Carpet manufacturer Interface reduces carbon emissions by 90 per cent
Green business news – by Louise Bateman
5th February 2014
The European division of Interface, the pioneering sustainable carpet manufacturer, has cut its carbon emissions by 90 per cent and reduced its water usage by 95 per cent.
The ground-breaking sustainability targets were achieved last month at Interface’s European manufacturing facility in Scherpenzeel in The Netherlands. They are part of the company’s ‘Mission Zero’, a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2020. The carpet manufacturer also unveiled today that it was sourcing 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources and had achieved zero waste to landfill at the Dutch site.
Commenting on the milestones, Ramon Arratia, European Sustainability director at Interface, said: “Today, at Interface Europe, we are announcing that we are reducing our carbon by 90 per cent and water by 95 per cent from January 1st 2014. It is possible, it’s here and it has happened in a carpet industry, which one could say is an extension of the petrochemical sector.”
Green innovation
“We are achieving the 90 per cent carbon reduction with 60 per cent efficiencies and 30 per cent renewables, not the other way around,” he said.
The green gas is being produced by anaerobic digestion of fish waste, which is then being turned into natural gas and pumped into the gas grid.
The other main innovation adopted at the Dutch manufacturing facility to improve efficiencies has been a water recirculation system through closed loop piping.
Mission Zero
“In the past three years we have taken huge strides towards our Mission Zero goal,” said Rob Boogaard, ceo of Interface in Europe. “To put it in context, as per January 2014, we are operating our European factories with a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1996, while the EU Commission has set an EU carbon reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030.”
But Boogaard said Interface’s achievements were no excuse to be complacent. “Our goal is to cut the umbilical cord to oil, with the result that 44 per cent of our raw materials in Europe are already recycled or bio-based. We’ve come a long way but our mission continues,” he said.
Arratia called on other European green business leaders to do more.
“The EU Commission has set an EU carbon reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030. Many old school industries and their powerful lobbies jumped quickly that it’s impossible. We have the proof that it’s possible.
“Please challenge those who tell you that’s impossible, those who lobby for less stringent EU carbon targets, those who say their industry is special,” he said.
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Commenting on the milestones, Ramon Arratia, European Sustainability director at Interface, said: “Today, at Interface Europe, we are announcing that we are reducing our carbon by 90 per cent and water by 95 per cent from January 1st 2014. It is possible, it’s here and it has happened in a carpet industry, which one could say is an extension of the petrochemical sector.”
Green innovation
Arratia said Interface Europe had achieved the reductions through a number of innovations, including the switch to green gas. He said the company was paying a premium for the gas, but it was a cost the company could afford because of a series of efficiencies it had already implemented.
“We are achieving the 90 per cent carbon reduction with 60 per cent efficiencies and 30 per cent renewables, not the other way around,” he said.
The green gas is being produced by anaerobic digestion of fish waste, which is then being turned into natural gas and pumped into the gas grid.
The other main innovation adopted at the Dutch manufacturing facility to improve efficiencies has been a water recirculation system through closed loop piping.
Mission Zero
Interface, the world’s largest carpet tile manufacturer, was founded by the late Ray Anderson, an industrial pioneer and long-time champion of sustainability. The company launched its Mission Zero programme in 1996 and in 2011 became the first carpet manufacturer to launch a product with 100 per cent recycled yarn. Since then the company has looked at ways to reduce not only the environmental impact of its own operations, but the full lifecycle of its products.
“In the past three years we have taken huge strides towards our Mission Zero goal,” said Rob Boogaard, ceo of Interface in Europe. “To put it in context, as per January 2014, we are operating our European factories with a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1996, while the EU Commission has set an EU carbon reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030.”
But Boogaard said Interface’s achievements were no excuse to be complacent. “Our goal is to cut the umbilical cord to oil, with the result that 44 per cent of our raw materials in Europe are already recycled or bio-based. We’ve come a long way but our mission continues,” he said.
Arratia called on other European green business leaders to do more.
“The EU Commission has set an EU carbon reduction target of 40 per cent by 2030. Many old school industries and their powerful lobbies jumped quickly that it’s impossible. We have the proof that it’s possible.
“Please challenge those who tell you that’s impossible, those who lobby for less stringent EU carbon targets, those who say their industry is special,” he said.
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