Anderson Outlines Interface Plan at Clinton Global
New York, NY, September 21, 2006--Interface, Inc. chairman and founder Ray Anderson today outlined the company's plan to become a carbon neutral enterprise by the year 2020. The plan represents a commitment that was announced during a working session of the second annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York.
CGI is a non-partisan event bringing together global leaders from business, politics, academia, science, religion and non-governmental associations to focus on solutions to world challenges including energy and climate change, religious and ethnic conflicts, poverty alleviation and global health. Interface is a recognized leader in industrial ecology committed to the concept of Mission Zero(, a promise to eliminate any negative impact its companies may have on the environment by 2020. Interface has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 56% in absolute tonnage since 1996. Ray Anderson served as the chair of the President's Council on Sustainable Development during President Clinton's second administration.
"The industrialized world creates more harmful emissions than solid waste," said Ray Anderson. "The Clinton Foundation and CGI provide a platform for companies like Interface to demonstrate a better way; a better way to what we believe will ultimately be a bigger profit, for us and for mankind. Eliminating or offsetting greenhouse gas emissions is essential to our effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We make this commitment and invite the industrial world to join us on Mission Zero."
Interface is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing the impact of its manufacturing and office operations, minimizing transportation of people and products, and "greening" its supply chain through support and development of those raw materials, projects and processes that keep CO2 out of the atmosphere.
This, combined with energy efficiency projects and investments in renewable energy sources and carbon offset projects, will get Interface to its goal of being a carbon neutral company by the year 2020. Interface is believed to be the largest corporate purchaser of voluntary carbon offsets in the U.S.
Interface initiatives aimed at greenhouse gas emission reduction include:
-Interface measures its GHG emissions using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and tracks annual emissions of manufacturing businesses across the globe.
These measurements show that since 1996, Interface has reduced its total carbon dioxide emissions by 56% on an absolute basis through improved energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, and utilizing carbon dioxide offsets from a landfill gas project near the company's LaGrange, Georgia facility.
Five Interface facilities operate with 100% renewable electricity from a range of solar, biomass and wind resources.
Renewable energy purchasing initiatives are in place at two more locations; 28% of the company's electricity comes from renewables, while 13% of all global energy consumption comes from renewable sources.
Ultimately, reducing greenhouse gas emissions will slow global warming, an effect Interface calls COOL. Via its Cool Carpet program, Interface helps customers offset the emissions associated with the carpet or fabric they have purchased. Via Cool Fuel, Interface uses corporate fuel rebates to neutralize the climate affects of day-to-day travel by its associates and the Interface fleet. Cool Blue(TM) is the company's process by which carpet is recycled into new carpet backing.
