Talk of the environment is nothing new........ There's been eco this, that and the other for the past ten years or so, as the environmental issue has entered the realms of political and personal consciousness. At Interface, we haven't just been paying lip service to what's been said, we've taken concrete, positive action to put the environment at the top of our agenda. In the words of Interface Chairman Ray Anderson, "We are seeking to become the first sustainable corporation in the world, and, following that, the first restorative company."

So what's the problem?
Industrialism developed in a radically different world from the one we live in today: far fewer people, less material well- being, plentiful natural resources. What emerged over the years was a highly productive, "take-make-waste" industrial system that assumed indefinite supplies of resources and infinite sinks in which to deposit industrial waste. Industry moves, mines, extracts, shovels, wastes, pumps and disposes of vast amounts of material as it goes about its daily business. At Interface, we recognise that we are a part of this problem and in order to reduce the amount of material we take and the waste we create, we first need to analyse exactly what comes in and what goes out. Only then can we appreciate and begin to properly address the task in hand.

And our solution?
At Interface, we are striving to create an organisation that addresses the needs of both society and the environment. We are doing this by developing a system of industrial production that dramatically reduces the burdens placed upon living systems. We believe we are on the verge of the "next industrial revolution" which will see a momentous shift in how we view the world, how we operate within it, which systems will prevail and which will not. We are completely re-imagining and re-defining everything we do. Our goal: to lead the way to the next industrial revolution by becoming the world's first sustainable company.

Sustainability
Sustainability is a complex issue involving the thousands of ways business interacts with society and the natural world. It is our comprehensive approach to re-thinking the way we design, manufacture, use and then re-use the products we produce.

Within Interface we have laid out a path to achieve sustainability by addressing seven key areas:

1. Eliminating waste - not just reducing it.
2. Making all emissions non-toxic.
3. Reducing energy demands and substituting non- renewable resources with sustainable ones.
4. "Closing the loop" by redesigning processes and products so that they follow a cyclical flow from manufacture and use to re-manufacture and re-use.
5. Reducing energy used for transportation of people and products.
6. Creating a community of employees, customers and suppliers who understand the workings of natural systems and our impact on them.
7. Re-defining commerce so that business doesn't take place at the expense of our planet's future.

ISO 14001
This is an international environmental standard which requires a formal environmental management system to be in place. Operated by Interface Fabrics since the Camborne Fabrics days of 1996, it is just one aspect of the much more wide-ranging approach which the quest for sustainability has become.

ISO 14001 features:

- Register of Environmental Effects and Aspects which must be compiled detailing every aspect of the business which affects the environment, including thorough audits of suppliers

- Register of UK and European Legislative Requirements which must be adhered to

- Formal procedures covering every area of the business with environmental implications: raw materials, waste disposal, energy conversation, water control, emergencies, transport and fuel, etc

- Environmental objectives and future targets, with formal assessments twice a year to make sure they are being met. Current and previous objectives have included: investigating further energy saving schemes; reviewing the scope for using more sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials, dyestuffs, chemicals and packaging; re-examining the scouring process with a view to reducing effluent

Terratexª
Terratex is a symbol of our commitment to responsible manufacturing and a guarantee that a fabric meets four vital criteria:

1. The fabric is manufactured from 100% post-consumer and/or post industrial recycled fibre
2. The fabric is manufactured from a single fibre type, without backcoating, to allow recyclability
3. The fabric is produced using increasingly sustainable manufacturing processes
4. The fabric represents standards for quality and performance that meet or exceed those of fabric manufactured from virgin materials using conventional processes

Talk about a revolution
The textile industry was one of the catalysts for the first Industrial Revolution which set us on the road to such environmental havoc. Its traditional impact on the environment is well-documented, especially in areas such as water usage, use of chemicals and dyestuffs, and effluent production.

Now, the textile industry has a real opportunity, with Interface, to lead the world into the next industrial revolution - an altogether kinder, gentler, restorative revolution in which industry will emulate nature's systems and make the journey to sustainability.