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Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

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Environmental Stewardship

Our journey to more sustainable business began in 1994 with founder, Ray Anderson’s, “spear in the chest” moment that changed his perspective on business. Now, almost 30 years later, we’ve established ourselves as a leader across the flooring industry in the areas of design, innovation, and sustainability. Interface has worked tirelessly to address our carbon impacts across every aspect of our business, and we’ve achieved incredible milestones along the way, but we’re not done yet. We will continue to transform our factories, products, and supply chain as we work to reverse global warming.

In the early '90s one of our customers asked, “What's your company doing for the environment?” When our founder, Ray Anderson, realized he didn’t have an answer to this question, he created a company task force to solve it. As he prepared a speech to the task force kick-off meeting, he read Paul Hawken’s “The Ecology of Commerce” and was deeply moved. He described the experience as an epiphany, his “spear in the chest” moment that changed his perspective on business and sustainability.

Ray Anderson was awakened to the urgent need to set a new course for Interface. He shook the foundations of the petroleum-intensive carpet manufacturing industry by declaring that Interface was committed to becoming the world’s first environmentally sustainable—and, ultimately, restorative—company.

Ray later described the Interface sustainability journey as a climb up “a mountain higher than Everest.” Mount Sustainability, as we call it, became a symbol of both the size and scope of our mission.

Learn more about Ray Anderson and our sustainability story here.

To achieve our mission to be the most sustainable company in the world, Interface has set ambitious goals, including short term and long-term carbon emissions reduction targets.

Our Climate Goals

Climate Take Back™

Climate Take Back™ is our ambition to overcome the biggest challenge facing humanity: to reverse global warming. We want to restore our planet and leave a positive impact by becoming carbon negative and, ultimately, restorative by 2040.

Science-Based Targets

In 2021, Interface became the first flooring manufacturer to have a third-party validated target from the SBTi. Our emission reduction targets are in line with the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, ensuring Interface is helping to keep the planet at a safe global temperature.

We aim to achieve the following by 2030 from a 2019 base year:

  • Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions 50% on an absolute basis
  • Reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services 50%
  • Reduce absolute business travel and employee commuting emissions 30%

Reducing Carbon Emissions

Interface has significantly reduced its carbon emissions over the past few decades. The flooring products we sell — including carpet tile, LVT, vinyl sheet, and rubber — are carbon neutral across their full product life cycle through our third-party verified Carbon Neutral Floors™ program, as well as our business through the third party Carbon Neutral Enterprise certification program. Our programs are third-party verified to PAS 2060. See our Qualifying Explanatory Statement.

Learn more about our approach to Carbon here.

Our Operational Footprint

We remain focused on reducing our operational footprint across the following areas: water, waste, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions. We have made significant strides in reducing the environmental impacts of our manufacturing operations and we remain committed to maximizing efficiency and increasing our use of renewable energy. In addition, all Interface manufacturing facilities worldwide are certified to ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.

79% of energy used at owned manufacturing sites is renewable

97% reduction of market-based GHG emissions at carpet manufacturing sites since 1996

52% of materials in the flooring products we sell are recycled or biobased

85% reduction in water intake at carpet manufacturing facilities since 1996

67% less waste sent to landfills from carpet manufacturing sites since 1996

Find our detailed environmental metrics, including GHG emissions, Energy, Water and Waste here:

Environmental Metrics

Our Products

Interface is committed to product responsibility and innovation including product transparency, responsible sourcing and developing a circular economy.

We created the ReEntry™ Reclamation and Recycling program (available in select markets) to take back products for repurpose and recycling. We also use recycled and biobased materials in our carpet tile, resilient and rubber flooring products and have established responsible sourcing practices for our biobased materials. In addition, we have a global program dedicated to eliminating “materials of concern” across our supply chain.

Learn more about our Recycling program here.

Interface has led the way in product transparency, disclosing product ingredients through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Today, all of our standard flooring products have a product-specific EPD. We also provide ingredient details on our products through certification programs including Cradle to Cradle® and Health Product Declarations (HPDs). In addition, all Interface flooring and adhesives are certified to meet stringent indoor air quality standards for low VOC emissions.

Learn more about our commitment to Product Transparency here and check out our 2022 Impact Report for more.

 

SASB Logo

Interface supports the mission of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) disclosing material sustainability data according to SASB's industry specific standards.

SASB Disclosure