reduction, energy efficiency, recycling and reusing became the
cornerstone of daily operations. Though the company isn’t 100
per cent sustainable yet, the efforts are paying off. From 1994
to 2006, it has avoided cumulative waste costs amounting to
some US$353 million, while total global sales have increased
by 49 per cent, proving that it is possible to do well by doing
good for the environment.
It’s a message InterfaceFLOR is going all out to spread. In
fact, it is going a step further by taking the fight beyond the
organisation to the world at large. In just 2006 alone, Anderson
was on the road sharing the company’s sustainable business
practices and strategy through at least 115 speeches.
With over 13 years of experience in sustainability under its belt,
the company also established its education and consulting arm,
InterfaceRAISE™, in the US and Europe in 2007, to inspire and
help other organisations green their operations by minimising
their carbon impact while maximising profits.
“Wise organisations recognise that paying lip service to
sustainability will not satisfy the demands of customers,
suppliers and employees; businesses that want to respond
must put responsible practices at the heart of their corporate
agenda. We can help them to do this, in their individual way,
specific to their organisational context,” says Karin Laljani,
Senior Vice President, InterfaceFLOR Europe. To date,
InterfaceRAISE has partnered with several large
companies including US retailer Wal-Mart to
successfully develop and work towards achieving
sustainable business targets.
Another programme raising green awareness in Europe is
FairWorks. This time, the focus is on sharing knowledge and
nurturing relationships with local artisans and communities.
Essentially, FairWorks brings together sustainable materials and
traditional skills from around the world to produce innovative
products in an environmentally and socially responsible way.
Working with Industree, an Indian organisation that promotes
and markets local craft skills, it recently launched the first
product in the range – Just™. The collection is made up of 12
designs inspired by ethnic textiles and patterns. Each tile is
handwoven in India using a combination of locally available
products such as banana bark, river grass and cotton, and the
natural fibres used come from the Pattamadai belt of Tirunelveli
district in Tamil Nadu.
And this is just the start. Through such collaborative efforts, not
only is InterfaceFLOR tackling its environmental impact, but it is
leading the way to a brighter, and greener, future. As Anderson
says, “People coming together in organisations like yours and
mine can make a difference.”
PHOTOLIbRARy
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