If you’ve been following us on instagram and Linkedin you’ve probably seen or heard about Interface’s newest collection Look Both Ways, if you haven't, where have you been?
It’s the first time they’ve ever integrated two materials into one collection and took inspiration from concrete and colour. Look Both Ways mixes pattern and texture for unique flooring designs without the footprint. Like all Interface products, globally, they are carbon neutral, so you can create Positive Spaces and make an impact in more ways than one.
We were kindly invited to the launch of Look Both Ways where they had lunch and learn session with Innovation Partner, Jon Khoo. The free lunch already sold me but I was excited to hear about what Jon Khoo had to say about sustainability and what Interface are up to.
Jon Khoo was raising questions I'm sure the majority of companies are asking themselves (well, I hope) how do we design a better future when it comes to sustainability? How with our product, can we make a difference?
Time’s running out for us to make change before the point of no return. We need to go from talk, to walking. In fact, we need to start running. In terms of us as a manufacturer, what we make and also in terms of designs and how we’re going to take on this challenge.”
Do you know which companies are leading when it comes to sustainability? Because I didn’t. Interface sits right next to furniture giant ikea at number 4. Back in the nineties, Interface announced it would eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020 and they’ve done just that.
What’s their mission?
Their mission is climate take back. It reverses the effects of global warming and every manufacturer should be doing the same.
Interface are rethinking carpet. For the last 200 years, we’ve had an addiction to using a lot of fossil fuels, and buying and consuming a lot of resources, without thinking about how to use recycled materials or do things in a low carbon way.
We cannot deny climate change, we felt it here in the UK. We had the hottest summer on record. Our oceans are becoming more acidic and bleaching the coral. The evidence of this is all around us. What do we do about it? We stop bringing more carbon into the atmosphere. For us it’s about embracing more renewable energy, dematerialising our products and making it lighter.”
Carbon Negative
Jon Khoo mentioned the Carbon Negative concept in his talk. If you’re unaware of what it is ( like me until yesterday) I'll tell you what it is. Carbon Negativity is the reduction of a carbon footprint to less than neutral. So it has the effect of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than adding it.
Interface have created a concept tile, which was inspired by nature. They used caster beans for the yarn, when you press castor beans into an oil and created the yarn from that because castor beans are very good for locking in carbon. For the backing, they used trees as they’re also good for locking in Carbon.
An average carpet tile will realise 7 kilos of Co2 emissions. Interface managed to create a carpet tile that 2 kilos of co2 were stopped from entering the atmosphere. And they want to launch a carbon negative product in the next 18 months. How exciting?!
It’s nice to hear for once that a company are actually taking action towards climate change, rather than just talking about it. I agree that talking about climate change is very important but the majority of us are now aware that our world is rapidly heating up, we now need to take action and fast before we all melt like a 99ner on a hot summer’s day.
So what are DCTUK doing to make a sustainable difference?
Well, we’ll be announcing something very soon so watch this space;)
