While we devote a lot of thought and money to the pieces we bring into our home, many companies spend less time considering what furniture they provide for employees. And yet those employees will spend 90,000 hours of their lives at work over the course of their lifetimes, or fully one third of their lives, by one count. Work tables, sofas, and lighting that are thoughtfully designed and manufactured can go a long way to improving our quality of life.

According to research cited in a report from the Center for Environmental Health, the 22-year-old public health nonprofit, a whopping 85% of couches (in an analysis of 102 models) contained flame retardants that are toxic or questionable. In the CEH’s report, Kicking Toxic Chemicals Out of the Office, created in partnership HDR Architecture, the group lists office furniture makers that have removed toxic flame retardants from their products. The nonprofit says that companies like Yahoo! and Kaiser Permanente have pledged not to buy office furniture and products that use flame retardants, which are linked to serious health problems, including cancer, obesity, and reproductive difficulties. These chemicals are so ubiquitous that 97% of Americans and 100% of infants tested were found to have traces of these toxins in their blood, urine, breast milk, and infant cord blood.

As consumer awareness of this issue grows, one furniture maker is putting the issue at the forefront of its product line. The Sage Collection, a new line of office furniture made by high-end British company Benchmark, is made with traceable materials certified by third parties to be free of harmful chemicals.