InterfaceFLOR Wins 'Big Tick' at Business in the Community Awards

InterfaceFLOR, a worldwide leader in the production of environmentally-responsible modular floor coverings and other textiles, last night won the EDF ‘ Big Tick’ for Environmental Impact at the prestigious Business in the Community Awards for Excellence 2006. The award was given to Halifax-based InterfaceFLOR for its pioneering achievements in sustainable business practice.

Business in the Community provides recognition for companies that are integrating responsible business practice into their mainstream operations and are delivering positive impacts on the environment, in the marketplace, the workplace and the community. Over the last 12 years, InterfaceFLOR has undergone a comprehensive transformation geared toward becoming the first company with a zero environmental footprint by 2020.

“The award is a testament to the holistic approach that the company takes to sustainable business practice,” said Lindsey Parnell, CEO InterfaceFLOR. “While we applaud all efforts to develop more sustainable products, we believe that our responsibility goes beyond product to re-engineer every aspect of our business from raw materials through to design, manufacture, operations, transport, travel, customer communication and employee and community engagement.”

Notable achievements include Interface’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes, which have resulted in a 56% reduction in CO2 emissions since 1996. Interface has also made improvements to its production processes allowing an 81% reduction in water intake per m2 of production facilities, petroleum based materials have been reduced by 29% and since 1995 cumulative avoided costs from waste reduction have totalled $299m.

InterfaceFLOR encourages its employees to adapt a more environmentally-friendly attitude to their every day life.

Customers who buy from InterfaceFLOR are also integrated into the Company’s sustainability mission – through InterfaceFLOR’s Evergreen Leasing System and its ReEntry Programme, old carpet tiles will be replaced and then taken away and recycled at the end of their life.

Since January 2005, InterfaceFLOR has also offset over 29,000 tonnes of carbon through its latest sustainability initiative ‘Cool Carpet®’, with 17,000 tonnes offset in its first year - the equivalent of taking 4,250 cars off the road The calculation is based on the fact that on average the UK car produces 5tonnes of carbon per year.. Within the Cool Carpet® programme, customers are given the option to pay an extra 10p/m² on the purchase price of the carpet tile The cost is for all products other than InterfaceFLOR’s Random design range, where the figure is included in the overall purchasing cost., to “offset” the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the entire lifecycle of a purchased carpet. The money raised is then used to fund the development of forestation plants, energy saving projects and renewable energy schemes in South Africa and India.

Edmund Blamey, European Sustainability Director InterfaceFLOR, says: “We are constantly looking at ways in which we can refine our business practices to further benefit the environment. We have come a long way in the last 12 years and the future will present greater hurdles. By challenging conventional methods, and interrogating every element of our business, we can turn these obstacles into opportunities and evolve as a business.”

The Big Tick was introduced in 1998 and there have been 617 recipients of this prestigious endorsement mark. Now widely recognised, it is used by recipients to communicate their achievements in the field of corporate responsibility.

Ends.

Date issued: 2 Oct 2006

Notes to Editors:

Interface Carpet /Interface Inc.

Interface is a recognized leader in the commercial interiors market, offering floor coverings and fabrics. The company is committed to the goal of sustainability and doing business in ways that minimize the impact on the environment while enhancing shareholder value.

Interface was founded in 1973 by Chairman, Ray Anderson, considered to be a pioneer from the start - a trailblazer of the modular carpet industry in the United States. The company promotes sustainable business practices - within its global community and in the products it makes.

For Interface, sustainability is a belief that is built into the business model, an underlying corporate value, ensuring that business decisions are weighed against their potential impact on economic, natural and social systems. It's a means for associates to deliver superior value to customers and shareholders.

Interface is a global company with manufacturing locations on four continents and offices in more than 100 countries.