Sustainability | Questions to Ask

Questions about sustainability you should ask every floorcovering company:

Do you document your procedures and performance for others to see?

Interface Flooring Systems — USA is registered by UL to the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard, and Interface Flooring Systems — Canada is Registered by SGS to the ISO 14001 standard. Registration to ISO 14001 means that the management system for environmental performance at each Interface Flooring Systems locations in the US and Canada has been evaluated in the areas of operations (including system requirements and objectives), documentation, training, communication, operational control, emergency preparedness, preventive and corrective action, records, and internal auditing. Interface Flooring Systems — Canada is also Registered by SGS to the ISO 9002 quality systems standard.

And, Interface, Inc. is the first company in the commercial interiors industry to commit to the CERES Principles and to publicly issue a CERES report, an indepth report of environmental impacts, policies, management systems and accomplishments. CERES, which stands for Coalition of Environmentally Responsible Economies, is a non-governmental organization formed in 1989 to encourage corporations to be environmentally responsible and accountable. Click here for more information on CERES or to see the Interface CERES reports.

Do you know my priorities?

Interface can help you choose a product which furthers your organization's highest environmental priority, whether it's using less energy and generating less waste, supporting indoor air quality, reducing manufacturing emissions or recycling.

Do you use renewable energy?

We do! Every major business unit of Interface, Inc. has developed renewable energy sources which supply at least part of their power. Our U.S. broadloom manufacturing facility has one of the largest industrial solar arrays in North America. Interface Canada was the first customer of certified green electricity from Ontario Hydro. Our facilities in the United Kingdom use 100 percent certified green electricity; the looms at the Kyle plant in LaGrange, Georgia are supplemented with solar power, as are our panel fabrics operations in North Carolina; and Interface's Dutch manufacturing facility has deployed a solar array integrated into their new green office building.

Do you design products for an entire lifecycle?

Recycling is a reaction, not a solution. At Interface, we produce products that enable customers to do more and consume less over their years of ownership, not just at the end. By examining the entire lifecycle of our flooring products from manufacturing to disposal and reclamation, we are striving to make our carpets and our customers' investment sustainable.

Do people take your environmental record seriously?

They take ours to heart. Interface has long been recognized and honored by environmental and governmental organizations for our drive for sustainability and for stimulating public dialogue on sustainable development. Today, we are defining environmental responsibility for our industry by striving to use materials and processes that take less from the environment, while delivering product performance. We believe sustainability presents an opportunity to redesign, not just recycle. In creating floorcoverings, efficiency and effective design go hand in hand.