Herman Miller

by Aeron

A pioneering design moves forward

Aeron®
Designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick, 1994 Remastered by Don Chadwick, 2016
Further designed for the good of the environment by Don Chadwick, 2021

Ergonomic to the core, Aeron was designed for all types of human bodies. For almost 30 years, we’ve been perfecting it so that it’s not only good for your body, but good for our environment too.

Now made with ocean-bound plastic, it’s the exact same chair made more sustainable.

Sustainable from the start

Aeron’s legacy of sustainability and innovation continues since its introduction. It proved pioneering in both ergonomics and material innovation, without relying on the standard use of foam, fabric or leather found in most office chairs at the time. The Aeron Chair was also Herman Miller’s first product to receive the industry-leading Cradle to Cradle V3 Silver Level certification, assessed on our environmental and social performance. Aeron is composed of more than 50% recycled material – and now, we’ve added ocean-bound plastic to the chair, resulting in more than 150 metric tons of plastic diverted from the ecosystem every year.*

About ocean-bound plastic

Plastic waste tends to build up in coastal cities that don’t have the infrastructure to process it. 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 our products and processes, we’re reducing the volume of plastic waste, little by little.

Products made with ocean-bound plastic
We’re diverting this plastic waste by revamping our products with ocean-bound plastic – and Aeron is just the beginning.

Where comfort meets support

The Aeron Chair has the benchmark for ergonomic seating – and what great design could be – since its debut in 1994. Combining a deep knowledge of human-centred design with cutting-edge technology, we strive to perfect how best to support people in the varied postures they adopt throughout the day. What has been incorporated into today’s Aeron Chair are all the technological and ergonomic enhancements that have been gained along the way, increasing the range of cross- performance capabilities. Aeron offers smarter weight distribution through 8Z Pellicle®, an adjustable PostureFit SL® that supports both the sacrum and the lumbar regions of the spine to empower the natural S-shape, and the high-performing HarmonicTM 2 Tilt, which supports the user’s natural movements and provides a balanced recline.

Zonal Support
8Z Pellicle offers unprecedented comfort through eight varied zones of tension in the seat and back. To better envelop the sitter, the tightest zones keep the body off the frame and in the chair, while more compliant zones conform to the sitting bones and distribute weight evenly.

PostureFit SL
Adjustable, individual pads support the sacrum and lumbar region of the spine to mimic a healthful standing position and prompt the posture that keeps you strong while you sit.

Aeration
The 8Z Pellicle suspension material allows air, body heat and water vapour to pass through the seat and back to help maintain even and comfortable skin temperature.

Natural Movement
The HarmonicTM 2 Tilt moves with you naturally, allowing you to shift from forward to reclining postures intuitively and smoothly, and always at an optimal balance point.

Design

Design can’t stand still if the problems we’re solving change. We’re at a pivotal moment in the climate crisis, and Herman Miller is working towards solutions big and small to create real, lasting change. That’s how the revamped Aeron Chair came to be – with the addition of ocean-bound plastic to the chair’s already more than 50% recycled material composition.

About Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick

Between Bill Stumpf’s flair for function and Don Chadwick’s eye for elegance, the two possessed all of the right components to create revolutionary, identifiable performance chairs. They started with the Equa® Chair designed for Herman Miller in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Stumpf’s deep understanding of ergonomics, Chadwick’s rich feel for aesthetics and materiality, and Herman Miller’s rigorous research and engineering power delivered the Aeron Chair – a seat that became synonymous with comfort and recognised for its dematerialised design. Using his and Stumpf’s initial criteria for the Aeron Chair, Chadwick remastered the chair in 2016 and further designed it for the good of the environment in 2021.

Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick

A more inclusive chair
Aeron’s three sizes – A, B and C – were precisely designed to welcome a wide range of body types. Most ergonomic chairs accommodate people in the fifth to 95th percentile, but we believe an even broader range of individuals deserve a chair that fits them: everything from the backrest height to the seat width, to the tilt mechanism, all the way down to the size of the base. There’s an Aeron suited to nearly everyone, from the first to the 99th percentile.

Designed for the elements

Aeron is available in a palette of four meticulously curated material expressions centred on elements pulled from the earth. Onyx is a dramatic ultra-matte black shade intended to modernise Aeron. Graphite is a distinctive dark grey, with a classic textured finish. Carbon offers a balanced neutral that works equally well in warm and cool environments. Mineral is the lightest and illuminates Aeron’s finer points, ideal for open floorplans and spaces. Each component of the chair was thoughtfully designed, creating a fundamentally harmonious colour palette.

Materials

Through hundreds of samples, tests and iterations, we arrived at four tightly curated, holistic material expressions. Colours were developed to harmonise with the chair’s other components. Details such as these contribute to a product worthy of the Aeron name, but they are not enough. Each detail contributes to a seamless whole.

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