Interface FLOR certifications Melissa Vernon Director of Sustainable

Interface. FLOR & certifications Melissa Vernon Director of Sustainable Strategy © 2008 Interface, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information in the following presentation represents the unique and proprietary intellectual property of Interface, Inc. The reproduction, display, or redistribution of this presentation without the express prior written consent of Interface, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

"© 2008 Interface, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information in the following presentation represents the unique and proprietary intellectual property of Interface, Inc. The reproduction, display, or redistribution of this presentation without the express prior written consent of Interface, Inc. is strictly prohibited. "

Perspective from a Product Manufacturer § Carpet is one of the most progressive building products on sustainability. § Many available certifications are solely focused on a single attribute, e. g. VOCs. § A 3 rd party certification is only as good as the standard. § Interface. FLOR views environmental impacts from a full life cycle perspective. § An ANSI approved, sustainable carpet standard has been developed with 3 rd party certification. § Certification can be expensive ($).

You look for products with recycled content, but…

A Green product is more than the product itself § Would you choose a ‘green’ product made in a brown, polluting factory? OR… § Choose a ‘green’ product § Manufactured in a ‘green’ factory § Owned by a ‘green’ company § With 3 rd party validation of claims

What certifications are available? Who does the certification? – Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus Low VOC – indoor air quality, 2 nd party – Recycled Content 1 st or 3 rd party – ISO 14001, 9001 Manufacturing: environmental, quality 3 rd party – Climate neutral 3 rd party – US EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines No category for nylon carpet

These are single attribute claims: Need: § Whole product § Multi-attribute § Includes impacts across the entire life cycle § 3 rd party certification/verification âThe certifier is only as good as the certification What is more meaningful? An “easy A” or “bust your tail B”?

Environmental Impacts occur throughout the entire Life Cycle of a Product Recycling End of Life/ Use Raw material extraction Manufacturing Transportation Product Use & Maintenance Landfill

Interface. FLOR’s Approach to a “Greener” Product Closing the loop on raw materials Easy to dismantle and recycle No virgin oil End of Life/ Use Raw material extraction Zero waste 100% renewable energy Efficient Transportation Ease of use Non-toxic Long lasting, durable, Maintenance product Landfi ll Landfill No waste

Why consider the Full Life Cycle? Global Warming Impact for Interface. FLOR Carpet 32 pounds of GHGs for 9 pounds of carpet Greenhouse gas emissions Recycling 71% 10% Raw material extraction Manufacturing Transportation 3% 9% Product Use & Maintenance End of Life/ Use 7% Landfill

Addressing Global Warming Cool Carpet™ - Climate Neutral carpet ~2000 – no consensus standards for ‘climate neutral’ NGO: Climate Neutral Network, serves as convener/verifier 2007 – CNN dissolves SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, selected to be verifier 2008 – Developing int’l standards for climate/carbon neutral Emissions Credits

Real verification: § “It is SGS’s responsibility to express an independent verification opinion on the Cool Carpet™ Program for the period July 2007 to December 2007. ” Including: § Modeling and off-setting of lifecycle GHG emissions § The soundness and validity of the LCA methodology applied by Interface § the GHG offsets purchased were verified by another third party.

COOL CARPET™ climate neutral carpet

COOL CARPET™ climate neutral carpet Interface mandates robust project criteria: New projects Financial additionality Fossil-fuel related, no trees Social benefit 3 rd party verifier, SGS FTC launching review of carbon offsets and RECs due to greenwash in the marketplace

Evolution of Sustainable Carpet Certification § 2003: Environmental Preferable Product standard and certification developed for carpet § 2003 to 2006: NSF, standards developer, engaged. Establishing consistent requirements for sustainable carpet products § NSF 140: Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard –SCS Sustainable Choice –Multiple levels of certification: silver, gold, platinum –California specific version, adds confusion § 2007: American National Standard, ANSI approved. Open to any 3 rd party certifier

Today, there is a 3 rd Party, Multi-attribute, Consensus-based Standard for Carpet: Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard Highest consensus standard on sustainable carpet Comprehensive measurement 1. Reducing pollutants and energy use 2. Renewable energy 3. Recycled content, bio-based materials 4. Corporate wide environmental, social responsibility commitment 5. Product performance, durability, reuse, reclamation

The Best Green Building Product Certification: SCAS = Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard The carpet industry is the first to produce an ANSI-approved, multi-attribute certification for environmentally preferable building materials. NSF 140 evaluates products in the areas of public and environmental health, recycled and biobased content, manufacturing process, and end-of-life management.

Costs: Certifications are not cheap § CRI Green Label Plus - low VOC test: $4, 400/product line /year § Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard: > $15, 000 annual renewal cost ~ $10, 000 § Life Cycle Assessment: $5, 000 - $25, 000 depending on the scope Certifications can be cost prohibitive for small manufacturers

Without a 3 rd Party Certification, How Do You Know if a Product and a Company are ‘Green’? Questions to Ask: § Does your company’s vision/mission statement include a sustainability commitment and does the commitment apply to all business units? § Is sustainability discussed in your company’s annual report? Is it a footnote or a key business strategy? § Has your company joined any partnerships with NGOs or governmental agencies to help reduce its footprint? § Does your company have any LEED certified buildings? § What is being done across the full life cycle of the product: raw materials, manufacturing, design, use, endof-life reclamation, transportation?

= No PRODUCT CARPET GENERAL BUILDING GREEN RATE IT GREEN LCA BEES PHAROS = Yes = n/a MULTI-ATTR. STANDARD SCS EPP CA GOLD Build your own matrix: Relying on rating tools, certifications Challenge: Time intensive, Easy to misinterpret information = Partly SINGLE ATTR. CRI GLP

= No PRODUCT CARPET GENERAL BUILDING GREEN RATE IT GREEN LCA BEES PHAROS = Yes = n/a MULTI-ATTR. STANDARD SCS EPP CA GOLD Constantine Precision Loc Interface Entropy Interface Super. Flor Shaw Tile Pulse Bentley Prince St. UPC Platinum backing Gold backing = Partly SINGLE ATTR. CRI GLP

CORRECTED PRODUCT CARPET = No GENERAL BUILDING GREEN RATE IT GREEN LCA BEES PHAROS = Yes = n/a MULTI-ATTR. STANDARD SCS EPP CA GOLD Platinum Gold Constantine Precision Loc Interface Entropy Interface Super. Flor Shaw Tile Pulse Bentley Prince St. UPC backing Gold = Partly SINGLE ATTR. CRI GLP

Questions to ask about Environmental Claims: § Who is declaring it? § Who is verifying/certifying it? § Is it a single attribute claim? § or a Multi-attribute claim? § How was the standard developed? § Is the standard publicly available? § Is it transparent and certification requirements clear? § Is testing/certification open to multiple lab/certifiers? § Greenwash is rampant. Be skeptical.

Summary of Interface. FLOR certifications § Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard –SCS is 3 rd party certifier –Platinum –Gold § Climate neutral – 3 rd party SGS verifies § CRI Green Label Plus – low VOC § ISO 14001, 9001 – 3 rd party UL audits § Life Cycle Assessment –Developing 3 rd party verification

THANK YOU Melissa Vernon Director of Sustainable Strategy melissa. vernon@interfaceflor. com (404) 518 -3873 www. interfaceflor. com