Herman Miller

Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources

US maker of office chairs and furniture, including the Aeron chair.

There's no proof Herman Miller pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.

Better-graded furniture

Graded higher than Herman Miller, selling the same kinds of things.

JardanMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made sofas and furniturePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified KoskelaMissing: where its earlier stages happen, a named supplier list and traced raw materials · Homewares, furniture & appliancesAustralian-made furniture and homewaresPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified PlyroomMissing: where its earlier stages happen · Homewares, furniture & appliancesPlywood furniture and storagePays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

None of the furniture brands we know to make furniture is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Le Klint is Good, but we don't know that it makes furniture.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 of 6

Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather and timber) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: timber

Red flags 2

Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

From MillerKnoll's supplier list, which covers Herman Miller and its sister brands. Herman Miller publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.

Where it's made, and conditions there
Country	Worker rights	Legal minimum wage	Forced labour risk
China	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate
India	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	High
United States	Systematic violations	Below a living wage	Low
United Kingdom	Regular violations	Close to a living wage	Low
VietnamUsual for the industry	Systematic violations	Well below a living wage	Moderate
PolandUsual for the industry	Regular violations	Close to a living wage	Moderate
IndonesiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Well below a living wage	Moderate
MalaysiaUsual for the industry	No guarantee of rights	Below a living wage	Moderate

Evidence

What we found

Modern slavery statement
Owns or runs its own production
Doesn't show where its timber comes from. Timber is linked to illegal logging linked to forced labour, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Uses leather in only a few products and doesn't show where it comes from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.

Research notes Herman Miller furniture is mostly made in MillerKnoll's own plants, with group manufacturing sites in the US, UK, China and India plus parts bought from suppliers; no factory list or country shares are published. MillerKnoll's modern slavery statement describes a supplier code and risk-based third-party social audits but gives no audit numbers or results. No living wage commitment is disclosed. Wood and particleboard are used widely, with FSC options but no certified share; leather is used in some seating.

What independent sources say

Source	Result	Details
UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry	Listed	Covered by MillerKnoll's UK modern slavery statement (December 2024), which reports risk-based supplier audits and no forced or child labour cases found. View
Australian Modern Slavery Register	Not listed	No MillerKnoll or Herman Miller statement on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View
Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report	Not covered	Furniture makers are not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report (latest edition 2026). View
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre	Listed	Herman Miller profile lists only past modern slavery and supply chain disclosures, with no labour abuse allegations or response requests. View

Sources and actions

Sources 6

Show all 6 sources

Herman Miller (BHRRC) · search the archive · No labour abuse allegations recorded
MillerKnoll Form 10-K, fiscal 2026 · search the archive · Made mainly by own subsidiaries in US, UK, Italy, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico, India; owned plants in Zeeland, Holland, Melksham
Where to buy a Herman Miller Aeron in Sydney (Arielle) · search the archive · Living Edge, Herman Miller's master distributor, and other Sydney showrooms sell Herman Miller

Published by Herman Miller or its owner

MillerKnoll modern slavery and human trafficking statement · search the archive · Dec 2024 group statement: in-house and outsourced production, risk-based third-party supplier audits, no forced or child labour found
MillerKnoll report on forced labour and child labour in Canada (FY2023) · search the archive · Suppliers mainly in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EU; no forced or child labour identified; HAY and Muuto not named
MillerKnoll global forest protection policy · search the archive · Prioritises FSC chain-of-custody suppliers; FSC licences for MillerKnoll and HAY; leather and rubber also covered; no certified share given

Company details

Owned by: MillerKnoll, Inc.
Headquarters: United States
Last researched: 3 November 2026
Cite this page: Labour Lens, "Is Herman Miller ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/herman-miller, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method: Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

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