Allsteel Elevates Office Materiality with Zero-Waste Knit Innovation
Rhea-AI Summary
HNI (NYSE:HNI) brand Allsteel has launched Levra, a new task chair developed with ITO Design that combines ergonomic engineering with a patent-pending, frameless structural knit back. The precision-knit back is produced via a zero-waste process and uses 100% recycled materials, including up to 96% post-consumer polyester and up to 4% SEAQUAL yarn made from upcycled marine litter.
According to Allsteel, Levra integrates high recycled-content aluminum (98% in key components), is certified SCS Indoor Advantage Gold for low emissions, BIFMA LEVEL 3, and carries a Red List Approved Declare Label. All full task chair models are described as carbon neutral, aligning with responsible manufacturing and material transparency goals while supporting all-day comfort and adaptive movement in modern, fluid workplaces.
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Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 | Quarterly dividend | Neutral | -1.7% | Board declared a 35-cent quarterly dividend payable September 11 |
| Jul 30 | 2Q26 earnings report | Positive | +1.9% | Non-GAAP EPS increased 14% alongside raised full-year EPS growth target |
| Jul 24 | Company recognition | Positive | +2.6% | TIME ranked HNI among America's Best Companies for 2026 |
| Jul 14 | Earnings conference call | Neutral | -0.1% | Company scheduled its second-quarter 2026 results conference call |
| Jun 08 | Levra product introduction | Positive | +4.2% | Allsteel introduced Levra with structural knit back and ergonomic features |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Positive news events generally aligned with gains, while the dividend announcement diverged with a -1.66% reaction.
Key Terms
patent-pending regulatory
zero-waste manufacturing process technical
post-consumer polyester technical
bifma level® 3 regulatory
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Levra Harnesses the Power of Upcycled Marine Litter for Material Innovation and All-Day Comfort
Muscatine, IA., Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Executive Summary and Key Takeaways
- Product Overview: Allsteel has introduced Levra™, a new task chair in collaboration with ITO Design that meets the fluidity of how people actually work today.
- Material Innovation: Levra features a patent-pending frameless back with precision-knit material produced through a zero-waste manufacturing process, supporting intuitive comfort and movement.
- Responsible Manufacturing and Material Validation: Levra pairs high recycled content with third-party sustainability validation, including SCS Indoor Advantage Gold, BIFMA LEVEL® 3, and a Red List Approved Declare Label. All Levra full task chair models are also carbon neutral.
Allsteel is moving materiality from aesthetics to engineering with Levra™, its newest task chair designed for the way people work today. Developed in collaboration with ITO Design, Levra’s ergonomic engineering is cloaked in human-centric materials and anchored by a first-of-its-kind, patent-pending frameless back architecture featuring structural knit material. Through this blend of textile innovation and ergonomic features, Levra presents a vision for the future of task seating—one where high performance and refined aesthetics merge to match the uncompromising demands of the modern workplace.
What Makes Levra’s Back Special?
During its development, the knit material of Levra’s back was treated as a design tool to help deliver structural integrity, adaptive flexibility, and a lighter visual expression:
- A suspended back softens the hard visual and physical edges of a traditional frame, while integrated lumbar support provides tactile feedback and comfort without restricting motion.
- The back is constructed through a precision-knit zero-waste manufacturing process. It is “fit-to-knit” directly to the chair’s specifications, entirely eliminating knit fabric cutting scrap.
- The knit material used in Levra’s back is made from
100% recycled materials, including up to96% post-consumer polyester and up to4% SEAQUAL® yarn made from upcycled marine litter. - Its curated, monochromatic color palette and refined silhouette integrate seamlessly into design-forward interiors, offering a high-performance seating option that complements the visual language of modern office spaces.
Levra’s Design Philosophy
ITO Design played a significant role in shaping Levra from the earliest stages of development, helping define both the product’s performance and its refined visual language. Together, Allsteel and the ITO Design team worked through years of iterative prototyping to create a chair that balances technical and material innovation with a more human, approachable expression. “One of the key goals was to create a chair that accomplishes a great deal through its engineering without appearing overly technical,” said Christopher Schmidt, on behalf of the ITO Design team. “Levra brings together freedom of movement, intuitive support, and a quieter design language in a way that feels immediate and natural for the user.” These features are especially apparent in its sleek, yet highly functional, suspended back.
How is Levra Sustainable?
Material health is built into Levra. Beyond its aesthetic and comfort, Levra’s fit-to-knit back material construction also contributes to ambitious responsible manufacturing goals:
- Its zero-waste, precision-knit back material is made from
100% recycled materials, including upcycled SEAQUAL® yarns. - The back upright, arm uprights, and base are made from aluminum containing
98% recycled content. - The chair is SCS Indoor Advantage Gold certified for low emissions, supporting healthier indoor air.
- Levra’s Declare Label publicly discloses every ingredient and screens materials against the Red List of chemicals linked to human and environmental harm, with material inputs measured to 100 ppm.
- Levra is third-party certified to BIFMA LEVEL® 3, the standard’s highest achievement level, which evaluates sustainability performance across the product, manufacturing facility, and company.
- All Levra full task chair models are carbon neutral, utilizing offsets from forestation projects to address carbon emissions associated with their life cycle.
How Does Levra’s Materiality Support Its Function?
Levra responds to the changing realities of the workplace with a more intuitive approach to comfort, movement, and adjustment. For decades, task seating was built around routines—one person, one desk, one way of working. Today, work is more fluid, with people moving, sitting, and focusing differently throughout the day. Levra’s responsive materials, like its suspended knit back, actively support changing postures and micromovements to encourage a more seamless and productive flow to the workday.
Together, these choices reflect Allsteel’s human-centric approach to design: products should support people, complement the spaces around them, and be made with care. Levra brings that philosophy to life through intuitive movement, responsible materials, and a refined presence designed to feel like second nature.
Explore Levra’s design, material innovation, available finishes, and sustainability certifications at
https://www.allsteeloffice.com/introducing-levra.
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About Allsteel
Founded in 1912 and headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, Allsteel designs and manufactures workplace furnishings that elevate performance through thoughtful design. Its portfolio spans architectural systems, private office, seating, and collaborative solutions, enabling cohesive environments across the workplace. Through a co-solutioning approach with dealers and design professionals, Allsteel creates adaptable spaces that support focus, foster connection, and align with evolving workplace strategy while supporting each organization’s culture and priorities. Allsteel operates an Experience Center in Chicago, along with showrooms in Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Allsteel is part of HNI Corporation, a global family of brands serving commercial and residential markets. For additional information, visit www.allsteeloffice.com or follow Allsteel on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
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Lucy Mayer Allsteel 7036749389 lucy@novitapr.com