Innovation Network meeting

May 2004 saw a landmark change in the way InterfaceFLOR approached innovation with the first ever meeting of what became the Innovations Network. By bringing together an eclectic group of environmentalists we formed a formidable network capable of generating and critically evaluating innovative concepts and ideas, and in doing so we created our Innovations Pipeline.

Social sustainability in product innovation

While we have a recognised track record in addressing the environmental impact of our operations, we were interested in exploring the social impact of product design. It was the start of a long journey.

Inspiration

Our team was intrigued by a documentary series called ‘MicroMacro’ - produced by the UK charity, Television for the Environment, and its partners in Latin America and the Caribbean - which presented stories of people in the region who were making a better living while protecting the environment.

Our Innovation team then discovered the Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) business model, established by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). This business-focused model demonstrates that it is possible to combine high economic returns with high social benefit.

EXDL

We began working on the concept with Niels Peter Flint, a member of our Innovations Network and founder of Experience Design Lab (EXDL). Niels Peter has spent over 20 years developing sustainable design concepts worldwide.

India trip 1

Miriam Turner worked with Niels Peter Flint on a sustainable design workshop at NID (National Institute of Design) in Ahemdabad, India. We used this time to seek out people and organisations that might be able to help us develop the project in India.