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Where Am I? Sustainability > Sustainability in Action > Energy

Energy

  • Addressing energy — reducing our reliance on non-renewable fuel sources and non-green electricity, and moving toward greater efficiency overall — is a significant part of our Mission Zero™ journey.

    We have a clear goal for renewable energy: Interface will ensure that 100 percent of the fuel and electricity required to operate our manufacturing, sales and office facilities will be from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this goal, we have taken an aggressive approach. We are testing technologies through renewable energy pilot projects, installing renewable energy systems at manufacturing locations, and committing to renewable energy purchasing targets.

    Our progress toward our goal is noteworthy: seven of our manufacturing facilities operate with 100 percent renewable electricity and more than 27 percent of Interface’s global energy consumption is derived from renewable sources.

    Challenges lie between us and our goal but each of our global facilities continues to make progress. Read on to learn more about how Interface facilities worldwide are rising to the energy challenge.

  • Energy Efficiency Strategies

    Project Highlight: Energy Mirror Project
    Scherpenzeel, Netherlands

    Employees at InterfaceFLOR Europe’s Scherpenzeel facility are serious about energy usage. Under the leadership of the plant’s environmental manager, employees installed an energy monitoring system called the Energy Mirror. The Energy Mirror tracks and displays real-time energy consumption 24 hours a day. Not only can facility managers and employees keep pace of efforts to consume less, but the real-time reporting feature allows associates to identify further areas for improvement and energy efficiency, such as ventilation during unoccupied periods and “stand-by,” or lower power use, options for office equipment.

  • Renewable Energy Strategies

    Project Highlight: Bentley Prince Street Solar Array
    City of Industry, California

    In 1999, Bentley Prince Street installed a 128 kW photovoltaic array at their California manufacturing facility. Originally one of the largest photo arrays in the state, and built using state incentives for renewable energy generation, this array converts sunlight into energy to power the company’s operations. The electricity generated provides a portion of the facility’s 100 percent renewable electricity.

  • Renewable Energy Strategies

    Project Highlight: InterfaceFLOR Landfill Gas Project
    LaGrange, Georgia

    InterfaceFLOR partnered with a local community, LaGrange, Georgia in 2003 on an innovative renewable energy project to convert naturally occurring methane gas from a landfill into a renewable fuel source for the company’s manufacturing plant in LaGrange.

    Landfill gas is generated when organic materials in a landfill decompose. When this methane escapes into the atmosphere, it contributes to global warming, creates odors and contributes to smog formation. Under this unique project, landfill gas is collected through a system installed at the landfill and piped to InterfaceFLOR’s carpet manufacturing plant. Once there, it replaces natural gas as a fuel in the manufacturing process.

    By using landfill gas, InterfaceFLOR not only captures the emissions that would have escaped into the atmosphere at the landfill, but also avoids the greenhouse gas emissions from the natural gas we would otherwise be using. Not to mention, we are saving money on fuel costs at the same time.

    As a result of this project, InterfaceFLOR won the 2005 “Energy Partner of the Year” award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP).

  • Green Power Purchasing Strategies

    Interface makes every effort to purchase green power directly from the electricity grid where it is available. While renewable energy is available from utility suppliers at several Interface locations, it is unfortunately not uniformly offered. In these cases, Interface purchases renewable energy credits to support wind and biomass projects across the world, fostering further development of the green power market.

    Interface is a member of the World Resources Institute’s Green Power Market Development Group (GPMDG) in both the U.S. and United Kingdom. GPMDG is a unique partnership among companies dedicated to building corporate markets for green power. As a collaboration of large energy users, the GPMDG is transforming energy markets to enable corporate buyers to diversify their energy portfolios with green power and reduce their impact on climate change by pursuing three types of green power opportunities: green electricity, green thermal energy, and “clean” energy technologies.

    At the Interface business unit level, Bentley Prince Street and Interface FLOR are members of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership, a voluntary partnership aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy among corporations. Partner companies are required to make minimum purchases of green power for their businesses annually. Both Bentley Prince Street and InterfaceFLOR have been included in the Green Power Leadership Club, which honors those companies that have gone above and beyond the purchasing requirements.

  • Interface and Renewable Energy

    Interface seeks to ensure that by 2020, all fuels and electricity to operate our manufacturing, sales and office facilities will be from renewable sources: solar, wind, landfill gas, biomass, geothermal, tidal, low impact/small scale hydro or non-petroleum based hydrogen.

    + Seven facilities operate with 100% renewable electricity
    + Renewable energy purchasing initiatives are in place at two more locations
    + 13% of Interface’s global energy consumption comes from renewable sources

    Wind ResourcesBiomass/Biodigester Gas ResourcesSolar Resources

    Bentley Prince Street - City of Industry, CA
    100% renewable electricity

    + Green-e certified renewable energy credits (RECs) from wind and biomass resources
    + On-site solar energy generation - 128 kW photovoltaic array
    Wind ResourcesBiomass/Biodigester Gas ResourcesSolar Resources

    InterfaceFLOR - LaGrange, GA
    100% renewable electricity

    + Green-e certified RECs from wind and biomass resources
    + On-site solar energy generation – 17kW photovoltaic array
    Wind ResourcesBiomass/Biodigester Gas Resources

    InterfaceFLOR - West Point, GA
    100% renewable electricity

    + Green-e certified RECs from wind and biomass resources
    Wind Resources

    InterfaceFLOR - Belleville, Ontario, Canada
    100% renewable electricity

    + Certified RECs from wind resources
    Wind ResourcesBiomass/Biodigester Gas Resources

    InterfaceFLOR Europe – Shelf Mills - West Yorkshire, UK
    100% renewable electricity

    + Certified green energy derived from wind and biodigester gas resources purchased through the local grid.
    Wind Resources

    InterfaceFLOR Europe - Craigavon, Northern Ireland
    100% renewable electricity

    + Certified green energy derived from wind resources purchased through the local grid.
    Wind ResourcesSolar Resources

    InterfaceFLOR Europe - Scherpenzeel, The Netherlands
    100% renewable electricity

    + Certified green energy derived from wind resources purchased from the local grid.
    + On-site solar energy generation – 5kW photovoltaic array
    Wind Resources Wind Resources
    Biomass/Biodigester Gas Resources Biomass/Biodigester Gas Resources
    Solar Resources Solar Resources