Dezeen promotion: flooring company Interface's range of carpet and vinyl tiles is designed to help customers minimise their carbon footprint.
The Atlanta-based brand is aiming to help tackle climate change by achieving carbon neutrality across its product line, while keeping design quality as high as possible.
"Interface is designing with the climate in mind," said a statement from the company. "We are the first global flooring manufacturer to declare that all of our products – including all carpet tile and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) – are carbon neutral across the entire product lifecycle."
The company has been working for over 20 years to improve its environmental credentials across the board and lower its carbon footprint.
A part of this involves investing in carbon credits – paying other companies or initiatives to fund carbon-reducing projects. These can range from planting trees to constructing biogas plants.
At no extra cost to the customer, Interface has been able to offset the carbon used for its entire production process and product lifecycle beyond manufacture – based on its calculations.
The hope is for this new Carbon Neutral Floors programme to encourage customers to take action and help them towards lowering their own carbon footprint, or that of their project or company.
This approach forms part of the company's wider Climate Take Back sustainability goal, which calls on business to join Interface on its mission to reverse global warming.
"In 2018, we estimate that we will purchase more than 400,000 metric tons of carbon offsets, equivalent to the carbon sequestered annually by nearly half a million acres of forest," said the company. "That's two-thirds of Yosemite National Park in California or two times the size of New York City."
While taking a hard line against climate change, Interface has also focussed on maintaining and improving the standards of the look and functionality of its products.
The brand's range is envisioned so designers can easily incorporate the flooring into their projects, and at the same time feel ethically sound about their choice.
Interface was founded in 1973, and is now the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications, according to the company. Additionally, Interface sells
LVT and recently acquired rubber flooring giant Nora.
To find out more about the Carbon Neutral Floors programme and Climate Take Back mission, visit the Interface website.