SUCCESS In 1994, Interface® Founder Ray Anderson challenged his co-workers

to pursue a bold new vision “Be the first company that, by its deeds,

STORY shows the entire world what sustainability is in all its dimensions:
people, process, product, place and profits - and in doing so, become
restorative through the power of influence”

The Journey of
a Lifetime...
...describes the role of The Natural Step Framework in Interface’s journey
towards Mission Zero.
CREDITS

The Journey of a Lifetime by The Natural Step.

Leading Team: Tamar Harel (lead author)- The Natural Step Israel, Geanne van Arkel (advisor) - Interface, Freek van der Pluijm (advi-

sor)- The Natural Step Netherlands, Berend Aanraad (advisor) - The Natural Step Netherlands,

Contributors: James Ede - Independant , Scott Perret - The Natural Step International

Design and Layout: Berend Aanraad - The Natural Step Netherlands, Alexandre Magnin - The Natural Step Canada

“ Comply” is not a vision

- Ray Anderson
We are grateful to the following people for their support in the development of this success story:

Jim Hartzfeld, Luuk de Jong, Ramon Arratia, Jan Jonker and Karl-Henrik Robèrt

2013. Some rights reserved.

For more information, visit: www.thenaturalstep.nl

The Natural Step would appreciate hearing your feedback on this success story.

Please share your thoughts at [email protected]

Contents

INTRODUCTION: Interface Inc. 5

THE OPPORTUNITY: A new sense of purpose 7
THE RESPONSE: Taking a Natural Step 9
THE PROCESS: Climbing Mount sustainability 13
THE CHANGE: Cultivating a new organisational culture 21
THE NEXT STEPS: Beyond Mission Zero 27
CLOSING NOTE: Every reason for hope 29
THE 7 FRONTS: A closer look 32
Dear Reader,

This is a case study about Interface,Inc. – a global carpet manufacturer – and its sustainability journey. The Inter-
face narrative is one of the most studied sustainability journeys out there today, because the company’s fearless
pioneering has led to spectacular success.

You can read and hear about Interface’s success story in many places. As a result, much of the information we show-
case here is public knowledge. The new contribution this case study makes is that it sheds light on why and how
Interface has been so successful at not just incorporating sustainability, but using it as a platform to drive trans-
formational innovation and profits.

Three key elements can be distilled from this case study:

1. Interface has an extremely bold and inspiring vision that integrates sustainability at its core.
2. 
Interface has an intimate understanding of their own ‘gap’ between where they stand today and full
sustainability – i.e. of the challenges they must overcome in order to achieve their vision of success.
3. Using a framework that helped its people understand strategic sustainability,

Interface has made very smart business decisions in bridging the gap between its current reality and its vision. The
company understood bridging that gap would require transforming its business models, operations and products.
Doing so has helped them reap a diverse range of benefits including cost savings, innovation, higher sales, improved
brand reputation, etc.

The actions Interface has taken are only visible in hindsight. The power in studying them comes from understand-
ing how these actions were thought of and selected in the first place. What is the framework, or mental model, the
company has used to direct its thinking and choices?

The keystone of this approach has been the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), also known
as The Natural Step Framework. It has provided Interface with a manner of moving towards its vision that is both
strategic and step-by-step, both long-range and short-term.

We are The Natural Step – an international sustainability NGO. We help guide decision-makers in business and the
public sector towards sustainability AND overall success. In order to do so we apply and openly share the rigorous,
proven method for sustainability planning we have developed through long practice over the past 25 years.
We were there at the start of the Interface sustainability journey, supporting its people as they worked towards
understanding as clearly as possible their sustainability ‘gap’, and how to bridge it.

Two decades after that journey began, we’re excited to share the story of why and how Interface has achieved its
outstanding success, with you.

Enjoy the read!

Freek van der Pluijm Berend Aanraad

Director/Co-Founder Director/Co-Founder
The Natural Step The Netherlands The Natural Step The Netherlands
 INTRODUCTION: Interface Inc.
A company of ideas and courage
THE COMPANY Interface Inc. specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of modu-
lar carpets and other floor-covering products for the commercial, insti-
Location tutional and residential markets. Over the years Interface has gained it-
Global self a reputation not only for high quality and innovation, but also for carrying
the banner of sustainability, and being a benchmark for an entire industry.
Type
Private sector Founded by the late Ray Anderson in 1973, the business has grown from its original fac-
tory in LaGrange, Georgia into the largest global manufacturer of modular carpet with
Web Site around 3500 employees and an annual turnover of approximately $1 billion US. Inter-
www.interface.com face’s global distribution network expands over five continents, with sales offices in
110 countries and seven manufacturing facilities, given them a strong competitive ad-
Employees vantage through its make-to-order capabilities. Through its most recognized brands,
3,700 Global InterfaceTM and FlorTM, the company’s products cover diverse markets, including cor-
porate office, retail, universities, schools, healthcare, public spaces and hospitality.

“...there is no more strategic For 21 years Interface operated instinctively under the traditional indus-
trial model of ‘take-make-waste’, being heavily reliant on fossil fuels for their
products, transportation and manufacturing. The turning point came in 1994
issue for a company, or any when a series of events led Anderson to realize how little attention was be-
ing paid to the future, and the leading role the company could play in carv-
ing a new path, aiming towards a more sustainable industrial model and society 1.
organization, than its ul-
Soon after this realization, Interface became the first US Company to adopt The
Natural Step (TNS) framework and methodologies. Under the guidance of The Natu-
timate purpose. For those ral Step and other sustainability visionaries, a new vision for Interface was crafted
– Mission Zero™; to eliminate any negative impact Interface has on the environ-
ment by 2020, showing it’s possible to create a better world, and being restorative
who think business exists to by the power of our influence.

Today, having tracked global environmental, social and commercial effects over the
make a profit, I suggest they last 19 years, it is clear Interface has successfully dispelled the myth that focusing
on sustainability negatively affects the bottom line. If anything they have proven
exactly the opposite 2 . Since 1996, the oft-cited baseline year, Interface has reduced
think again. Business makes a the manufacturing waste it sends to landfill by 84%. About 49% of all raw materials
are now either recycled or bio-based, including 36% of yarn and 51% of carpet back-
ing. Savings from avoided waste costs amounted to $450 million. In terms of energy,
profit to exist. Surely it must total energy use at the global factories has been reduced by 39% per unit. Also, 36%
of energy consumed globally is from 100% renewable sources (with 7 out of 9 facili-
ties operating with 100% renewable energy), and actual greenhouse gas emissions
exist for some higher, no- have been reduced by 41% 3 4 .

Interface’s business model as captured by Mission Zero has given it the edge over its
bler purpose than that.” competitors, and the company has been setting the pace for others by being the first

5
to publish corporate sustainability reports, re-
ceiving LEED and ISO14001 certifications, and
accrediting all their products with Environ-
mental Product Declarations (EPDs) 5 . Ray An-
derson received a host of sustainability-relat-
ed accolades throughout his lifetime, as have
other individuals at Interface and several of
its products. The company itself was named by
Fortune as one of the “Most Admired Companies
in America”, and in the UK the company was
recently awarded a second Queen’s Award for
Sustainable Development 6 . In addition, in 2012
the company was recognized as ‘Most Sustain-
able Large Corporate’ in the world by the Inter-
national Green Awards initiative, and in recent
years it has been ranked in the top 3 of the
Globescan/SustainAbility survey of leaders 7 8 .

Interface’s story is unique not only for its

overwhelming success, but also because
the assimilation of the radical new vision
was firmly rooted in a company with es-
tablished operations. What started as the
epiphany of one man became the mission of
an entire company, and the legacy of Ander-
son continues to be the drive for Interface’s
people, even after his passing away in 2011.

“Comply” is
This case study is intended to shed light on the
role The Natural Step played in this inspiring
story, and how its guidance contributed to the
true beauty Interface was able to create; not

not a vision
only to build a new and strong business model,
but to transition the belief of people and the
market, that such a model is not only possible,
but is indeed the only way to go 9 .

- Ray Anderson

6
THE OPPORTUNITY: A new sense of purpose
When a spear of awareness hits you in the chest
Interface’s sustainability journey began in 1994, when customers were begin-
ning to ask what Interface was doing for the environment. Anderson, the CEO
and founder, decided this could be handled by a world-wide task force, look-
ing into Interface’s environmental positioning. He was then called to give a
keynote at the task force’s first meeting, to shed some light on the com-
pany’s environmental vision. His own words describe the situation best:

“Frankly, I didn’t have a vision, except ‘comply, comply, comply’. I sweated for three
weeks over what to say to that group. Then, through what seemed like pure serendipity,
somebody sent me a book; Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce. I read it, and it changed
my life. It was an epiphany; a spear in the chest. I wasn’t halfway through it before the
vision I sought became clear, along with a powerful sense of urgency to do something 10 .”

The book provided a clear moral imperative and brought Anderson a new sense
of purpose. It gave him not only the understanding of the need to run Inter-
face in a sustainable way, but also the source he needed to craft a new vi-
sion which would take it far beyond mere compliance. This wake-up call re-
sulted in Anderson challenging Interface to pursue a bold new mission:
“There is only one institution
“To be the first company that, by its deeds, shows the entire industrial world what
sustainability is, in all its dimensions: people, process, product, place and profits –
and in doing so, become restorative through the power of influence 11 ” on earth large enough, power-
-Ray Anderson

It was this vision he shared with the task force on August 31st, 1994, and not ful enough, pervasive enough,
surprisingly, it was received with tremendous confusion. Jim Hartzfeld, who was
leading the task force and pressed Ray to kick off the first meeting, describes that
the first reaction was one of fear and uncertainty, blended with scepticism and a and influential enough to really
growing sense of guilt, contrasted with the perceived fact that it would be impos-
sible to stay in business without using fossil fuels of any sort 12 , not to mention the
apparent fact that this vision seemed to violate the basic laws of thermodynamics. lead humankind in a different
The tone changed once the discussion1 was reframed around the professional obliga-
tion of Interface; to show that if even a company that depends extensively on oil can direction. And that is the institu-
transform itself, then any business can do it and no one will have an excuse not to
do it 13 . It was this reframing which allowed the task force to see the professional
motive to take this challenge; the business case. tion of business and industry”
After Anderson’s ‘dropping the bomb’ speech, the task force members returned to
their home bases, inspired and driven to act. Nevertheless, they had not the slight- - Paul Hawken
est clue where to begin with such an ambitious goal.

(author, The Ecoogy

of Commerce)
7
Around this time it became clear help was needed in crafting the new vision and the business model to be derived from it. Anderson
and others collected and read dozens of books by leading environmental thinkers and visionaries, and in 1995, they started reaching
out to these authors with the purpose of drawing on their diverse perspectives and expertise.
This group of progressive thinkers became known within Interface as the Eco Dream Team. It included Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins,
John Picard, Bill Browning, L. Hunter Lovins, Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Bill McDonough, Janine Benyus, Robert Fox, Jonathon Porritt,
Daniel Quinn, Bernadette Cozart, John Warner, Walter Stahel and the late David Brower. They were the first ones who inspired the
new direction of Interface, and through a range of interactions (mostly informal), they took part in re-defining the vision as it is
captured in Mission Zero. They also assisted with promoting it inside the company and to various stakeholders.

An existing Interface programme, QUEST, proved to be the ideal vehicle to house the first initiatives. QUEST had been introduced
just prior to Anderson’s epiphany in order to bring about various improvements in the company 14 . The first step of the sustain-
ability journey focused on waste reduction. Cross-functional teams worked on reaching certain quotas. The process was sup-
ported by team learning and sharing of best practices, as well as meeting with inspiring individuals from around the globe, to
motivate thinking “outside of the box” 15 .

1994-1997 were years of radical thinking, when the way work had traditionally been done was fundamentally challenged and even-
tually changed. In was a slow start, yet Anderson persevered. A major turning point came in April 1997 at a week-long gathering in
Maui, Hawaii. For years subsidiary companies had been conducting their own separate annual sales meetings. Now Interface decided
to open its twenty-fifth year by inviting everyone to come together at one time and place. It would be 1,100 people from 34 coun-
tries, including sales forces, resource personnel, suppliers, management and factory associates.

Originally, the purpose of this extraordinary conference was to synthesize the widespread company -- to “hook it up.” With the
help of the Dream Team, Ray and the internal organizers of the event saw a huge opportunity to bring all attendees onto the same
wavelength with regards to sustainability, not only to understand Ray’s vision, but also to experience how sustainability could be
put into practice. The goal was to get people unsettled enough with the current situation, while providing inspiration that would
get them engaged and prompted to take action. For that purpose the hotel, one of the most opulent in the world and a symbol of
human excess, became a classroom, and the conference an exercise in reducing the group’s environmental impact in real time. As
a result, the conference became an experiential metaphor for changing industrial practices around the world. At the end of the
week the results were overwhelming. Attendees had achieved a significant reduction in the group’s consumption of resources and
waste generation during the conference. But more importantly, the event became an inspiring rallying call that created large-scale
buy-in among employees. The lives of those who were present, including some suppliers, were changed and a door to a new phase
in Interface’s history had opened.

8
THE RESPONSE: Taking a Natural Step
Seeing the current reality through a new set of lenses

“Interface is committed to shifting from linear industrial processes to cyclical ones. To do this, we use
a compass to guide us, and a set of tools to help us. They are both the result of The Natural Step”16

- Ray Anderson

The conference in Hawaii was the first time people outside the initial sustainability task force became engaged around the vision of a sus-
tainable company. The challenge was to persuade others in Interface with this new purpose12. Through Hawken, Anderson learned about The
Natural Step (TNS), an organization Hawken was helping to launch in the US. Originally based in Sweden and founded just a few years earlier,
there was a feeling that TNS could help find the ”sensitivity hook-up” among employees, work communities, customers and suppliers. 17

TNS was offering a very-much-needed definition of sustainability, along with a framework and tools to operationalize it, all found-
ed on solid science. Not long after the first introduction to The Natural Step’s definition and framework, several Interface execu-
tives went to Stockholm to meet with its founder, Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, who at a later stage became part of the Eco Dream Team.

Starting in April 1996, both Hawken and Robèrt were hired by Anderson to give workshops to a group of fifty managers. Later that
same year Robèrt attended a gala event in Atlanta, with a crowd of 400 individuals representing a broad range of companies and
organizations. It was there where Anderson announced publically for the first time his intentions to include aspects from TNS’s
Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (also known by its abbreviation - FSSD) in the company’s strategic planning
process and all employee training.

The new training was co-developed by TNS and an Interface subsidiary company called One World Learning (OWL). The training in-
cluded first learning the framework in its generic form, then adapting it to fit the company’s needs. At the beginning programmes
were delivered to small groups of 14 to 70 executives and key players. Then in June 1997, OWL began to train internal trainers at
Interface to reach all Interface employees, in workshops of various sizes, from 75 to 400 attendees 18 .

Gradually the FSSD became a vital and visible part in the company’s operations and culture, and it was consistently positioned as
providing the most rigorous definition of sustainability. Its elements were laid down like building blocks, influencing not only the
devising of the new vision, but also reshaping the decision making process and the mindsets of people.

The building blocks for the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development are:

• Whole Systems Thinking

• The Four Sustainability Principles
• Backcasting from Principles

In the next paragraphs, we will now go deeper into each of these elements.

9
Whole Systems Thinking
This concept is about being aware of all the relationships and links between systems on this planet, whether they are human
or non-human, and understanding that everything is connected.

This element helped the people at Interface to see the current reality of the system within which they were operating like
they had never seen it before, which was crucial for transforming the company into a prototypical company of the 21st century
(see fig. 1). However they had no clear picture yet of how to apply Whole System Thinking to the company’s operations. So
they started with a question: if nature were to design an industrial process, what might it look like? This question led them
to the understanding that they must redesign commerce, and through innovation find ways to convert damaging impacts into
restorative ones.

fig. 1 System diagrams showing the prototypical company of the 21st century 19 .

10
The Four Sustainability Principles
The following principles provide explicit guidance for any individual
or organization interested in moving towards sustainability. Coined
by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt working in concert with an international
network of scientists through a rigorous consensus-building process,
they represent the basic conditions that must be met if we want to
maintain the essential resources, structures and functions that sus-
tain human society on Earth 20 .
The Four Sustainability Principles, as developed by The Natural Step,
gave Interface the compass to set the direction of their decisions and
actions, with regards to the impacts of their products and manufac-
turing processes along the entire length of their value chain (see fig
2) 21 .

fig. 2 The Sustainability Principles

Backcasting from principles

Backcasting is a form of creative thinking that doesn’t
starts with today in mind and speculations about the fu-
ture, but instead starts with a vision of a desired future
we wish to create, then asks what we could do to get
there. This is a planning approach we all take quite intu-
itively on a daily basis when planning for future events
such as relocating or preparing for a trip. However, we
often find it much more challenging to apply this tech-
nique when crafting a strategic plan for an entire orga-
nization, something in which The Natural Step has devel-
oped an expertise.
In the context of the FSSD, Backcasting is the binding
element which brings the action to the principles. The
fig. 3 Backcasting from principles desired future is that of a sustainable society (as de-
fined by the Four Sustainability Principles), and from
there we can start building and designing an action plan
which will lead us from where we are today towards the
sustainable future we want to create (see fig.3).
These three elements form the backbone of the FSSD and the foundation of the work Interface has done with The Natural Step
over the years. When combined into a tight package, these elements directly influenced the bold and iconic goal of Interface:

Mission Zero® - A commitment to eliminate any negative impact on the environment by 2020 and to become restorative.
To operate this petroleum-intensive business so as to take from the earth only that which is naturally and rapidly renewable – not
one fresh drop of oil – and to do no harm to the biosphere 22 .

Interface knew that the work doesn’t end with defining a new vision. In fact it was clear that the journey had just begun. As we
will see in the following section, while the FSSD had an important role in shaping Interface’s new vision, its contribution didn’t
stop there. The FSSD developed by The Natural Step went on to guide Interface through the crafting of its initial action plan. And
the framework’s fingerprints have continued to be present in many of the steps and actions the company has taken over the past
19 years.

11
 "Business is the economic
engine of our Western
culture, and if it could
be transformed to
truly serve nature
as well as ourselves,
it could become
essential
to our
rescue."
- Prof. Karl-Henrik Robèrt

12
THE PROCESS: Climbing Mount Sustainability
Turning creative solutions into an action plan
“In short; take nothing. Do no harm” 23
- Ray Anderson

With a newly discovered focus on sustainable development, Interface began to move strategically towards becoming a fully
sustainable company. Anderson likened this to climbing a mountain, symbolizing both the size and scope of the challenge; higher
than Mt. Everest, ‘Mount Sustainability’ might be a difficult one to summit, yet possible when you have a carefully designed plan.

fig 4. The original drawing of mount sustainability as done by Ray Anderson

The Eco Dream Team had a key role in laying the necessary foundations to build a route towards the summit; it was their eclectic
collection of concepts and theories which weaved the new mind set, and from there structured a homemade road map 24 . While
Hawken’s Ecology of Commerce and the concept of Whole System Thinking gave Interface the understanding of the context in
which they were operating, Mission Zero gave the clear vision and a definition of success. With the 4 Sustainability Principles
stationed at the top of the mountain acting as the compass, Interface could now start Backcasting from its desired future, and
carefully plan a roadmap to lead them to the summit.

Grasping the true nature of the complex challenges ahead was a crucial part of understanding the process, and the company
started to consider indicators such as physical waste, energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, as es-
sential for tracking and measuring their progress as they moved forward. Interface had a different set of lenses now for sus-
tainability, and they started to define the steps that would need to be taken in order to produce zero impact floor coverings.

Through careful work and by focusing on learning how problems are solved in nature, Interface identified key areas where prog-
ress was needed, and with them in mind set out to structure a sustainability strategy. These areas were, and still are, referred
to as the 7 Fronts. The commitment to Mission Zero is present in each of them. Sticking to the metaphor; if sustainability is a
mountain, then the fronts are the faces that need to be scaled in order to reach the top. Together these 7 fronts compile the
roadmap, and they guide Interface’s decision making process, regarding where to direct efforts and resources, as well as what
should be tracked and measured in order to ensure they are heading in the right direction.

13
 7 Fronts

Front 1 – Eliminate Waste Eliminate all forms of waste in every area of business.

FRONT 2 – BENIGN EMISSIONS Eliminate toxic substances from products, vehicles and facili-
ties.

FRONT 3 – RENEWABLE ENERGY Operate facilities with 100% renewable energy

FRONT 4 – CLOSE THE LOOP Redesign processes and products to close the technical loop
using recovered and bio-based materials

FRONT 5 – RESOURCE EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION Transport people and products efficiently to eliminate waste
and emissions.

FRONT 6 – SENSITIZE STAKEHOLDERS Create a culture that uses sustainability principles to improve
the lives and livelihoods of all of our stakeholders – employees,
partners, suppliers, customers, investors and communities.

FRONT 7 – REDESIGN COMMERCE Create a new business model that demonstrates and supports
the value of sustainability-based commerce

These key areas emerged from the same theories that served as inspiration for the new vision, and they create the basis from
which Interface can explore new solutions in manufacturing, design processes, employee engagement, and products and services.

The 7 Fronts are not isolated from one another. Many of the solutions they inspire overlap, offering answers to the challenges
of several fronts at once if not all of them, as it should be in a system which strives to be as holistic as possible. Over the years
Interface has been able to achieve much through its continuous research and development of the 7 Fronts, mostly by cultivating
a culture of innovative thinking and collaboration with stakeholders.

The following section offers a quick summary of some of the main tools Interface uses to determine its sustainability strategy,
including a brief introduction of each of the fronts. However, for those interested in the specifics behind Interface’s ideas and
innovations, a closer look at the 7 Fronts can be found at the end of this document. Here, each front is further elaborated with
examples and solid numbers regarding cost savings and reduction in resources. These can offer great inspiration and ideas to
anyone practicing the implementation of sustainable development.

14
Restoring Natural
Habitats by reclaiming and
recycling old fish nets and turning
them into carpet tiles
The 7 Fronts: A brief look
The opportunity to derive value from using sustainability as a growth platform is
available to every company, yet the possible paths to follow are diverse and not all
will lead to success. Interface set out to explore its own path with solid foundations;
Mission Zero™ as the inspiring vision of a sustainable company, and Backcasting
and the 4 Sustainability Principles to guide its strategic thinking and prioritization
process. Once the 7 Fronts were identified as key focus areas, the next step was to
jump into ideas and actions that could start taking the company towards its vision.

The first steps taken focused mainly on waste management, and introducing re-
cycled materials to the manufacturing process. The ReEntry™ program was launched
in 1995, as a collecting service for carpets which are being replaced, to be re-used
or recycled if possible 25 .

A major pivotal point came in 2000 when Interface started using the tool of Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA), in order to determine where the most important environ-
mental impacts and opportunities lay. Conducting a LCA gives a company the full “Start by defining
scope of impact of a product throughout its lifecycle, and therefore pushes the
company to take responsibility for impacts taking place beyond the direct effect of
its own activities. It offers the insight that focusing only on the direct impact of completely sustain-
the company is not that transformational, considering that 80-90% comes from the
entire supply chain. It is an opening to complete transparency, and eventually brings
alignment to the company and the whole supply chain; what you tell the suppliers able products rather
is the same thing you tell the clients, the designers, the marketing people, and the
engineers, and it is all based on facts 26 .
than trying to im-
Whether it applies to product design, marketing or suppliers, LCA of-
fers an analysis which put the concept of Backcasting into practice; when
you start with mapping the impacts of a product, you start with the end prove the existing,
point in mind, and you will then redesign it to lessen its undesirable impacts.

Though LCA was not the first tool to be used by Interface, and as can be seen in the flawed one. Try to get
following examples it is definitely not the only one, in recent years Interface expe-
rienced the actual transformative effect of embracing LCA as a strategic instrument.
Though the main output of the process is data and facts, when coupled with a clear it 90-100% sustain-
vision and the 4 Sustainability Principles, LCA can also serve as a prioritization tool.
It can direct the decision making process and give structure to innovation and cre-
ativity; two things found in a truly inspiring way throughout the 7 Fronts. able. Work backwards
from the perfect.”
Nigel Stansfield (VP & Chief In-

novations Officer, Interface.Inc)

16
Front 1- Eliminate waste
The objective: To eliminate the concept of waste, by redefining it as anything that doesn’t provide value to the customer.
The approach: Developing new products, processes and alternative resources. Products include Entropy™, the randomly-installed
carpet tiles which results in 1.5% waste compared with broadloom’s 8-10% or the 3-4% of traditional carpet tiles. An example of a
new efficient manufacturing process is the Ultrasonic precision cutting machine, which reduces waste by 80%, and a new alterna-
tive resource is threads made from reclaimed fishnets from the water in the Philippines, thus contributing also to the restoration
of the planet.
The bottom line: when compared to the baseline of 1996, Interface’s re-defined perception of waste has resulted in achieving a
reduction of 84% of waste sent to landfill, more than $450 million in avoided waste costs and an 89% reduction in water intake for
manufacturing. In addition, currently 49% of total raw materials used globally are either recycled or bio-based..

Front 2- Benign emissions

The objective: The elimination of molecular waste emissions, by focusing on waste streams that have negative or toxic effects on
natural systems.
The approach: Reducing, phasing out or replacing different hazardous materials such as plasticisers, ozone depleting substances
and dyes. Introducing new systems such as the revolutionary TacTiles™ stickers, which allow for the installation of carpets without
glue, and the Intelligent conveyor belts employed in nearly all Interface facilities, which move only when tiles need to be trans-
ported and result in 60% energy savings.
The bottom line: since 1996 total energy consumption has been reduced globally by 39% and actual GHG emissions at manufactur-
ing facilities have been reduced by 41% (See fig 9). Using the TacTiles™ stickers has made it easier to reclaim carpets and recycle
them to produce threads.

Front 3- Renewable energy

The objective: To reduce the company’s total energy consumption, while substituting non-renewable sources with renewable ones,
and decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels.
The approach: There is a wide range of solutions for this, including collaborating to build a biogas plant to convert methane from
landfills into energy, buying renewable energy from certified sources, and increasing sales of products with lower carbon foot-
prints.
The bottom line: At the moment electricity in 7 out of 9 facilities comes from renewable resources, usage of non-renewable energy
is down by 39% since 1996, and 36% of Interface’s global energy consumption is renewable.

Front 4- Close the loop

The objective: Redesigning processes and products so that all resources used can be recovered and reused, closing the technical or
natural loop.
The approach: In 2007 Interface introduced ReEntry 2.0™, which separates the fibres and backings of old carpet tiles. The fibre
is then recycled into new threads, which are combined with recycled yarn from discarded fishnets, to produce Biosfera™, a carpet
with 100% recycled yarn. The main elements of products are designed with purpose, and there is a continuous search for alterna-
tives to conventional yarns, whether recycled or bio-based, like the one used in Fotosfera™.
The bottom line: In 2012 alone 7500 tons of carpet and carpet scraps were diverted from landfills, by using ReEntry 2.0™. Yarn is
not the only recycled material; reused limestone is used in carpet tile backings as well. Altogether, Interface’s products contain
39% to 79% recycled content 27 .

17
Front 5- Efficient transport
The objective: Transporting all people and products efficiently and with minimal waste and emissions. This includes plant location,
logistics and commuting.
The approach: Interface applies a few carbon offset programs for both product shipping and employee commuting, such as Trees for
Travel™, Cool Fuel™ and Cool CO2mmut™. In addition they focus on local production and distribution, while multi-modal transpor-
tation assists with ensuring that the transportation that does need to take place is as efficient as possible.
The bottom line: Since 1997 Interface has planted over 160,000 trees through its carbon offset programs. Cost savings from group-
ing deliveries result in 290,000 € every year, and almost 99% of all products sold in Europe are also produced in Europe.

Front 6- Sensitising stakeholders

The objective: Creating a community within and around Interface that understands the functioning of natural systems and human
impacts on them.
The approach: Equipping everyone within Interface’s network with knowledge about sustainability in general, and the 7 Fronts in
particular, offering tools and opportunities to promote that agenda. Interface only works with suppliers that agree to meet its sus-
tainability requirements, and partners with others to develop new products, like a lightweight carpet for Boeing. The FastForward
2020 program offers mandatory, advanced training to employees and associates, while a network of sustainability ambassadors help
further development and promotion of Mission Zero within the company.
The bottom line: solutions and ideas from the QUEST program have resulted in savings of more than $450 million since 1995. Strong
partnerships with suppliers, networks and other organizations have been created, which allow Interface to promote sustainability
at a wider scale. One example is its involvement with establishing and leading Green Councils around the world. There is a strong
sense of commitment among the employees of Interface to accomplish the vision, which is captured in the I am Mission Zero project,
a collection of videos where individuals share what the vision means for them personally, and how they move towards it in their
daily life 28 .

Front 7- Redesign commerce

The objective: Redesign commerce to focus on the delivery of services and values instead of products; promote and expand the
concept of circular economy; re-think the potential of networks and create situations that make a positive contribution to society
and the environment.
The approach: Interface is moving towards openness and transparency, and invests in efforts to promote its more sustainable op-
tions, as well as to certify all products with EPDs, which enable people to make decisions based on facts, and not labels. Products
like Net Effect™, carpet tiles made from reclaimed fishing nets, offer new possibilities, as do services such as the Evergreen™
carpet leasing program initiated in 1996. Tile exchange and Tile care programs aim to extend the life of a carpet through mainte-
nance, reducing both costs for clients and environmental impact, as well as creating new jobs and markets.
The bottom line: Both ecological and social sustainability have been integrated into the core of the business, generating a restor-
ative impact on the environment and making a positive contribution to sustainable livelihoods. Over 2.5 million tonnes of verified
emission reduction credits have been purchased and retired since CoolCarpet™ started in 2003. Interface’s EPDs are recognized by
LEED and green building councils, and have been adopted by the European Union as well 29 .

A closer look at the 7 Fronts can be found at the end of this case study.

18
 MissionZero metrics
Waste to Landfill -/- 91 % unit product
Energy -/- 39 % unit product
Non-Renewable Energy -/- 61 % unit product
Renewable Energy +/+ 36 % unit product
GHG Emsissions -/- 41 % unit product
Recycled/Biobased Raw Materials +/+ 49% unit product
Water intake -/- 81 % unit product

Global Product Footprint global weighted avarage

-/- 19 %
Production Phase product

19
 FOTOSFERA™: Made with sunlight
The key ingredient in 63% of the yarn used to make Fotos-
fera™ carpet tiles is an oil from the seeds of the castor-bean
plant. This yarn replaces traditional petroleum-based yarns.
Fast-growing castor bean plants are rapidly renewable, grow
in dry climates, require almost no water, prevent erosion of
soil and don’t compete with food crops since they thrive in
places mostly unsuitable for other crops. These bio-based
threads are combined with virgin nylon, thereby reducing the
overall amount of nylon required to manufacture the product.
The resulting carpet tiles are finished with TacTiles™, the
glue-less installation method, and offered with Cool Carpet™,
the carbon neutral service, all of which results in a product
that has the closest-to-zero impact available on the market.
The intention is that in the future this product will contain
100% bio-based threads, which is currently not possible due
to quality issues.
These measures alone contribute to eliminating waste and toxic substances, closing the loop and efficient transporta-
tion, but there’s more. All of Interface’s European facilities use electricity from renewable resources, and the company’s
total global consumption of energy is down by 64% since 1995. In addition, given that 70% of castor-bean plants grow
in India this generates a beneficial source of revenues for the locals, usually in addition to their regular incomes. The
product is of course EPD certified, and the complete package of Fotosfera™ offers a new kind of commerce; it considers
and addresses all 7 Fronts successfully.
More Information can be found in the following link: http://www.interfaceflor.co.uk/web/Products/fotosfera

20
THE CHANGE: Cultivating a new organizational culture
Key lessons on embedding sustainability

“Everything is connected...no one thing can change by itself”

Paul Hawken (author, Ecology of Commerce)
Interface started in 1973 from one entrepreneur with an idea and a desire to follow a path of his own. Anderson often referred
to the company as his ‘third child’, and as it turns out the apple didn’t fall very far –forty years later there is no doubt Interface
has made its own unique path, in a field where a path didn’t exist before.

Being the path-makers is always a challenging task for an individual, let alone for an entire company, with steep learning
curves and deep setbacks. Though there have been, and there always will be, less successful attempts along the way, for In-
terface the business model based on sustainability has proven itself beyond expectations and they are doing better than ever.
It seems like all the signals are lined up for the company and it is moving on the right track towards achieving Mission Zero™.

The work Interface did with TNS, the Biomimicry institute and the Eco Dream Team in the early years has heavily influenced the
way they do business today, on all levels. Interface’s commitment to sustainability is linked to the FSSD and the 4 Sustainability
Principals, and the seeds planted in 1996 sprouted and grew the roots for what Interface has been able to achieve and accomplish
so far.

Though developed by The Natural Step, the FSSD is an open source method, available for anyone who wishes to pick it up. Follow-
ing that spirit, Interface has always been interested and eager to share with others whatever knowledge it has acquired through
its years of experience. Though there is no single winning recipe for embedding sustainability into an organization, Interface
has identified a few key ingredients in the successful unfolding of its story, which can be blended into the context of any other
organization, to be acted upon in their own distinctive way.

These are practical lessons, but it is also important to note that Interface also worked hard to embed these things into the
company’s DNA and organizational culture. These lessons can inspire others to craft their own pathways towards sustainable
innovation, to find new creative business models and to accelerate sustainable growth.

21
8 Practical lessons for inspiring
sustainable innovation and practice 30

Organize transparency
EPD offers full transparency around the true environmental impacts of prod-
ucts, and it is grounded on the work of LCA, which allows a company to identify
where those biggest impacts are and focus their efforts on them (see LCA p19
and EPD p28).

Focus on expanding towards related markets

A company’s strength lies in its ability to expand its core competencies to new
markets. Interface expanded its core competency of modular carpets with in-
novations like TacTiles™.

Embrace successful failures

When looking for breaking-through solutions, people need to have the safe “A good benchmark
space to experiment with their ideas, and to celebrate failures just as much
as success.
is when everyone
Look at what nature would do
Nature has been around long enough, and it embodies million of years of trial
and error. Researching how nature deals with challenges can inspire creative has sustainability
solutions.

Be open to external input goals embedded in

Given that not all smart people work in the same place, looking for feedback
and input from outside the organization increases the chances of finding the
best ideas. their role, and they
Share innovations
Not all innovations fit within a business model at first, but by inventing and are not even named
commercializing with partners to share risk and reward, some innovations can
become the solution for other challenges along the way, sometimes even in
different sectors. or labelled as ‘sus-
Offer chances to intra-preneurs
Cultivating a culture of participatory leadership stimulates people to contrib- tainability goals’,
ute to the shared effort, through self development and empowerment.

Create new partnerships because it is your

Opportunities exist outside of an organization’s supply chain and industry.
Looking for external collaborations can enhance the likelihood of coming
across alternative business models and new avenues to explore. business anyway31“
- Luuk de Jong
22
 “Sustainability as a
destination is an
infectious goal at Interface
and a positive force. It is
woven into nearly every
aspect of our business,
proven out economically over
the long-term and changed
how we think, operate,
communicate and interact.”
(Dan Hendrix, President and Chief Executive Officer, Interface)

The underlying elements

There is another set of elements that exist in Interface, running like guidelines through the entire organization on a much deeper level.
If the 8 Practical lessons constitute methods and approaches for tending and maintaining the organizational culture, the underlying
elements are the soil. They are the ground that holds everything and provides the right conditions for good ideas to emerge and grow.

Taken together, these elements illustrate the profile of Interface—its characteristics and the mindset that distinguishes it from
others. This is the same mindset that enabled them to see that the barriers to innovation around sustainability are not real, they
are only perceived as such 32 .

These are strong characteristics, which could have driven Interface to success, regardless of its focus on sustainability. However,
perhaps it was the combination of these forces with a meaningful goal, such as the one encompassed in Mission Zero™, which
brought out the absolute best from people in a way that pushed the company to success.

23
Be the early adopter
In 1994 Interface knew to recognize the rising level of awareness among its customers as a shift in paradigms, and it stepped
up to the challenge 33 . It led to Interface becoming the first company in the US to work with TNS, and integrate elements of the
FSSD into their strategic planning.
It is always risky to be the early adopter, yet making a commitment to sustainability as early as Interface did has played a crucial
part in its success. The metaphor of the Funnel, as developed by TNS, at least partially explains why this happens; while over
time various pressures related to the need for sustainability increase (e.g. stricter legislation or higher costs for raw materials),
thereby constricting the amount of room in which a company can manoeuver (the narrowing walls of the funnel), those who adopt
strategies based on sustainability can gain a competitive advantage by avoiding many pitfalls while simultaneously creating an
opening of new opportunities for themselves (fig 7) 34 .

fig 5. The funnel

Interface’s early start allowed them to collect the ‘low-hanging-fruits’, and then invest resources in the further exploration of
sustainable practices and capabilities, generating new profitable avenues and placing the company far ahead of its competitors.
This goes hand in hand with embracing successful failures, given that a major part of being an early adopter will always include
experimenting, taking risks and learning. And the earlier one begins, the more time one has to learn before others, gaining the
competitive advantage.

An ambitious vision
“You unleash the creativity of a company when you hold up a vision that is so outrageous
it takes the breath away.”
(Ray C. Anderson)

Mission Zero is the result of a close connection between Anderson and the Eco Dream Team, and it remained relevant at all times,
aligning and inspiring a global company to one shared vision; never too far away, always just far enough to inspire and chal-
lenge 35 . One cannot overstate the significance of aiming high with a goal such as zero impact by 2020, which inevitably requires
people to think beyond their own current capabilities. What really influences people about Mision Zero™ is not so much the
various actions to which it might give rise, but rather that it offers a new way to see the world. And seeing things in a different
way can lead to a change in mindset 36 . There is a unique combination of factors for each person that makes sustainability real
for them, and they cannot be pushed to it- they need to see it. Once they have, they can’t un-see it. You get people to see when
you engage everybody, everywhere, and invite them to imagine a different future which is based on the best they ever were 37 .
It is then that people understand their role in the company has a part in achieving an ambitious vi-
sion, and they are contributing for something higher than just maximising profits. Working with a vision uncov-
ers the indispensable value of the ‘soft side’ of business; the emotional, caring, nurturing side of people’s per-
sonalities, and the extent to which Mission Zero has helped in uncovering it within Interface is remarkable 38 .
When people’s emotions are engaged, they work harder, bringing more creativity and energy to their mandates.

24
Seeing challenges as opportunities
“I have no clue what were the biggest challenges, because when I look back it all looks
like one big opportunity”
Luuk de Jong (former Organizational Development director EMEAI)

With a goal as ambitious as zero negative impact, in order to really move forward you have to address the elephants in the room,
and Interface didn’t hesitate to ask one inevitable question - ‘do people really need to buy oil and nylon in the shape of a carpet?’.
Their answer was ‘no’. Though this answer could easily be perceived as a barrier for a carpet-manufacturing company, Interface
chose to see it as an opportunity, acting as a positive engine for creativity and innovation 39 .
The focus was shifted from ‘carpets’ to the role carpets play in customers’ lives: interior design, comfort underfoot and noise
control. It also allowed them to come up with ideas like TacTiles™ and Intercell™, which are more about ‘flooring’ rather than
‘carpets’ per se 40 . This new line of thought broadened Interface’s perception of itself, and resulted in its exploring and creating
new products and services, with a resulting expansion to new markets 41 .

Communicating the change

Interface is always interested in hearing what people think about its work, which is why everything is communicated internally as
well as externally, especially when there are possible large-scale implications for the core paradigm of the company. The company
maintains several different platforms where this kind of feedback can happen. It then distils from this feedback what matters
most to people, and integrates that into the action plan where possible.
This creates a reinforcement mechanism, enabling Interface to gradually change its DNA by contextualizing the issues it hears
about from people into small steps in the long-term plan, and then use those to balance ‘bigger-scale’ steps, which otherwise
might be received with suspicion 42 .
This openness along with the alignment between the statements in Mission Zero and the actual actions taken by the company have
brought credibility to Interface in the eyes of its stakeholders and the market. The resulting positive feedback the company and
its people receive amplifies their motivation to continue on the path they have chosen 43 .

“You need to embrace uncertainty, and just let go, and see that people are doing their
job. Because if you don’t do it with people, then you do it yourself... and that’s just won’t
fly” 44
Luuk de Jong (former Organizational Development director EMEAI)

Cultivating innovation
Interface has shown a phenomenal talent for recognizing and implementing new practical solutions. According to Dan Hendrix,
current President and CEO, research and development in manufacturing processes and product innovation have been driving the
organisation’s journey to date 45 .
For a company to be as alert to new strategies as Interface is, being constantly on the lookout for such strategies has to be
embedded in the company’s culture so thoroughly that it transforms the way everybody in the company sees the world and how
their work connects to it 46 . Through actively engaging with uncertainty, alertness and active learning, this foundational culture
of discovery has created the conditions for many successful strategic actions to be taken.

“Go ‘outside’ – listen to the radical or stupid ideas… It’s incredibly liberating and
inspiring”
Nigel Stansfield (VP & Chief Innovations Officer, Interface.Inc)

25
All of Interface’s biggest initiatives have come from people who were simply doing their jobs; people who went through the
sustainability training, and as a result wanted to create new things to align with what they’d just learned. There is continuous
encouragement in the company to keep ideas flowing and to try them, as well as a conscious lookout to sense whether people
are using their talents in the right way, and whether it would be to their greater benefit and the company’s if they were shifted
to a different place or position.

The additional section, “A Closer Look” offers an elaborative view into how Practical lessons and Underlying currents can be
translated into practices and actions. In this section the 7 Fronts are described at length, which can serve and add value to
anyone who is interested in seeing how it is possible to cultivate change within a context of an organization.

26
 THE NEXT STEPS: Beyond Mission Zero
Future challenges and opportunities
The corporate attitude towards sustainability has come a long way since 1994, and
it will continue to evolve, as the company moves closer to delivering on its promise
“Sustainability to eliminate any negative impact it might have on Earth by 2020, and to expand
its practices of restoration. While Interface continues to push towards finding
the best solutions, it must also accept a subtle, yet existing, feeling of entering a
is about staying phase of ‘status quo’.

It has been noted in Interface that the impressive cumulative accomplishments

relevant in an in- have actually levelled off recently; they have reached a ‘plateau’ and have been
there for several years now 47 . Interface is now entering the home stretch towards
their goal, and while working to keep the vision alive, they are heading into a chap-
creasingly com- ter which will hold the next generation of challenges.

Challenges 3.0
plex and interde- Sustainability challenges are complex, and in order to reach its goals Interface will
have to continue joining forces with others. Teamwork is the key factor. It is about
working throughout the supply chain and across sectors, expanding participation,
pendent world” and partnering around these essential elements:
trust, innovation, leadership, alignment and performance. This must be done both
internally and externally, and involve new approaches to collaboration with con-
Nadine Gudz sumers, suppliers and other organisations across the industry 48 .

For this reason greater focus will go into the further sharing with others of the
(Director, Sustainability learning Interface has accumulated around sustainability 49 . Interface is looking for-
ward to continuing its leadership within the industry, and to using the information
they have obtained to strengthen and enhance the culture of sustainability amongst
Strategy Interface Inc.) all associates. A step towards that was the launching of two big visitor centres,
first one in 2012 in Atlanta, United States, and the other in the Scherpenzeel
facility in the Netherlands in March 2012. The Awarehouse is a well-designed hi-
tech visitors’ suite. The facility itself is a real-life example of sustainable renova-
tion and design, and the displays and information it houses provide a look at what
design, innovation and sustainability for Interface are all about 50 .

With regards to the 7 Fronts, Interface is still facing challenges in the field of
energy mainly due to a shortage in renewable energy sources. There are also chal-
lenges with fully closing material loops (especially with achieving 100% recycled
or bio-based materials) due to the limited availability of recycled materials. The
imperative to extend product lifetime while still making a profit also poses a chal-
lenge to be worked out 51.

27
The issue of consumer and public trust is expected to become increasingly important over the next few years, sometimes mani-
festing as tighter government regulation due mainly to public demand. The good news is that businesses can already step up
today and take ownership of addressing this issue 52 . Interface’s ‘head start’ in this arena translates to a competitive advantage,
since it has been moving in this direction already for the last 20 years.

As Interface learns its way into the future, we may rest assured that the changes that will inevitability take place will be
facilitated with confidence thanks to its strong culture of inclusion and engagement. There is solid ground in the company for
linking any operational side with innovation, and as long as that culture of constantly learning, redesigning and innovating is
maintained, then the business will not only strengthen its own sustainability practices, but perhaps more important, could also
establish a broad and strong base for its resiliency 53 .

“Ray Anderson was knowledgeable enough to put the basic sus-

tainability principles mentioned on the table, pragmatic enough
to begin approaching them step by step whilst improving bot-
tom line results, and was bold enough to tell the world.”
interview with Prof. Karl-Henrik Robèrt
read more on Ray Anderson : http://www.raycandersonfoundation.org/rays-life
CLOSING NOTE: Every reason for hope

“This is about the future of business and industry, a fu-

ture driven by a new and powerful idea: Sustainability.”54
Ray Anderson

A journey of a lifetime
Interface, Inc. was founded in 1973 because Ray Anderson believed in the global potential of modular carpet tile. Anderson’s
epiphany in 1994 revolutionized Interface’s business strategy from that day forward, and has characterized the company’s de-
velopment ever since. The company has gone through an intensive transformational change. in 2013 Interface is a world leader
with an established reputation and a respected list of accomplishments and breakthroughs. It has a clear path forward, and
what is leading it there is also what it wishes to be known for: Sustainability, Design and Innovation.

Innovation
Past success has built up great trust throughout Interface around the business model based on Sustainability and its strengths.
Just like any other company, Interface has gone through rocky times. Unlike many companies, however, it has survived and
thrived. Among other reasons, this success can be linked to the strong and stable reputation Interface has in the field of sus-
tainable innovation, a reputation that could not have been bought with marketing or public relations alone; it is founded on real
practice and real results.
Interface knows much will depend on its ability to capitalise on its strengths and to further implement a business strategy
based on innovation. The challenge is about reshaping the management approach, as much as it is about finding new technical
solutions 55 . The company always continues to challenge itself, and is confident that strategic initiatives, once properly cali-
brated, will enable it to handle any challenges it encounters on its way towards Mission Zero 56 .

Design
There is an on-going quest at Interface for new solutions, rooted in the belief that a better way to operate can always be
found. It is this belief that has led to the development of some of the company’s leading sustainable practices and patented
products. The company’s innovative designs are a result of the assimilation of Design with Purpose as a way of thinking into
the DNA of the organizational culture, and across all aspects 57 . Its distinctive designs have proven that sustainable carpets can
excel in quality and colours, and offer customers the opportunity to create inspiring interiors with better indoor climates
An inspiring concept which illustrates this line of thought is Biophilic design; an approach that taps into the natural orientation
of humans. It has been shown that contact with nature through sunlight, outdoor air and living plants has an extensive impact
on human health and well-being. Significant quantitative data, collected in universities, offices and hospitals, show that we are
more comfortable, more productive and less stressed in spaces that reflect familiar natural habitats 58 . Through its designs In-
terface aspires to create spaces which are more than environmentally responsible. It aspires to create spaces which are restor-
ative to the human spirit, reflecting our collective need to respect, protect and learn from nature 59 .

Some companies feel a sense of responsibility larger than the products they sell. For these companies, design has become
central to their core calling. Interface is one such company. Decreasing environmentally and socially harmful corporate impacts
is meaningless compared to what can be achieved by re-designing the products, which is why Interface keeps questioning the
known concepts of design and experimenting with new ideas 60 . It has already added an 8th Front around social equity, as Ray
Anderson mentioned in his book, and a 9th could be waiting just around the corner 61 .

29
Sustainability
Interface knows that sustainability is a life-time journey, and it is in it for the long run. The focus on sustainability makes
sense from the business perspective; it has brought resiliency to the company and better survival chances. Sustainability has
made the company more proactive and equipped to endure turbulence in the market. It was the sustainability strategy that first
made Interface invest in sourcing alternative threads, which ultimately made it less affected by scarcity and the rising cost
of raw materials. Interface’s circular economy business model is not only profitable, but also ensures a ‘licence to exist’ in a
sustainable world.
The sustainability strategy of Interface has been shaped and framed over the years through the work it has done with The
Natural Step. The elements of the FSSD trickled into different layers of the company, fundamentally transforming the ways
Interface thinks and learns around natural science facts, systems and strategic thinking processes, innovation, dialogue pro-
cesses, design with purpose and perhaps more than anything – shifting the entire world view of a person.

Over time The Natural Step and the FSSD have become less visible in Interface’s conversations, yet their fingerprints are all
over the company’s current paradigm. For the last 20 years Interface has been looking at the world through the lens of the
FSSD, and though the link itself was slowly forgotten on the conscious level, it simply moved into the unconscious, where it
still resides. As described by Jim Hartzfeld:
“I imagine it may be like an amphibian going back into the water. For the first few minutes or the first hour, he says, yes,
there’s the water again, but later the water disappears from his consciousness” 62 .

There is still a long way to go for a company that stands for sustainability. Though the future holds uncertainty, and though
it will require continued focus and investment, there is also a huge sense of hopefulness that Mission ZeroTM can be accom-
plished. With a spirit of innovation, Interface continues on the same path that led them to meet with The Natural Step and
adopt the FSSD many years ago; when you believe in an initiative, there is no need to evaluate, rather just go with it 63 .

Interface is a showcase for step-wise approaches to radical change. It remains one of the prime examples of a company that
successfully embedded the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development developed by The Natural Step. Interface has the
numbers to prove their way is working. It is a powerful role model for others. Passion and devotion, has driven Interface up to
this point; the people there really mean what they do, and what they wish to do is to plant a seed of change and influence, and
roll it out 64 .
 Inspired by Ray Anderson

"As we climb Mount Sustainability,

with the 4 Sustainability
Principles at the top, we are
doing better than ever on bottom
line business"
(Ray Anderson)

Many have heard the story of Ray Anderson’s “spear in the chest”
epiphany, which set Interface on a journey and inspired others along the
way. However, fewer outside Interface will know how much this had to do
with the fact that Ray was the kind of leader people would follow any-
where. He was the kind of leader who could re-imagine things and make a
powerful vision become a potent reality.

Since his passing in August 2011, some have questioned how much of
Interface’s outstanding employee engagement was based on loyalty to
Anderson rather than on personal motivation. For others it is clear the
motivation today is even greater than ever. Some of the efforts to pay
tribute to Ray which have been launched so far include Inspired by Ray,
a memorial blog; the establishment of The Ray C. Anderson Foundation
for promoting and funding pioneering sustainability initiatives; and
the hosting of the Ray Anderson Lecture, a gathering for sustainability
champions.

Perhaps what illuminates more than anything that it is the people of

Interface who truly seek to honour Anderson’s legacy and vision, is the
I Am Mission Zero project 65, 66 ; a documentation of Interface’s journey
towards their zero harmful impact vision, described through the personal
impact the vision has had on people’s work and daily life. The picture re-
vealed therein is one of people who wish to remember Ray by accelerat-
ing the process, and reaching the goals he set even faster than planned 67 .

It is always a challenge when a powerful change agent like Ray is no

longer amongst us. This is acutely felt in the world outside of Interface
as well. There is also a chance that, building on the powerful influence
he had throughout the years, Interface will develop a new and even more
advanced and strategic sustainability program than it already has. Above
all Ray has embedded sustainability into the walls of Interface, which
has made it resilient so even at moments of turmoil new opportunities

31
always turn up 68 .
THE 7 FRONTS: A closer look
Front 1 – Eliminate Waste
Eliminate all forms of waste in every area of business

The objective
To change the concept of ‘waste’. This means going beyond mere waste reduction into completely redefining waste as anything
which is not essential for the performance of a product, and does not add any value to the customer.
This new definition of waste includes traditional forms of waste such as off-quality and scrap product, as well as non-tradi-
tional forms such as the overuse of materials, inventory losses, misdirected shipments, energy usage and inefficient processes.
The end of the product lifecycle (e.g. when old carpets need to be disposed of) is also considered.

The approach
Life Cycle Assessment
Since 2000, Interface has used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental footprint of its products and subse-
quently devise ways in which it would be possible to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, these undesirable impacts. Engaging in
LCA for all Interface products showed that 70% of the total environmental impact from Interface carpet tiles is related to the
raw materials used to make them (fig 4). Polyamide (nylon) threads, which are used to make the face of the carpet tiles, have
by far the highest environmental impact. This insight allowed Interface to focus on taking measures where they would have the
most significant impact: restricting the amount of threads used (dematerialization), searching for ways to recycle used threads
into new ones, and searching for alternative thread materials 69 .

fig 6. Typical LCA of a simple physical product that does not consume energy in use

Dematerialization: Entropy
Entropy is an Interface carpet tile design that imitates the random way in which leaves carpet a forest floor. The inspiration
for this design came from Janine Benyus, an innovation consultant and the author of Biomimicry 70 . The tiles are similar yet not
identical to one another. This allows for non-directional installation, which is faster and less wasteful as it removes the need
to match lots. The randomness of the pattern means dye lots are merge-able. This eliminates the need for attic stock and al-
lows individual tiles to be removed and replaced without disrupting the overall design of the floor, even after years of use. Not
only does Entropy flooring result in as little as 1.5% waste compared with up to 14% for traditional broadloom carpet 71 , but
following its release in 2000, it quickly came to dominate the product line, leading to a significant increase in market share.

32
The concept of dematerialization is closely related to other fronts as well, as can be seen in Front 4: Closing the loop. Reducing
the amount of materials used is only the first step; followed by looking for renewable and alternative choices.

Alternative threads: NetWorks

In June 2012 Interface partnered with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and Aquafil, an Italian yarn supplier, under the
name of Net-Works with the purpose of addressing the major environmental issue of fishing nets discarded in some of the
world’s poorest coastal communities. The focus is on ‘sustainable livelihood’ and the partnership aims to establish a commu-
nity-based supply chain for discarded nets that will improve the livelihood of local fishers, while providing Interface with an
innovative source of recycled materials for carpet tiles. As explained by Nigel Stansfield, VP & Chief Innovations Officer at
Interface Inc., this is a remarkable example of cross-sector collaboration, with the potential to deliver both social and com-
mercial benefits 72 .

A pilot was launched in the summer of 2012, with 4 communities near Danajon bank in the Philippines. The project has now
branched out into 15 more villages in the Philippines, providing income to 280 households. The ultimate goal is to expand to
other areas where loose fishnets abound and are endangering coral reefs and local ecosystems, such as India and South Africa 73 .

The bottom line

In the first three and a half years following the company’s mid-course correction, harvesting the so-called ‘low-hanging fruit’
enabled Interface to reduce total waste by 40% and realise savings of $67 million.

These savings enabled them to fund subsequent sustainability initiatives, such as precision cutting machinery introduced in
2008 74 . The ultrasonic machine installed at Scherpenzeel in the Netherlands cuts 24 carpet tiles at once out of rolls of carpet,
reducing waste by 80%. This results in the elimination of up to 310 tonnes of waste material each year 75 .

Interface’s re-definition of the perception of waste involved a massive employee engagement program aimed at including
everyone, down to the factory floor, in eliminating in any resource that did not deliver value to the customer. In total, the
Eliminate Waste programs have achieved $450 million in avoided waste costs and diverted a total of 103,400 tonnes of carpet
and carpet scraps from landfill since 1995. 1 metric ton of discarded fishnets was collected during the first month of the Net-
Works pilot, and it is estimated that 20 metric tons would be collected by April 2013. Apart from cleaning up the planet, these
nets feed into Interface’s pool of alternative-source threads. Currently, 49% of Interface’s total raw materials used globally
are either recycled or bio-based, and the search for possible sources of post-consumer materials in the larger waste streams
continues.

Front 2 – Benign Emissions

Eliminate toxic substances from products, vehicles and facilities.

The objective
Closely related to Front 1, the second front refers to the elimination of molecular waste emissions, by focusing on waste
streams that have negative or toxic effects on natural systems.

The goal is to ensure all emissions are non-harmful and that no toxic substances are used in any of the processes or present in
any of the products. This means maintaining the quality of what goes out, including Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, but also
of what stays in, like the air quality in the facilities. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to maintain these controls throughout
the entire lifecycle of a product, which means bringing the suppliers on board as well.

33
The approach
Removal of toxic substances: TacTiles™
Biomimicry was also a source of inspiration when looking at alternatives for the adhesive glues typically used in carpet instal-
lation. In a brainstorming session people were asked, “Is there something we can learn from the gecko? Because surely if the
gecko can hold itself on a glass surface using only one toe, we should be able to install carpets without using toxic glues.”

The result of that brainstorming session was TacTiles™, adhesive stickers that fix carpet tiles to the floor, without the need
for synthetic glues. This means fewer Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the manufacturing process and end product 76 . In-
stallation with TacTiles™ is durable, faster and healthier for anyone around at the time. Without the permanent adhesion, the
removal of tiles for recycling or replacement is easier, which contributes to reductions in waste and costs 77 .

Reduction of GHGs: Energy Efficiency

The manufacturing process is currently 47% less energy-intensive when compared to 1996. This has been achieved through a
combination of methods. Among them are the Intelligent conveyor belts, which many of the facilities now employ. These belts
only move when tiles need to be transported, resulting in energy savings of around 60% over normal conveyor belts.

The Energy Mirror Wall in the main office building of the Scherpenzeel facility in the Netherlands allows real-time tracking
with a display of energy consumption data. This 24-hour access to energy data has increased employee awareness of opportuni-
ties for conservation and cost savings by eliminating excessive uses of energy.
.
The bottom line
Significant progress has been achieved in removing a variety of toxic chemicals from the manufacturing processes, including
dyeing substances, CFCs and other VOC-emitting materials. In 2008 a laser-coding system was introduced, which replaced the
need to mark all tiles with solvent-based ink. The TacTiles™ stickers enable easier reclaiming of old carpets, and recycling of
them into new threads, which enhances the process of closing the materials loop (Front 4).
By applying energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and switching to renewable sources of energy (Front 3), since 1996
Interface’s total energy consumption has been reduced globally by 39% (See fig. 8) and actual GHG emissions at manufacturing
facilities have been reduced by 41% 78 .

34 fig 8. Usage of non-renewable energy per unit of product (BTU per square yard)
Front 3 – Renewable Energy
Operate facilities with 100% renewable energy

The objective
To reduce the company’s total energy consumption, while substituting non-renewable sources with renewable ones, and de-
creasing the dependency on fossil fuels.

Among the first steps taken towards renewable energy was the installation of photovoltaic arrays in factories in 2000, both in
The Netherlands and Atlanta, United States. Since then Interface has expended its renewable energy sources to include solar
for electricity, biogas for energy in Europe, and reclaimed gas from landfills in the United States. Renewable energy is either
produced with Interface’s own utilities, or it is purchased from other renewable energy projects, to support and encourage the
renewable energy market.

The approach
Biogas: LeGrange City Biogas plant
In a beautiful example of public-private partnership, Interface teamed up with the city of LaGrange in Georgia to build a biogas
plant to convert methane, a waste stream from the city landfill site, into a source of fuel for two of the boilers at the LaGrange
facility, thus providing a revenue stream of more than $300,000 per year for the city. Burning methane is 30% cheaper than
natural gas (per unit of energy). It has reduced the factory’s fossil fuel usage and has extended the life of the landfill by an
estimated 15 year 79 .

Solar: Photovoltaic arrays

In 2003 Interface installed 450 photovoltaic (PV) panels in Southern California, and though some subsidies came from the
government, at the time this was the largest privately funded commercial solar array in America. Installed at an estimated cost
of $1.2 million, the array generated enough to satisfy 6% of the factory’s electrical demand. When channelled to run one of
the factory’s carpet tufting machines, the electricity powered the production of one million square yards of carpet each year.
Solar-Made carpet was born, and the product generated sales that greatly reduced the payback time of the PV panels.

The bottom line

With regards to reducing energy consumption, non-renewable energy usage per unit of production is down globally by 64%
since 1996. In terms of progress towards the goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2020, today 31% of energy consumed
globally is from renewable sources and eight out of ten production plants operate on 100% renewable electricity (including all
of the European sites) 80 (See fig. 9). This has been achieved with a wide span of solutions, including avoiding usage, reducing
usage of energy and replacing to renewable sources when possible.

35
fig 9. Percentage of total energy use in 2012 81
Front 4 – Close the Loop
Redesign processes and products to close the technical loop using recovered and bio-based materials

The objective
The 7 Fronts of Interface might appear to indicate several distinct areas of focus, yet they are all highly inter-connected,
which allows the company to pursue avenues of development that generate results on multiple fronts at once. For example,
Front 4 (Close the Loop) builds on the concept of eliminating waste (Front 1), and goes beyond it, aiming to reinvent the con-
cept of ‘Design with purpose’, by placing sustainability at its very core . By introducing processes that allow for the recovery
and reuse of various resources, these new designs allow the reclaimed resources to return to other cycles as inputs (either the
‘industrial cycle’, meaning back to the factories to create new carpets, or the ‘natural cycle’, where resources are returned to
earth in a form that is not harmful to natural systems).

The approach
Redesign process: Re Entry 2.0TM
Closing the resource loop on a large scale was brought one step closer in 2007 with the introduction of Re-entry 2.0, first in
the US and later in the Scherpenzeel production facility in the Netherlands 82 . This technology allows Interface to reclaim any
old carpet by separaing yarn from backing 83 (fig. 7).
Through partnerships with yarn suppliers such as Aquafil, the reclaimed materials are then processed to yield recycled raw ma-
terials. The resulting yarn is made from 100% non-virgin material, containing a minimum of 25% post-consumer yarn content.
This can then be used in products such as Biosfera™ (see below). In 2011 alone through this technology 121,000 tonnes of
carpet was diverted from landfills globally 84 .

fig 10. closing the loop with ReEntry 2.0TM

Redesign Product: BiosferaTM

BiosferaTM is a carpet made of - amongst others - fibre from the company’s Re Entry 2.0™ program, as well as fibre derived
from salvaged commercial fishnets (see Front 1). The 100% recycled yarn is then combined with Graphlex™, a backing with high
recycled material content, to yield carpet tiles with a total recycled content of 71% 85 . To take it one step further, Biosfera™
also went through a process to reduce the amount of yarn used by 50%, resulting in a product that demonstrates a full scope
solution to mitigating the largest contributor to the company’s environmental impact – the nylon yarn.

36
The Bottom Line
Over the six years leading up to 2010, the percentage of recycled and bio-based raw material used in Interface’s manufacturing
processes rose from 4% to 49% 86 . Interface continues to research new types of recycled and natural alternatives for nylon 87 .
And yarn is not the only recycled material in the production line. Limestone ‘waste’ reclaimed from different industries is used
in carpet tile backings.
Design has a key role in closing the loop, by either designing products that can be easily separated for recycling, or designing
products made from single or similar components that don’t even need to be separated. Having the technology to manufacture
products with up to 100% recycled content is highly impressive, yet perhaps what is even more impressive with products like
Biosfera™ is that through innovation and collaboration it is indeed possible to close the loop, in a way that is beneficial to
everyone involved.

Front 5 – Resource Efficient Transportation

Transport people and products efficiently to eliminate waste and emissions

The objective
Interface relies on moving people, products and resources from one point to the other using transportation modes that emit
GHGs. The goal is that all kinds of transportation, including commuting, will be maximally efficient and minimally wasteful. In
2008 Interface ran a program to establish what the baseline was for the impact transportation in its operations was having. It
was through a LCA that they learned that 8% of the carbon footprint of carpet tiles comes from the shipping. This, along with
transportation in other areas, needed to be addressed, first by mapping all transportation-related impacts and then through
innovative programs around product shipping and business travel.

The approach
Business travel: Offsetting
Trees for Travel™, begun in 1997, offered tree-planting to offset the air miles travelled by Interface business associates. In
addition, the Cool Fuel™ and Cool CO2mmut™ programmes were introduced in several US facilities in 2002 88 . The first aims to
balance the carbon emissions of the corporate fleet, while the latter offers to apply carbon offsets to the daily commute of
employees. In addition to the offsetting option, employees are also offered incentives to join a carpooling network as well as
the opportunity to work remotely from home for up to 58 days a year 89 .

Product shipping: SmartwayTM and multi-modal transportation

Interface realized a major step towards efficient transportation is to shift to local production, in coherence with the demands
of local markets. Interface has three main manufacturing centres: in the Netherlands, the US and Thailand, which respectively
supply Europe, the Americas and Asia. Currently 99% of the products manufactured in Europe are delivered in Europe, and when
possible, raw materials are also sourced from suppliers who are close to the production sites. This significantly reduces the
shipping distances and therefore the CO2 emissions as well.

Smartway™ is a program introduced by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which encouraged a partnership between In-
terface and Meridian IQ, a global logistics management company. The models they developed measure Interface’s transportation
footprint to the level of the partial truckload, then combine it with strategies for choosing the most effective mode of ship-
ment. The model of multi-modal transportation helps with that by using the most energy-efficient transport for each part of
the journey. For example, shipments might be routed using a train or a barge, which have relatively low emissions, instead of a
truck or a container ship.

37
The bottom Line
Since 1997, Interface has planted more than 118,000 trees through the Trees for Travel™ program, and nearly 45,000 trees
have been planted since Cool CO2mmut™ began in 2002. By grouping deliveries and reducing the number of empty trucks on the
road, Interface saves close to 290,000 € every year. Both Interface and its transport suppliers use modern vehicles that comply
with emissions standards set out by the EU’s Kyoto agreement and suppliers are continuously encouraged to search for lower-
carbon transport alternatives.
Furthermore, Interface realized that the only way to truly tackle this is by joining forces with its associates and suppliers, and
the willingness to collaborate on the matter has created trust among their partners, which led to long term partnerships and
cost savings.

Front 6 – Sensitise Stakeholders

Create a culture that uses sustainability principles to improve the lives and livelihoods of all stakeholders –
employees, partners, suppliers, customers, investors and communities

The objective
As a company with a sustainability mission, it means everybody has a part to play in order to achieve the goal. Employees, sup-
pliers, and customers all need to be on board with sustainability in order to achieve Mission Zero™. Interface is fully aware of
how significant social capital is, as a critical component for advancement and further development. Thanks to its commitment
to becoming a learning organisation, Interface has sought ways to communicate its vision internally and externally, and share
the knowledge it gains along its sustainability journey, so everyone is stimulated and trained to think about how he or she can
contribute to making progress towards Mission Zero 90 .

“When you want to do something so challenging, the only way to do it is by inviting people”
(Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director EMEAI, now owner-director DeltaD)

The approach
Partnerships: Boeing
In 2012 Interface partnered with Boeing, after participating in a retreat lead by Boeing on the topic of Biomimicry, to develop
special lightweight carpet tiles. The original intention was to offer carpets to Boeing offices, however an idea was born and
later these tiles were installed on Southwest Airlines’ first “green plane”. This allowed tailored-innovation to the airline’s
specifications, which expanded Interface’s perception of the structural design of a product, its performance in different set-
tings and the possible different applications for it.

Employees development: FastForward 2020

One of the first key concepts to be offered to employees and associates was the TNS Framework (or FSSD), as delivered through
the OWL training 91 . Interface also works with its sales forces to educate and listen to its customers, so as to ensure accurate
feedback about what works in the marketplace.
FastForword 2020 is the vehicle to embed sustainability throughout the organization. It is a learning program for equipping the
workplace with knowledge about sustainability, and aims at using people’s own ambitions and strengths to reach Mission Zero™.
The program contains three levels, with the first level, Induction, being mandatory for everyone at Interface.
The trainings are also used to give sustainability special status and focus by putting together an elite network of Sustainability
Ambassadors, employees who choose to drive the sustainability agenda within Interface, working on awareness campaigns and
personal projects. These Ambassadors complete all three levels of training
• Level 1 Induction: Mandatory, with the purpose of creating a basic understanding among all regarding Mission Zero™ and
the 7 Fronts, including the work done around it.
• Level 2 functional specialization: A course for all employees’ which aims to expand and go beyond sustainability in general,
towards what it means in specific roles and business areas to be informed about actual sustainability topics.
• Level 3 Critical Analysis: The purpose of this course is to equip individuals with tools to drive the company’s sustainability
agenda even further and being able to match their passion with the company goals 92 .

38
The bottom line
Inviting others to participate has many advantages, as seen with savings from the QUEST program, which netted over $450 mil-
lion since 1995 (see page 4 for more information on Quest). The Quest program was merged in 1996 with the Ecosense™ pro-
gram, which tracks the progress of sustainability initiatives and offers incentives for performance. Perhaps even more impres-
sive is the strong internal motivation Interface employees have to keep moving towards the vision, as captured beautifully in a
series of videos titled I am Mission Zero, in which company’s employees share how they relate to the vision, and the meaning it
holds for them 93 .
Interface realised it had sufficient purchasing power to influence suppliers; those who were willing to align their business
with Interface’s sustainability agenda benefitted from a greater share of business. Bringing these suppliers on board with the
agenda is a strategic move that helps ensure a low negative impact of a product throughout its lifecycle. In certain cases, such
as removing harmful substances at the source, supplier engagement is absolutely critical.
Collaborations can also lead to unexpected results, as demonstrated in the partnership with Boeing, which resulted in a whole
new line of modular carpets targeting a new market segment (airplanes). Other successful examples have been mentioned in the
discussions of the other Fronts, such as the partnership with Aquafil and the Smartway program. Interface is also a member in
several networks and organizations, which allows it to keep promoting sustainability beyond its doors. One example is its work
establishing and leading Green Councils around the world, which gained Interface substantial visibility and credibility in the
growing green building marketplace.

Front 7 – Redesign Commerce

Create a new business model that demonstrates and supports the value of sustainability-based commerce

The objective
Interface knows that to truly achieve Mission Zero, they must develop other business models to replace the fundamentally
unsustainable ones currently dominating the market. These should be models that are grounded in providing services, instead
of materials and products, and would be showcases for the value of sustainability-based commerce. The following examples
illustrate how Interface is innovating and prototyping such business models. And all of these demonstrate close interrelation
with the other six Fronts

The approach
Promoting Transperency: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
EPD is a voluntary, LCA-based tool, standardized against ISO 14025 and ISO 14040, which communicates a factual account of the
life cycle of a product, analysed across a series of environmental impact categories 94 . It is neither a label nor a claim, rather a
third party credible certification which creates a basis for comparing similar products and systems.
Much like the ingredient list on the back of packaged foods, EPDs help people to move away from making decisions based on
artful labeling, to decisions based on facts. Interface believes in a future of openness and transparency, which is why in 2009
the company was the first in its industry to obtain an EPD for one of their designs. Today all Interface products have been veri-
fied and are carrying EPDs 95 .

Service design: EvergreenTM, TileExchange and TileCare

A major avenue in redesigning commerce, and in the concept of a circular economy, is the shift towards industries based on
services, rather than products. One example is EverGreen™, which was launched in 1996, and reflects Interface’s pioneering
approach to sell carpets without selling carpets. EverGreen™ is a leasing concept where Interface produces, installs, cleans,
maintains and replaces the carpeting when needed, and the customers get all the benefits of a carpet, without really owning
one. The carpet is owned by Interface, which ensures two main things: proper disposal (i.e. re-claiming the carpet for recy-
cling) and no carpets ending up in landfills 96 . While this concept never developed beyond a small number of prototype con-
tracts, its vision helped push Interface deeper into carpet reclamation and other services.

39
TileExchange and TileCare are services which branch out from the original leasing program. With these programs, individual
tiles can be replaced or treated with no need to replace the entire carpet. The goals of these services are to extend the life of
a carpet tile through proper maintenance (for which Interface assumes responsibility), to reduce both environmental impact
and costs for clients, and to create new jobs in the circular economy. In addition, when both the installation and disposal are
under the control of Interface, this also ensures a constant stream of carpet tiles to go into the ReEntry 2.0™ program, where
they are recycled into new carpet tiles (see Front 4, p 24) 97 .

Restorative Impact: Net Effect Collection™

Net Effect Collection™ is the next step in the project of NetWorks partnership (Front 1, pg 20). These are carpet tiles made
partly from the reclaimed fishing nets collected by fishing communities in the Philippines. It is the classic example of pro-
cesses that not only generate a new source of income for the locals, but that do it while restoring the environment, having a
positive impact on the biodiversity of the region. This is what redesigning commerce is about.

Neutral products: CoolCarpetTM

When it comes to GHG emissions, offsetting is considered the last resort after renewable energy and reducing consumption.
Yet, services like CoolCarpet™, do represent a way for customers to choose ‘climate neutral’ products that have had the GHGs
that will be emitted during their entire life cycles offset. This is accomplished by Interface investing in verified projects for
reducing emissions around the world, and rolling this cost into the pricing of the product.
CoolCarpet™ is included with certain products, like BiosferaTM, and is available for all products. It is highly promoted by Inter-
face sales forces (as are all Interface products with low carbon footprints), and when used in conjunction with building proj-
ects, it can count for credits towards various green building certifications, such as LEED 98 .

The bottom Line

The mainstream has already started to shift towards sustainability and circular economy concepts. EPDs are recognised by LEED
and green building councils, as well as being encouraged by the European Union. The underlying trends in civil society and regu-
lations call for increasing openness. Very soon EPDs and services like CoolCarpet™ will become requirements for architects and
interior designers 99 .
Interface is moving towards closing material loops and redefining commerce. In an industrial world where the majority of
products are ‘designed to fail’, Interface brings forward a business model that introduces long-lasting value, high performance
products and transparency 100 .

40
Notes
1. Jan Jonker , Werken aan de Weconomy, 2013 40. IntercellTM is a space saving modular flooring system. It provides cable management

2. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, p 4 solutions for electrical, data and voice wiring, to help create organised and flexible

3. Interface CEO: Getting Off Oil is Good for Business, Industry Week, May 2012 office spaces.

4. Interface global: Our progress, Ecometrics and Sociometrics, 2012 41. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, p177-178

5. Nadine Gutz, Director sustainability Strategy Interface Inc., March 2012 42. Christopher J.Hastings, Dr. Dominic Aquila and Dr. Ravi Srinivas, Strategic Sensing –

6. Interface Annual report, May 2010 How Firms Create Their Future Amidst Uncertainty, December 2011

7. Press release, International Green Awards 2012 winners, November 2012 43. Jim Hartzfeld, former VP Sustainability Strategy, Personal interview, October 2012

8. The 2013 Sustainability Leaders, A Globescan/SustainAbility Survey, April 2013 44. Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director EMEAI, now owner-director

9. Christopher J.Hastings, Dr. Dominic Aquila and Dr. Ravi Srinivas, Strategic Sensing – DeltaD, personal interview, December 2011

How Firms Create Their Future Amidst Uncertainty, December 2011 45. Interface Asia: News Room April 2011, accessed September 2012

10. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, pg 19-43 46. Christopher J.Hastings, Dr. Dominic Aquila and Dr. Ravi Srinivas, Strategic Sensing –

11. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, pg 39 How Firms Create Their Future Amidst Uncertainty, December 2011

12. Jim Hartzfeld , former VP Sustainability Strategy, personal interview, October 2012 47. Nadine Gutz, Private interview for The Landmark Group of Builders, September 2010

13. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, pg 18-19 48. GreenBiz: What to do when you’ve picked all the low hanging fruit March 2012, ac

14. QUEST: Quality Using Employee Suggestions and Teamwork, an employee-led system to cessed September 2012

define and communicate around challenges, progress and accomplishments, using 49. Erin Meezan, A bold, long-term vision for sustainability, April 2012

cross-functional teams of employees 50. The Inside Track: Awarehouse, A brand experience centre, March 2012

15. Jim Hartzfeld , former VP Sustainability Strategy, personal interview, October 2012 51. Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director EMEAI Interface Inc., personal interview,

16. Interface Global: Getting there, accessed September 2012 December 2012

17. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction p15 52. Edelman Trust Barometer results, accessed September 2012

18. Jim Hartzfeld, former VP Sustainability Strategy , personal interview, October 2012 53. Nadine Gutz, Director sustainability Strategy Interface Inc., March 2012

19. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist 54. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, prologue

20. The Natural Step International: The four systems conditions, accessed September 55. Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director, now owner DeltaD, per

2012 sonal interview, December 2011

21. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical industrialist, p71 56. Interface Annual report 2010

22. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical industrialist, p31 57. Interface global: Products, accessed September 2012

23. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical industrialist, pg.32 58. Architect Blogs: Biophillic design, January 2012

24. Luuk de Jong, Organizational Development director, personal interview, December 59. Interface Reconnect: The Interface Connection, accessed May 2013

2011 60. Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director EMEAI Interface Inc., personal interview,

25. Climbing On: Our progress towards Mission Zero, Interfaceflor EMEAI December 2012

26. Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director EMEAI Interface Inc., personal interview, 61. Ray Anderson, Mount Sustainability, October 2009

December 2012 62. Jim Hartzfeld, former VP Sustainability Strategy, Interview via email, October 2012

27. PR Newswire: Interface expands and adapts definition of sustainability, April 2013 63. Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director, now owner-director

28. YouTube: I am mission Zero channel DeltaD, personal interview, December 2011

29. Interface global: Our progress, Ecometrics and Sociometrics, 2012 64. Karl-Henrik Robert, Interview, October 2012

30. Jan Jonker , Werken aan de Weconomy, 2013 65. Jim Hartzfeld interview, Former VP Sustainability Strategy, October 2012

31. Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director EMEAI, now owner-director 66. 2 I am Mission Zero channel on TouTube

DeltaD, personal interview, December 2011 67. 3 GreenBiz: Mind the void, Interface after Ray, January 2012

32. Interface CEO: Getting Off Oil is Good for Business, Industry Week, May 2012 68. 4 Karl-Henrik Robert, Interview, October 2012

33. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, p91 69. Geanne Van Arkel and Jan Jonker , Sustainable Innovation, Accelerating toward a

34. Interface Inc. Sustainability Report, 1997 p11 circular economy, 2012

35. Jim Hartzfeld , former VP Sustainability Strategy, personal interview, October 2012 70. Biomimicry: The science of studying natural forms, processes, and ecosystems to find

36. TEDX Atlanta: Jim Hartzfeld, Restorative through the Power of Influence, November inspiration for sustainable designs to solve human problems (Janine Benyus, Biomim

2012 icry: Innovation inspired by Nature)

37. Luuk de Jong, former Organizational Development director EMEAI, now owner-director 71. Interface global: Our innovations, October 2012

DeltaD, personal interview, December 2011 72. Final press release, Interface, June 2012

38. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, p184. 73. Article on Mature Nature Network, by Matt Hickman, January 2013

39. Geanne Van Arkel and Jan Jonker , Sustainable Innovation, Accelerating toward a 74. Ray C. Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, p11

circular economy, 2012 75. Interface UK: Mission Zero, accessed September 2012

76. United States Environmental Protection Agency: Indoor Air Quality, accessed Septem-

41
Notes (continued)
77. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, pg 187-188 90. Geanne Van Arkel and Jan Jonker , Sustainable Innovation, Accelerating toward a

78. Interface Annual Report, March 2010 circular economy, 2012

79. Ray Anderson on Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, accessed September 2012 91. Ray C, Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, p151

80. Interface CEO: Getting Off Oil is Good for Business, Industry Week, May 2012 92. Geanne van Arkel, Sustainable Business Development in Interface, personal interview,

81. Interface global: Our progress, October 2012 April 2013

82. Ray C. Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, p 120 93. You Tube: I am Mission Zero Channel

83. Rob Heeres, Director of European Manufacturing on ReEntry 2.0, accessed September 94. The connection between EPDs and ISO 14025 and ISO 14040

2012 95. Interface Go Beyond, accessed September 2012

84. Interface Annual Report, March 2010 96. Interface global: Our innovations, May 2013

85. Interface UK: Biosfera, accessed 2012 97. Geanne van Arkel, Sustainable Business Development in Interface, personal interview,

86. Interface Annual Report, March 2010 April 2013

87. Interface CEO: Getting Off Oil is Good for Business, Industry Week, May 2012 98. Climate neutral CoolCarpetTM brief, Interface

88. Interface Global: Our Progress, Accessed October 2012 99. Interface Australia: Environmental Product Declaration, accessed September 2012

89. Climbing On: Our progress towards Mission Zero, a booklet by Interface EMEAI 100. Interface global: Redesign commerce, accessed September 2012

42
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