What if an office could do more than just house employees? What if it could actively reduce waste, cut carbon emissions, and set a new benchmark for sustainable design?
That was the vision behind EcoVadis’ new Toronto headquarters, a space designed to lead by example.
As a global leader in business sustainability ratings, EcoVadis helps companies assess and improve their environmental, social, and ethical impact. Their commitment to sustainability made them the perfect partner for this project, aligning seamlessly with our mission at Syllable Design.
Together with our partners Truspace and Envirotech, we worked to ensure that EcoVadis’ brand promise was fully realized in their new workspace. Every decision, from furniture selection to material sourcing, was guided by one principle: ensuring the new EcoVadis headquarters not only championed sustainability but also seamlessly extended the brand’s global identity into the Canadian market.
We saw this project as a chance to rethink the design process itself, to move away from defaulting to “new” and lean into what could be restored, reimagined, and reintroduced with purpose. For us, good design isn’t just about how a space looks, it’s about how responsibly it’s made, how thoughtfully it functions, and how long it can serve without needing to be replaced.
Translating EcoVadis’ Brand Purpose into a Workplace Experience
EcoVadis is the world’s leading sustainability intelligence platform for global supply chains, helping over 125,000 companies assess and improve their environmental, social, and ethical performance. Their data-driven insights help businesses embed sustainability into procurement and operations, turning ESG commitments into measurable, scalable impact.
As the company grew its North American footprint, it was time to move out of a co-working environment and into a space of their own, one that could carry the weight of their mission and support a growing team. The challenge was clear: create a workplace that authentically reflected EcoVadis’ brand purpose, not just in aesthetic, but in action.
Key considerations that shaped our approach included:
- How do we establish EcoVadis’ presence in North America while staying true to its European roots?
- How can this Toronto office reflect both, their global sustainability leadership and localized impact in Canada?
This project called for a deliberate departure from conventional office design practices. In much of the corporate world, renovation still follows a predictable cycle: finishes are stripped, furniture is replaced, and the previous space is discarded without a second thought. This pattern not only drives up carbon emissions but also contributes significantly to landfill waste, an impact we can’t ignore.
We wanted to push the boundaries of sustainability, especially around the perception of pre-owned materials. Sustainability isn’t just about doing less harm, it’s about finding value in what already exists. This project was a chance to prove that repurposed, refurbished furniture isn’t just environmentally responsible, it’s cost-effective and capable of delivering a premium, design-forward workplace.
Sustainability in Action
To deliver a space that felt fresh, modern, and inspiring, here’s how we redefined what a sustainable office could be:
- Furniture Strategy: Reuse, Refurbish, Remanufacture
- 95% of furniture was repurposed, drastically cutting embodied carbon.
- Pre-owned furniture was 43% more cost-effective than new.
- Envirotech’s third-party verified remanufacturing process ensured quality and sustainability.
- Low-Carbon Materials & Energy Efficiency
- Retained and upgraded existing LED lighting with energy-efficient sensors by Salex.
- Integrated carbon-neutral flooring and sustainably sourced finishes by Interface.
- Optimized daylight utilization to reduce energy consumption.
- Biophilic & Wellness-Centric Design
- Indoor Forest’s moss accent walls improve air quality while adding a natural, calming presence to the workspace; sourced from a women-owned business to further support sustainability and social equity.
- Indoor planters and tree by Planters Pro and ByNature enhance employee well-being by fostering a connection to nature within the office.
- A mix of collaborative spaces, wellness zones, and quiet areas for a balanced work environment.
- Thoughtful circulation paths and ergonomic planning ensure seamless movement and comfort.
- Impact by the Numbers
- Offset 11.7 metric tons of carbon emissions through material choices.
- Diverted 5,000 plastic bottles from landfills.
- Balanced 7,185 gallons of water to support global conservation efforts.
- Retired carbon equivalent to 0.7 acres of trees per year.
The Future of Sustainable Workspaces
Currently, commercial interiors contribute significantly to landfill waste, with over 10 million tons of furniture and furnishings discarded annually in North America alone. Renovation waste is rising, and yet, sustainable design is still viewed by many as an expensive exception, not the rule. Why? Because change is uncomfortable, reuse is seen as a compromise, and sustainability is often misunderstood as costly or inaccessible.
Here’s the truth: the global green building materials market is projected to reach over 645 billion by 2030, and as demand grows, costs drop. The more we embrace sustainable practices, the more viable and affordable they become. It’s not a question of ‘if’, it’s ‘when’. The sooner we push, the faster we evolve.
The EcoVadis headquarters in Toronto isn’t just a beautiful office, it’s a blueprint. A statement. A challenge to the ‘rip and replace’ mentality that dominates so many workplace renovations today. Instead of pulling from the earth for what’s new, we reimagined what already existed.
As a result, nearly 95% of the furniture was repurposed, refurbished, or remanufactured, proving that circular design can be both practical and pretty. Locally made material was carefully selected, ensuring low-carbon finishes, high-recycled content, and third-party sustainability certifications.
This project also shows what’s possible when the right partners come together. Truspace led the build, executing with precision and care. Envirotech brought their deep expertise in furniture remanufacturing, ensuring that reuse didn’t mean compromise. Together, we delivered a workspace that not only meets EcoVadis’ functional needs but amplifies their brand ethos, an office that walks the sustainability talk.
Sustainable workplace design doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity, quality, or cost-effectiveness. It means shifting our perspective and leading the industry toward smarter, cleaner, longer-lasting solutions.
