NASDAQ-listed carpet manufacturer Interface has managed to divert 12,500 tonnes of carpet from landfills in 2010 alone.
The company, which has been expanding in Asia at a rapid pace, takes old carpet and converts it into recycled material. The material is then used for the design and manufacturing of its modular carpet tiles.
Jim McCallum, senior vice-president of InterfaceFLOR, said: “As it (the recycling) came along it became a very good business model. We do sometimes pay more for our materials, we’re more discerning in the materials we bring in, but if you look at it holistically, we make an awful lot of savings…Look at our company as a whole, a lot of our diminishing footprint is about reduction in waste and about reduction in energy usage and both are huge savings.”
He said that by reducing waste, the company saved over $430 million. It also used 43 per cent less energy per unit of production than before.
The company’s net emissions are down 35 per cent since it started on a path to reduce its footprint in 1996. It said it is more than 60 per cent getting towards its target, and it has set even more aggressive targets.
Mr McCallum said: “Ultimately, we want it to be all the products across the board. If you think about the premise of our ‘Mission Zero’ by 2020, we want to have zero negative impact on the environment.
“We’re looking, ultimately, to get 100 per cent of closed loop recycled products. We’re looking to eliminate our emissions. We’re looking to be going towards 100 per cent renewable energy. At this point in time….more than 30 per cent of our products are recycled content.”
Interface said it has reduced its dependency on fossil fuel by 60 per cent, and is looking to design and incorporate new renewable energy into its production stream.
Interface shifted to a more sustainable strategy 16 years ago. It said for companies looking to take this direction, the main challenge is not cost but getting a buy-in from employees.
