Project Proposal – Interface Floor Walmart Vs. Four Square

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- Interface Story

2.3.1 Inspiration of Mission Zero

In the summer of 1994, one customer questioned Interface that what should company do to protect the environment. The company could not answer because there was no environment vision. This has also pushed company CEO, Ray Ander to sweat and think. After reading the book of The Ecology Commerce by Paul Hawken accidently, Ray Ander was deeply inspired by the message of species extinction from birth to death (DeSmogBlog, 2007). It not only has awakened his awareness that manufacturing and business are major culprits in causing the ecosphere recession, but also helped him understand the need of running a sustainable business. Therefore, he led Interface to adopt a new sustainable vision – Mission Zero with company commitment of no negative impact on the environment by 2020 (Sundance TV, 2007).

2.3.2 Mission Zero Official Introduction

During NeoCon 2006, a world’s leading conference of architecture, interior design and facilities in Chicago. “Mission Zero” was officially announced and introduced at the opening day (Reva Revis, 2006).

2.3.3 Mission Zero Development

- 7 Fronts

“Mount Sustainability” is perceived with Interface staffs as a metaphor for the challenge of achieving Mission Zero is like to climb the mountain even higher than Mt. Everest. In an effort to evaluate and measure the performance of “Mount Sustainability”, Interface has identified seven key areas where company needs to focus and progress toward Mission Zero. It also known as seven fronts with mutual connections (Freek P. & Berend A, n.d.):

- Front 1: Eliminate Waste

- Front 2: Benign Emissions

- Front 3: Renewable Energy

- Front 4: Close The Loop

- Front 5: Resource Efficient Transportation

- Front 6: Sensitize Stakeholders

- Front 7 – Redesign Commerce

- 4 Sustainability Principles

As a guideline, Four Sustainability Principles direct Interface’s operation and decision making towards to the impacts of manufacturing process on environment (Freek P. & Berend A, n.d.):

- No undermining on capacity to meet people needs.

- Concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust.

- Concentrations of substances produced by society.

- Degradation on physical means.

2.3.4 Mission Zero Extension

After identifying 7 key sustainable areas and 4 principles towards the vision of Mission Zero, Interface launched ReEntry™ program in 1995 with a focus on waste managing by using cycled materials during production process. Meanwhile, Anderson applied The Natural Step’s framework of Strategic Sustainable Development to the process of company strategy planning and employee training. Additionally, he combined three essential FSSD elements with foundation work done with The Natural Step. In 2000, Interface implemented Life Cycle Assessment as a tool to detect what are the important environment impacts and opportunities. Ultimately, Interface packaged all these elements to extendedly support its bold goal of Mission Zero (Freek P. & Berend A, n.d.).

- Interface Achievement with Mission Zero

2.4.1 Productivity

Mission Zero with 7 focused areas, firstly Interface has engaged employees with waste elimination methods. As a result, 50 % of raw materials are either recycled or bio based, 84% of energy used at manufacturing site is from renewed resources, 60% of energy saved from intelligent conveyor belts, which helped Interface to increase the efficiency of manufacturing process significantly from 4% to 49% (Interface, 2015).

2.4.2 Business Development

Product

In 2012, the partnership with Boeing has allowed Interface to participate the retreat of Biomimicry in order to develop a special lightweight carpet tiles for Boeing offices and planes. By integrating the environment concept of biomimicry with the carpet requirement from Boeing, this has helped Interface in the development of new product with environmentally friendly features.

Service

Exception new product development, Interface also shifted its industries based on services. Such as EverGreen™, a leasing concept that Interface provide services only when needed. It is conductive to proper disposal and reduction in both environmental impacts and costs for customers (Freek P. & Berend A, n.d.)

2.4.3 Financial Growth

Externally, through the public-private partnership, Interface has generated $300,000 revenue annually for LaGrange in Georgia by building a biogas plant to convert methane into a source of fuel for two of the boilers. Internally, the US government has subsided Interface on solar array installation, which helped to develop Solar-Made carpet. And the product has increased company sales due to the reduced payback time of the Photovoltaic panels.

2.4.4 Save Cost

Complying with emission standards set by EU’s Kyoto agreement and programs of Trees for Travel™ and Cool CO2mmut™, Interface saves around 300 thousand euro yearly by grouping deliveries and reducing empty trucks during distribution. The cooperation with suppliers, it enhanced the partnerships and cost saving in a long run. Moreover, though the company’s correction, the positive result of Mission Zero enabled Interface to reduce total waste by 40% with value of $67 million cost saved (Freek P. & Berend A, n.d.).

2.4.5 Environment Impact

Interface has embraced biomimicry with adhesive glues used in carpet installation, which enabled the process of carpets installation without using toxic glues. Also, both Graphlex™ and “Biosfera™” are adopted to the production process by reducing 50% of used yarn. Two solutions to the nylon yarn production has mitigated the company’s largest environment impacts.