0	0	0	0	0
RSF	MJ	1.44e+0	3.06e-4	1.81e-5	5.32e-6	4.17e-5	8.37e-6
NRSF	MJ	0	0	0	0	0	0
FW	m3	5.21e-1	7.65e-3	-5.14e-4	1.33e-4	3.31e-3	-1.02e-2
RE	MJ	0	0	0	0	0	0

Waste and Output Flow Indicators

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A5	C3	C4
HWD	kg	0	0	0	0
NHWD	kg	0	9.20e-1	0	6.50e+0
RWD	kg	0	0	0	0
HLRW	kg	0	0	0	0
ILLRW	kg	0	0	0	0
CRU	kg	0	0	0	0
MFR	kg	2.48e-3	4.83e+0	4.85e+0	0
MER	kg	0	2.30e-1	1.63e+0	0
MNER	kg	0	0	0	0
EEE	MJ	0	1.33e-5	2.22e-1	0
EET	MJ	0	2.15e-5	1.40e-1	0

Carbon Emissions and Removals

Indicator	Unit	A1-A3	A5
BCRP	kg CO2	0	ND
BCEP	kg CO2	0	ND
BCRK	kg CO2	-9.64e+0	ND
BCEK	kg CO2	0	9.64e+0
BCEW	kg CO2	0	ND
CCE	kg CO2	0	ND
CCR	kg CO2	0	ND
CWNR	kg CO2	0	ND

ND = not declared. Life cycle modules: A1-A3 product stage, A4-A5 construction process, B use stage, C end of life, D benefits and loads beyond the system boundary.

Material composition

Product composition
Material/Component Category	Origin	% Mass
Steel		4.24 kg
Nylon PA-6		2.79 kg
Aluminum		2.39 kg
Nylon Glass Filled (Ocean Plastic)		1.16 kg
Polypropylene		1.13 kg
Polystyrene		0.64 kg
Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE - TPR - TPV - TPU)		0.36 kg
Powder Coat		0.11 kg
Polyoxymethylene		0.96 kg
Polyurethane		0.065
Polyurethane foam		0.062
HDPE		0.028
Bronze		0.013
Nitrile Butadiene Rubber		0.008
Polymeric Lubricant		0.004
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrenea		0.003
Phenolic		0.003
Stretch Wrap		0.002
Total		13.1

Packaging
Packaging material	Origin	Mass (kg)
Cardboard	USA	6.02
Tape	USA	0.009
Polybag	USA	0.0002

Hazardous substances

This product contains no substances required to be reported as hazardous to human health or the environment.

Scenarios

Transport to the building site (A4)

Fuel type: Diesel
Vehicle type: Fleet Average Lorry Class
Transport distance: 1250 km

End of life (C1-C4)

Recycling: 4.85 kg
Landfill: 6.50 kg
Incineration: 1.63 kg

Product description

The Liberty Ocean Chair is a task chair designed for office and commercial use. It is part of Humanscale’s Ocean line of seating products and incorporates recycled marine plastic as a key raw material. Specifically, each unit contains 1.16 kg of glass filled nylon made of 0.77 kg of recycled fishing net based nylon. This recycled content reduces the demand for virgin plastic feedstock and addresses ocean plastic waste streams. The chair is constructed with a metal frame, recycled-content plastic components, mesh fabric, and other standard task chair materials.

The configuration modeled in this study is representative of a typical Liberty Ocean Chair with standard features, including a five-star plastic base with casters, standard cylinder, and armrests with foam padding. This configuration reflects the most common options specified by customers.

The functional unit of the product is one unit of seating to seat a single occupant, maintained for a 10-yr period. The number of chairs required per functional unit is 1. In accordance with the PCR, the product has been certified to the ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 standard and therefore is deemed to meet the 10-yr service life. The category of the product is a Swivel/Task Chair intended for seating and mobile use within an office or workspace environment, with casters/rollers for movement per Option B of the PCR.

Interpretation

The Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Liberty Ocean Chair offers a rigorous evaluation of its environmental footprint across key indicators—greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and water depletion. The analysis reflects decisions already made during the design and development process to prioritize materials and manufacturing methods that align with sustainability objectives—balancing product performance with environmental responsibility.

Key Contributors to the environmental impact include the following:

Carbon Footprint: The top 3 activities contributing to carbon footprint (IPCC AR6 GWP100 total) are Nylon 6 Production (30%), Cardboard production (10%) and Treatment of Waste Cardboard (9%).

Energy Use: The top 3 activities contributing to non renewable primary energy use are are Nylon 6 Production (32%), Cardboard production (16%) and Freight Truck Transportation (16%).

Water Use: The top 3 activities contributing to fresh water use are Nylon 6 Production (37%), Injection Moulding (15%) and Cardboard production (14%).

LCIA results are relative expressions and do not predict impacts on category endpoints, the exceeding of thresholds, safety margins or risks. EPDs are comparable only when they follow the same PCR, functional unit and system boundary. The full EPD (PDF) contains the methodology, scenario assumptions and verification statement.