vironmental initiatives. For example, in just
overadecade,42percentof itssmokestacks
and58percentof itseffluentpipeshavebeen
abandoned, obviatedby changes inprocess-
ing; 103 million pounds of used products
have been collected to be recycled into new
carpet; and 20 percent of the company’s
rawmaterials are nowderived from renew-
able sources or from recycled or bio-based
materials (thegoal is for 100percent of raw
materials to come from envi-
ronmentally friendly sources
by 2020). In addition, there’s
beena45percent reduction in
theamountofenergyInterface
obtains from fossil fuels, and
seven of its factories are cur-
rentlyoperating solelyonelec-
tricity from renewable sources
(solar, wind, geothermal, and
biomass energies). To date, 16
percent of the company’s total
energy usage is derived from
renewable sources (the goal is
for 100 percent of its energy
to come from such sources by
2020), and a cumulative savings of $336
million has been achieved by eliminating
waste inaquest forwaste-freeperfectionby
2020. At Interface, waste is defined as “any
cost that does not add value for our cus-
tomers,” which translates into “ambitiously
doing everything right the first time, every
time.” By this definition, even energy that
comes from fossil fuels is counted as waste
and is tobe eliminated.
Lest you wonder if any of this makes
business sense, consider that the result of
the waste-elimination initiative alone, an
avoided$336million in costsover 12years,
has more than offset all the expenses that
have been incurred in pursuing Interface’s
objective, which we now call Mission Zero
for its goal of making zero environmental
impact by the year 2020. This has allowed
the business case for sustainability to de-
velopandbecome crystal clear.
Costs are down, not up — those waste
savings dispel a myth by exposing the fal-
sity in the idea that businesses must make
a choice between the environment and the
economy. A surprising two-thirds of the
company’s greenhouse gas reductions have
come from cost-reducing efficiencies.
Interface products arewidely recognized
in a competitive industry as cutting-edge
— not only environmentally but aestheti-
cally as well. The move toward sustain-
able design, especially biomimetics, which
refers to creating designs thatmimic those
innature, has produced awellspring of in-
novation and products that would never
TheUnited States uses nearly $1millionworth of energy everyminute.
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