Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

To our founder and Chairman Ray Anderson, the journey to a fully sustainable Interface would be like summiting “a mountain higher than Everest” – difficult, yes, but with a careful and attentive plan, not impossible. As we created a framework for our climb, we identified Seven Fronts on Mount Sustainability through which we’d ascend:

Front #1 – Eliminate Waste: Eliminate all forms of waste in every area of the business

Front #2 – Benign Emissions: Eliminate toxic substances from products, vehicles and facilities

Front #3 – Renewable Energy: Operate facilities with 100% renewable energy

Front #4 – Closing the Loop: Redesign processes and products to close the technical loop using recycled and biobased materials

Front #5 – Efficient Transportation: Transport people and products efficiently to eliminate waste and emissions

Front #6 – Sensitizing Stakeholders: Create a culture that uses sustainability principles to improve the lives and livelihoods of all of our stakeholders

Front #7 – Redesign Commerce: Create a new business model that demonstrates and supports the value of sustainability-based commerce See a video of Ray Anderson talking about the start of the Interface sustainability ... including the wake-up call that emerged from Paul Hawken's book ... The Ecology of Commerce http://www.interfaceglobal.com/Sustainability/Interface-Story.aspx