Sustainable Strategies for Interface Inc.: A Case Study

1. Strategies Towards Sustainability The Case of Interface Inc.

2. Planning in Complex Systems System Level Outcome Level Strategic Level Action Level Toolbox Level

3. Interface Inc. • World’s Largest Manufacturer of Flooring Tiles • US$1.28 billion in sales • 26 facilities worldwide • 7 Faces of Mount Sustainability

4. “Spear in the Chest”

5. 7 Faces of Mount Sustainability • Eliminate Waste • Benign Emissions • Renewable Energy • Closing the Loop • Resource Efficient Transportation • Sensitivity Hookup • Redesign Commerce

6. Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Systems Map Earth’s Biosphere Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Earth’s Lithosphere Community

7. 1) Eliminating the Concept of Waste • “We define waste as any cost that does not produce value to our customers” • Not just materials and energy, but also “processes” • Reduce waste and then eliminate. • Redesign products to use less materials and to reuse materials.

8. 1 1) Eliminating the Concept of Waste Systems Map Earth’s Biosphere Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Earth’s Lithosphere Community

9. 2) Benign Emissions • Elimination of “stacks” and “discharge points”. • 83 of 272 air emissions stacks • 11 of 21 effluent discharge points • “Prevent toxic substances from entering our factories in the first place” • Eliminate dependence on materials from the earth’s crust

10. 2 2 2 2) Benign Emissions Systems Map Earth’s Biosphere Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Earth’s Lithosphere Community

11. 3) Renewable Energy • Long-term dependence on solely solar energy, i.e. substitution of fossil fuels. • Gas turbines or fuel cells as flexible platforms • First focus on energy efficiency, i.e. reducing consumption of electricity.

12. 3 3 3 3 3) Renewable Energy Systems Map Earth’s Biosphere Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Earth’s Lithosphere Community

13. 4) Closing the Loop • Close Loop Recycling - “Cradle to Cradle” • Natural, Organic Cycle - “natural raw materials and compostable products” • Technical Cycle - “Giving man-made materials and organic molecules life after life”

14. Natural Cycle Compostable products 4 4 4 4 Sustainability Link Technical Cycle 4) Closing the Loop Systems Map Earth’s Biosphere Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Earth’s Lithosphere Community

15. 5) Resource Efficient Transportation • Avoid transportation, for example through video conferencing • Reduce transportation, for example through manufacturing closer to markets and better logistics • Switch to more efficient modes of transportation • Least within the control of the organization

16. 5 5 5 5) Resource Efficient Transportation Systems Map Natural Cycle Earth’s Biosphere Compostable products Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Sustainability Link Earth’s Lithosphere Community Technical Cycle

17. 6) Sensitivity Hookup • “Closer relations: • amongst ourselves to get all of us in alignment • with suppliers and customers to get all of us in alignment” • “Service to the community through involvement and investment” • “Increases the awareness of thousands and thousands of little things each of us can do to inch towards sustainability.”

18. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Investment 6 Sensitivity/Involvement 6) Sensitivity Hookup Systems Map Natural Cycle Earth’s Biosphere Compostable products Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Laws Dividends $ Investments $ Taxes $ Sustainability Link Earth’s Lithosphere Community Technical Cycle

19. 7) Redesign Commerce • Shifting from selling products to Selling Services • Prices reflect full costs • Tax Shifting…from income and capital to pollution, waste, emissions, etc.

20. 7 7 7 7 7 7 Laws 7 Taxes $ 7) Redesign of Commerce Systems Map Natural Cycle Earth’s Biosphere Compostable products Waste to Landfill or incinerator Natural Materials Emissions Waste $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Service Organic Inorganic Wages $ Employees Dividends $ Investments $ Investment Sustainability Link Earth’s Lithosphere Sensitivity/Involvement Community Technical Cycle

21. Sustainable Enterprise Systems Map Natural Cycle Earth’s Biosphere Compostable products $ $ Processes Suppliers Customers VALUES People Capital Products Raw Materials Service Wages $ Laws Employees Dividends $ Taxes $ Investments $ Investment Sustainability Link Earth’s Lithosphere Sensitivity/Involvement Community Technical Cycle

22. Thoughts?