EVALUATING ORGANIZATIONS

BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) is a software program developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for selecting cost-effective, environmentally preferable building products. It measures the environmental performance of building products by using the life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach specified in ISO 14000 standards. All stages in the life of a product are analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and recycling and waste management. BEES is one of the few LCA-based, product specific comparison tools available.

www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees.html

InterfaceFLOR Commercial has two modular products listed in the BEES database. Bentley Prince Street has two broadloom products listed.

The Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI) contains shares of companies that have met the Ethibel sustainability criteria for good sustainable management (social, environmental and economic). Ethibel is an organization that relies on a long-standing experience in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility and Socially Responsible Investing. The Ethibel Label is the only European quality label that assures customers of the ethical value of funds.

www.ethibel.org

Interface, Inc. is listed in the Ethibel Sustainability Index.

Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that identifies and promotes products and services that decrease toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion. Green Seal offers product recommendations based on data provided by manufacturers, and a fee-based certification of specific products. Their objective is to provide unbiased information to direct the purchaser of environmentally responsible products and services.

www.greenseal.org

InterfaceFLOR Commercial’s products were listed in the Choose Green Report for carpet as a recommended carpet brand based on recycled content, recyclability, the Evergreen Service Agreement option and the fact that all IFC products meet or exceed the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Indoor Air Quality Guidelines. All products manufactured by InterfaceFLOR Commercial also meet the requirements of the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus Test Protocol.

www.greenseal.org/resources/reports/CGR_carpet.pdf

The International Design Center for the Environment (IDCE) is a nonprofit organization based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Its mission is to integrate life cycle environmental stewardship, economic performance and social equity into the design, construction and furnishing of buildings in corporations, on campuses and in communities. Its dual mission is to:
  1. Advance a sustainable world through enrolling a broad number of stakeholder groups in the design, development and selection of sustainable products
  2. To support sustainable community development through collaborating with other entities to provide education, technology and training on best practices in sustainable business, building and buying
The eLCie™ program is a comprehensive package of tools to support environmentally preferable purchasing through integration of life-cycle information through the entire value chain of the built environment. A beta version of eLCie was introduced at Greenbuild 2005 in Atlanta.

www.eLCie.org
www.IDCE.org

Bentley Prince Street and InterfaceFLOR Commercial both participated in a pilot program for eLCie and submitted their eLCie indices, meeting IDCE’s benchmark for firms that use sustainable business practices company-wide.
See the press release
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