The 212 Green Team Recommends: Interface

Last month we focused on Seventh Generation's innovative methods for reducing the environmental impact of their household cleaning products. This month we are highlighting Interface, a modular carpet manufacturer that is raising industry standards for sustainable research and product design. 

Unlike many so-called New Age companies, Interface is not a "born-green" business. In 1994, Interface founder Ray Anderson transformed the Interface brand and mission, challenging the 21-year-old company to adopt a new business model that would reinforce the value of sustainability-based commerce. His vision was to empower clients, fabricators and community members to ask for more transparent production methods, such that Interface would change the prevalence of green products in the marketplace.

Anderson compared the transition to becoming a more sustainable company to reaching the summit of a mountain. Both are difficult to achieve, yet with proper planning, neither is impossible. With this analogy in mind, Interface started by establishing “Seven Fronts,” or key areas where they track and measure sustainable progress. Some of these areas include eliminating waste and toxic substances from products, operating facilities with renewable energy, researching recovered and bio-based materials, and eliminating transportation emissions. Interface uses the Ecometrics system to track their progress. Ecometrics helps them evaluate the amount of materials, energy, and waste they import and export. Interface refers to their collective sustainable effort as Mission Zero, their end goal being to have Zero impact on the environment. An interactive summary report (http://www.interfaceglobal.com/deploy/index.html#/intro) outlines the goals and achievements of this mission thus far.

In the fifteen years since Anderson initiated his vision, Interface has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 94 per cent, fossil fuel consumption by 60 per cent, and waste and water usage by 80 per cent. They were able to accomplish this while also increasing sales by 66 percent and widening their profit margin. While Mission Zero has not yet been reached, Interface hopes to reach it by 2020 by maintaining a focus on footprint reduction and product innovation. 

In an article for Environmental Leader Anderson wrote, “I believe that a sustainable society depends totally and absolutely on a new mind-set to deeply embrace ethical values.  Values that, along with an enlightened self-interest, drive us to make new and better decisions.”  As designers, we can learn from this business model and mind-set, developing our own goals to help demand sustainability in the marketplace.