It’s a burning question. How can we be smarter than oil? At Interface we believe collaboration is the key to creating a smarter supply chain, and as a result, a more sustainable product. Our Life Cycle Assessment research has taught us that the majority of our products’ environmental impacts occur before the raw materials even reach our manufacturing plant. This means that in order to achieve our outrageous goal of zero impact, we must focus on engaging with our suppliers to find more sustainable solutions.

Collaboration is smarter than edicts

Like many other business models, InterfaceFLOR’s supply chain features a few key raw material suppliers. The greening of these products and systems is integral to the success of our sustainability goals, so we consciously seek out suppliers who share our environmental commitment and entrepreneurial spirit and together we create innovative solutions. Rather than issuing universal green procurement policies to our partners, Interface has found it more effective to sit face-to-face with suppliers and discuss how they can help us achieve our sustainability goals. As our suppliers embrace sustainability, they are seeing benefits such as saving money and developing new innovative products. Collaboration has led to greater progress than edicts.

Together is smarter than alone

Over the past few years, InterfaceFLOR has worked together with Celanese Emulsion Polymers to take a more sustainable approach to the creation of compounds required for our backing products. This partnership required a conscious effort on both parts to seek ways to work together to create innovative solutions. “Communication has been the key to our collaborative efforts. We set regular meetings between our cross-functional commercial and technical team with the team at InterfaceFLOR.” says John Sniatecki, Celanese’s account manager responsible for much of the work with InterfaceFLOR. In addition to communication, Sniatecki stresses the importance of aligning the overall goals of the group and setting clear priorities. Both parties must be committed to working together to create innovative solutions, such as increased recycled content, which reduces our shared reliance on oil.

Collaborating with our supply chain, beyond product and price, produces benefits well beyond efficiency and reduction. Together, we’re making great strides in not only reducing the negative impact our production has on the earth, but changing the way our partners, their partners and beyond do business. To move up ‘Mount Sustainability’ we must work together.

Learn how InterfaceFLOR and others are working together to reduce our dependence on oil:
InterfaceFLOR
Celanese Emulsion Polymers