Interface Inc. at NeoCon

On Tuesday, Building Green's Lisa Walker and Aron Buterbaugh caught up with one of the industry's leading green thinkers, flooring and fabric manufactuer Interface's founder Ray Anderson, at the NEOCon World Trade Show in Chicago.

When asked what he had up his sleeve for this year's design megashow, Mr. Anderson was pleased to announce another big step in the flooring and fabric company's climb up "Mount Sustainability" with the news of another first for subsidiary InterfaceFLOR: the ability to completely and economically recycle Nylon 6,6 in the manufacture of carpet tile and related products. Nylon 6,6 is a short glass/carbon fiber composite used to make many commercial carpet products and, up to now, has been an abundant source of waste for landfills.

"This means we can take carpet from anywhere, made by anybody, and recycle it for reuse. It means much less energy used in the production of product. It's all about energy efficiency," said Anderson.

At last year's NEOCon show, Anderson rallied his 5,000 worldwide employees behind the company launch of Mission Zero. "Mission Zero gives voice to the brand promise that Interface Inc. will be sustainable, leaving zero footprint, by the year 2020," explained CEO Dan Hendrix.

Click on "read more" to see Ray Anderson's Seven Faces of Mt. Sustainability

THE SEVEN FACES OF MT. SUSTAINABILITY

1. Eliminate Waste: Eliminating all forms of waste in every area of business;
2. Benign Emissions: Eliminating toxic substances from products, vehicles and facilities;
3. Renewable Energy: Operating facilities with renewable energy sources – solar, wind, landfill gas, biomass, geothermal, tidal and low impact/small scale hydroelectric or non-petroleum-based hydrogen;
4. Closing the Loop: Redesigning processes and products to close the technical loop using recovered and bio-based materials;
5. Resource-Efficient Transportation: Transporting people and products efficiently to reduce waste and emissions;
6. Sensitizing Stakeholders: Creating a culture that integrates sustainability principles and improves people’s lives and livelihoods;
7. Redesign Commerce: Creating a new business model that demonstrates and supports the value of sustainability-based commerce.

To learn more about Interface’s leadership in environmental sustainability, click here.