Cool Carpet Takes the "Heat" out of Global Warming
News Alert: InterfaceFLOR just made all of its North American products “Cool.”
Read the press release.
What makes it so “Cool” is that you can do something about global
warming. You and Interface can make sure that all of the carbon dioxide
emissions from your carpet purchase are neutralized.
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Interface’s customers have already bought more than 26 million square
yards of Cool Carpet globally, since 2003.
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We’ve retired more than over 417,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions, which equates to 90,308 cars taken off the road for a year, or over
48 million gallons of gas not consumed.
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We won the EPA’s Climate Protection Award in 2003 for implementing the
Cool Carpet program and other climate reduction efforts.
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Why Interface Cares
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The planet is getting warmer.
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Recent research suggests that climate change is a significant issue with
already evident consequences/impacts. Global temperatures have risen over the
last four decades, with the 1990's being the hottest decade in history and sea
levels globally have already risen.
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Third Assessment Report, 2001
http://www.ipcc.ch
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Interface is concerned about global climate change and supports the
growing scientific consensus that increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are a
major contributor to global warming. We believe the most significant human
activities contributing to these increased CO2 levels include fossil fuel
combustion and changes in land use and deforestation.
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The Cool Carpet Option is the best way to neutralize these emissions.
Measuring the Impacts
Interface uses a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model to calculate global
warming impacts from its products. The model analyzes raw material acquisition,
product manufacture and transport and how customers use the products. The CO2
impacts are also considered based on material types, energy, packaging and
disposal.
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Note that, on average, only 10% of the emissions (internal manufacturing) are
directly attributable to Interface.
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Interface’s Solution - Neutralizing the CO2 Impacts
Addressing the global warming impact of carpet goes far beyond planting trees
to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. A more enduring solution involves the
pragmatic and scientific approach Interface has taken to calculate the total
emissions from the life cycle of the carpet and secure and retire the necessary
amount of certified carbon offset credits to neutralize those
impacts.
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How Do Carbon Offset Credits Work?
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Projects that reduce or avoid the use of fossil fuels can generate carbon
offset credits that can be verified, traded, used and retired. Examples
include installing more energy efficient machinery or establishing new business
practices that result in lower emissions, (i.e., lighting retrofits, boiler
replacements, increased use of solar, wind or biomass energy).
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Interface has purchased and retired carbon offset credits from a
number of projects that reduce global warming. The carbon offset
credits used for the Cool Carpet program are secured from a variety of
sources to maintain a diversified portfolio.
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In the U.S., Canada and Asia-Pacific, some of these carbon offset
credits come from our supply chain business partners, while others come
from renewable energy projects, carbon sequestration projects and climate
neutral product manufacture in other industries.
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Renewable Energy Project
Interface purchased carbon offset credits through NativeEnergy
from family-owned dairy farms in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Farm methane
abatement projects prevent the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas,
from manure storage lagoons, by digesting the manure anaerobically, producing
even more methane, but then capturing and burning it to generate electricity
and useful thermal energy.
Interface also purchased carbon offset credits through NativeEnergy
from wind energy projects in the Midwest.
NativeEnergy is an American Indian majority-owned, national marketer of
renewable energy credits or “green tags,” offering individuals and
organizations a means to compensate for their global warming pollution, or to
effectively power their homes and businesses with renewable energy.
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Photo Courtesy of NativeEnergy
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Interface invested carbon offset credits derived from wind energy
technology at the Te Apiti Wind Farm in New Zealand. The power from the wind
farm replaces power originally generated by burning coal. The project has
received the World Wildlife Fund’s Gold Standard.
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Photo By Lance Lawson Photography
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Carbon Sequestration Projects
Interface has purchased carbon offset credits from projects through
Blue Source, LLC, where waste CO2 from oil and natural gas treatment
plants is injected into depleted crude oil reserves. The injected CO2 becomes
trapped and cannot be emitted into the atmosphere.
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Intermodal Transport
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Interface purchased carbon offset credits generated by a J.B. Hunt
Transport efficiency initiative that reduces pollution by using more efficient
means of transporting goods across North America. This major transporter of
goods via trucks in the United States has opted to go beyond the traditional
over-the-road shipping methods and is moving an increasing number of goods via
rail, a less polluting alternative. J.B. Hunt invested in new technology and
equipment to provide highway-only levels of service via an intermodal shipment
method combining short truck moves to pick up and deliver shipments while
relying on railroads to carry shipments the majority of the distance. This
innovative use of intermodal shipping methods produced carbon
offset credits that were then sold to Interface through Blue Source, LLC,
a marketer of GHG carbon offset credits.
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Climate Care is a provider of carbon offset credits for Interface’s Cool
Carpet projects in Europe. Carbon credits purchased through Climate Care are
high quality, carefully scrutinized renewable energy projects, energy
efficiency projects, reforestation projects and others that are reviewed by its
Environmental Steering Committee which includes members from WWF and Forum for
the Future.
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InterfaceFLOR Europe has also purchased carbon credits from the
conversion of a boiler to renewable fuel at Monteith House in Scotland.
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Reforestation Project
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InterfaceFLOR Europe has purchased carbon credits from Climate Care
to help fund a project to re-establish 10,000 hectares of rainforest in Kibale National Park, western Uganda. The
forest, which was destroyed in the 1970s is home to 13 species of primates,
including chimpanzees. Since the 1990s the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the
FACE Foundation have been working in the park to restore this deforested area.
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Value of Third Party Certification
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Interface recognizes the need to have all carbon offset credits that are
purchased and retired certified by an independent organization to make sure
that they are in fact reducing carbon and that the Cool Carpet projects cover
all of the carbon associated with the life cycle of the carpet sold.
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Interface has engaged SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification,
testing and certification company to be the verifier of its Cool Carpet program
for 2007.
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Want to Purchase Cool Carpet?
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Simply tell your sales or customer service representative that you want the
Cool Carpet Option on your order. The Cool Carpet Option is available on any
InterfaceFLOR™or
Bentley Prince Street®, brand product manufactured in
North America,
Europe,
Australia or Thailand
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Want to See the Impact of Your Cool Carpet Purchase?
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Click
here
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For more detailed information on this program, please contact the Sustainable
Operations Team at Interface, Inc.: 770-803-6988 or
info@interfacesustainability.com
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