InterfaceFLOR Receives Queens Award at Celebratory Event

31 October 2008:

Halifax-based carpet tile manufacturer InterfaceFLOR was presented with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire on Friday. Dr Ingrid Roscoe bestowed the honour on the company as part of a celebratory event held at its headquarters in Shelf, which was attended by more than 350 employees, customers, partners, neighbouring businesses and their families.

The event commemorated InterfaceFLOR’s second Queen’s Award win in its recent history, with the company again recognised by Her Majesty the Queen for its pioneering efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.

Lindsey Parnell, President and CEO of InterfaceFLOR in Europe said of this latest accolade, "There are a number of business awards in the UK, but the Queen’s Award is one of, if not the most prestigious. To be honoured in this way is testament to the ongoing commitment of everyone within InterfaceFLOR to put sustainability at the core of our business.”

The company is recognised for having successfully managed to embed sustainability throughout its operations, making it central to its governance and management. It is also commended for the high benchmark it sets for its sector and beyond. Since the mid-nineties, Interface has generated over $372 million in costs avoided and has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 82%. Total energy consumption has been reduced by 45% and the company uses 100% renewable electricity in its manufacturing in Europe.

Interface was one of the first companies to publicly commit to tackling climate change. In the mid-nineties, the company’s founder Ray Anderson decided to take the company away from the traditional approach of ‘take, make, waste’ towards one that mimics nature’s recurring cycles of recycling and re-using whatever waste is made. Furthermore, he set a target for the company to totally eliminate any negative impact it may have on the environment by 2020; he called this Mission Zero. Lindsey Parnell continues, “Mission Zero plays a central role in our ethos and culture, underlining our commitment to consider the environmental impact of every creative and manufacturing decision we make. We realise that we still have some way to go before this vision becomes a reality but we are honoured that the Queen has recognised our achievements to date.”

About InterfaceFLOR
InterfaceFLOR is the modular flooring division of Interface Inc., based in Atlanta, USA. The company is a worldwide leader in the production of environmentally-responsible modular floor coverings and other textiles.

In Europe, InterfaceFLOR has manufacturing facilities in Craigavon Northern Ireland; Halifax, West Yorkshire and Scherpenzeel in Holland, plus sales offices in most major cities. Modular flooring for the home is available through Heuga Home Flooring.

Mission Zero: InterfaceFLOR is committed to becoming a fully sustainable company, leaving zero footprint by 2020.

*In 2008, global research agency ‘Globescan’ has ranked Interface number one globally for its commitment to sustainable development. Globescan surveyed more than 3000 independent sustainability experts around the world to get the results, putting Interface in top position ahead of household brands such as Toyota and BP.