The Shift
The Old Way: Make-Take-Dispose Carpet Manufacturing
Commercial carpet manufacturing relied heavily on virgin petroleum-based materials, with worn carpets going straight to landfill.
- Traditional carpet tiles made from virgin nylon requiring petroleum
- Carpet waste represents 2% of all landfill volume
- Ghost fishing nets kill 100,000+ marine animals annually
The New Way: Ocean Plastic to Premium Flooring
Create modular carpet tiles from recycled materials including discarded fishing nets, with full take-back and recycling programs.
- Net-Works program partners with fishing communities to collect discarded nets
- Carbon negative operations since 2020
- ReEntry program recycles any brand of carpet tile
- Biomimicry design reduces installation waste
The Story
In 1994, founder Ray Anderson had an epiphany after reading Paul Hawken's Ecology of Commerce, pivoting a petroleum-dependent company toward zero environmental impact.
Interface is a global commercial flooring company, one of the largest manufacturers of modular carpet tiles.
Proof Points
Reduction in carbon footprint since 1996 baseline
Material diverted from landfill annually
Discarded fishing nets collected through Net-Works
Cumulative savings from sustainability initiatives
Deep Dive
Innovation
Interface pioneered biomimicry in flooring design, studying how forest floors create random patterns to design carpet tiles that can be installed in any direction, reducing waste by 2%.
Circular Model
Their Climate Take Back mission goes beyond zero harm to become restorative. They now sequester more carbon than they emit.
Community Impact
Net-Works has transformed fishing villages in the Philippines. Communities earn supplemental income collecting nets.
Business Results
Sustainability became a competitive advantage. Interface commands premium pricing and has grown market share while reducing costs.
Key Takeaway
Ray Anderson bet that doing the right thing would also be the profitable thing. Twenty-five years later, Interface has saved $400M and proven that you can run a petroleum-based industry on recycled materials.
Founder Pathway
Manufacturing infrastructure requires tens of millions; suitable for existing manufacturers
Manufacturing compliance, international supply chains, certification requirements