A carpet company claims to have recently become the first Australian manufacturing firm to have 100% of its products Climate Neutral.
Commencing this month, InterfaceFLOR has eliminated all carbon emissions generated during the production of its modular carpet tiles. This has been achieved by both operational changes and the application of carbon offsets.
InterfaceFLOR President, Asia Pacific, Rob Coombs, said the changes didn’t happen overnight.
“This is a significant achievement for an Australian manufacturing company. As a company we’ve been working towards this goal for 13 years,” Coombs said.
InterfaceFLOR is responsible for only 15% of the carbon emitted during the lifecycle of its carpets. The remaining 85% of emissions are produced by the company’s suppliers and distributors.
To offer Climate Neutral products, InterfaceFLOR Australia is engaging with its whole supply chain.
InterfaceFLOR is working closely with individual suppliers and distributors to help them reduce their carbon emissions, and is paying the offsets associated with any remaining emissions.
Coombs said that InterfaceFLOR is committed to this environmental leadership model, which it calls ‘the green ripple effect’.
“This is not just about our business. We’ve cleaned up our own backyard and are now showing our business partners how to go green. Together, we will achieve more for the environment.”
Recent negotiations with Australian transport companies have seen them begin the process of reducing their emissions to win part of InterfaceFLOR’s business.
Offering customers a Climate Neutral product across 100% of its product range is an important milestone for InterfaceFLOR, but it is part of a much bigger global gameplan for the company.
“Our worldwide business has promised to eliminate any negative impacts on the environment by the year 2020,” Coombs said. “Every creative, manufacturing and business decision made by InterfaceFLOR is focused on this goal — and our progress has been impressive. We have reduced our global ecological footprint by 40% since 1994.”
In Australia for example, InterfaceFLOR is today launching a new employee initiative called COOL CO2MMUTE, whereby InterfaceFLOR pays to offset all carbon emissions generated by its employees travelling to and from work. The company is also offering to pay 50% of the cost associated with offsetting non-work travel of InterfaceFLOR employees and their families.
InterfaceFLOR Australia is also building a new, state-of-the-art carpet factory in Picton, NSW, to enhance production and energy efficiency.
According to Coombs, “being green” is actually lifting the company’s domestic and international profits.
“By reducing our energy usage, water consumption and waste, InterfaceFLOR has streamlined its operations, become more efficient, and reduced its costs,” Coombs said.
Since 1994, by reducing waste alone, InterfaceFLOR has saved approximately AUD$40 million.
Worldwide, the waste savings total almost AUD$400 million.
www.interfaceflor.com.au
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