The research process and example of “Interface”

Recently our team, including Anastasiya Mangul, Sergey Piskunov, Andrey Filippov and Taisiya Sikorskaya, has had a discussion concerning the sustainability indicators. Firstly, we decided to analyze and distinguish the common sustainability factors, as our way of the problem examination is deduction. During the discussion we’ve found very informative example of company performance in the problem of sustainability. We suppose it’s rather interesting approach and good example, so here it is.

“Interface” produces different kinds of carpets. However the most interesting thing for us in “Interface” is that they have stated “mission zero”: “our promise to eliminate any negative impact Interface has on the environment by 2020”.  You can read a lot about this company and its steps towards the stated aim here: http://www.interfaceglobal.com/Sustainability.aspx. We’d like to share with you the Interface’s division of sustainability concerns. It’s called “The Seven Fronts of Mount Sustainability”. They include:

1)      elimination of waste;

2)      benign emissions;

3)      renewable energy;

4)      closing the loop:  to redesign processes and products to close the technical loop using recovered and bio-based materials;

5)      resource-efficient transportation: to transport people and products efficiently to eliminate waste and emissions;

6)      sensitizing stakeholders;

7)      redesigning commerce.

These are measures taken by the company to reach their objective.

In addition to this, we’d like to present you the The Next Industrial Revolution: Model for the Prototypical Company of the 21st Century, how it’s called by Interface:

This model is very close to our understanding of sustainable company.

I’m sorry for the size of the scheme, it’s the most appropriate one for examination.