5.01.2006 ET

(CSRwire) PHILADELPHIA AND ATLANTA - Herman Miller, Inc., Texas Instruments and HOK were announced as winners of the Sustainable Leadership Awards, an international awards program presented by a consortium of The American Institute of Architects' (AIA) - Committees on the Environment and Interior Architecture, CoreNet Global and The International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

The awards recognize companies who lead by example and who make sustainable design and development a cornerstone of their business practices. Awards were given in three categories: (1) architecture and interior, (2) for profit companies under five billion dollars in sales, and (3) for-profit multinational companies over five billion in sales.

Herman Miller received a Sustainable Leadership Award, which is given to a company with under $5 billion in annual sales. Herman Miller traces its environmental roots back to the 1950s when company founder D.J. DePree declared that Herman Miller "will be a good corporate neighbor by being a good steward of the environment." Consistently ranked as one of the most environmentally responsible companies in the United States, Herman Miller has worked in close partnership with its suppliers to continually pioneer new standards of eco-manufacturing.

Texas Instruments was the winner in the multinational category. The company began producing Pb-free integrated circuits in the 1980s, and in 2000 created a program to reclaim used wafers that it sold to the photovoltaic manufacturers - resulting in carbon dioxide emission reductions by 195,000 tons. In addition to being recognized for its progress toward zero waste, the company recently completed construction of the first semiconductor-manufacturing facility designed to meet LEED™ "silver" certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the green-building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council, the leading accrediting body for the industry.

HOK, a global architecture and engineering firm, won in the category of design. A pioneer in the sustainability movement since the early 1990s, HOK continues to actively drive sustainability toward mainstream awareness and acceptance. This company has placed a high value on sharing "lessons learned" with others through resources such as "The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design."

A special recognition was given to Tricycle (in the under $5 billion in annual sales category) for its innovative digitally modeled paper print carpet samples, which are used during the early rounds of design decision-making.

Tandus™, Johnson Controls, Haworth and Cubellis Associates underwrote the awards.

This awards program is in its fifth year, and is the only award program bringing together more than 90 percent of the world's design and development professionals.

About the sponsoring organizations

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is a professional networking and educational association of 10,000 members in eight specialty forums and more than 30 Chapters around the world. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

AIA/Interior Architecture Committee and the AIA/Committee on the Environment are professional interest areas of the American Institute of Architects. The American Institute of Architects is the voice of the architecture profession and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

CoreNet Global is a global professional corporate real estate association representing more than 7,500 corporate executives around the world. CoreNet Global members manage US $1.2 trillion in worldwide corporate assets

For more information contact: Martha Parker, program manager, Sustainable Leadership Awards for Design and Development at sustainableleadership@att.net or call 1-888-548-5800.

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