Closing the loop on waste

Over the next couple of months, I've have the pleasure of working with the folks from InterfaceFLOR on two events that aspire to recalibrate innovation, creativity and conviction for action with insights from nature and biomimicry. 

On June 8, Net Impact are hosting a workshop on 'Tomorrow's Natural Business', that I'm speaking at with Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director at Interface,  Atos Origin's Global Director of Sustainability Solutions, Giles Hutchins and BCI team member Louise Carver. Further details from Net Impact.

A month later, on July 5th, Tomorrow's Company are hosting a senior level workshop on Tomorrow's Natural Business, with BCI's Denise DeLuca, key players from Interface, co-chaired by Atos' Giles Hutchins and Tomorrow's Company's Tony Manwaring. If you're interested in taking part in this event, contact me.

Climbing mount sustainability

InterfaceFLOR are one of the world's best examples of companies on a mission to make sustainability happen. This is how they plan to do it:

The Seven Fronts

In leading Interface Inc. forward Ray Anderson (Chairman and CEO) has often likened achieving sustainability to climbing a mountain higher than Mt. Everest. With this in mind, we have laid out a path designed to achieve sustainability on seven ambitious fronts.

1. Eliminate Waste: Eliminating all forms of waste in every area of business;


2. Benign Emissions: Eliminating toxic substances from products, vehicles and facilities;


3. Renewable Electricity: Operating facilities with renewable electricity sources – solar, wind, landfill gas, biomass, geothermal, tidal and low impact/small scale hydroelectric or non-petroleum-based hydrogen;


4. Closing the Loop: Redesigning processes and products to close the technical loop using recovered and bio-based materials;


5. Resource-Efficient Transportation: Transporting people and products efficiently to reduce waste and emissions;


6. Sensitizing Stakeholders: Creating a culture that integrates sustainability principles and improves people’s lives and livelihoods;


7. Redesign Commerce: Creating a new business model that demonstrates and supports the value of sustainability-based commerce;

Here's Do for you:

Compare the work that you're doing to the seven processes that Interface and then pick one to improve in the next two months that can make the biggest difference. How about starting from number 1.