Interface innovates with first carbon-negative carpet tiles

Important step towards a climate-neutral built environment

After a lengthy process of research, innovation and further development, sustainable flooring manufacturer Interface is today launching its first collection of CO2-negative carpet tiles in Europe: Embodied Beauty™. To achieve this, the company developed a new backing that stores more CO2 than ever before. This innovation, called CQuest™ BioX, results in combination with special yarns and micro-tuft processes in a (from cradle-to-gate) CO2-negative carpet tile. This means that making the product takes more CO2 out of the atmosphere than it emits. It is an important step in Interface’s Climate Take Back mission to be a carbon-negative company by 2040. In addition, Interface is today launching a CO2-negative microtuft product, Flash Line, made with 100% recycled yarn and 86% recycled and biobased materials.

“CO2 in itself is not good or bad, we just have too much of it now in the wrong place, in the atmosphere,” explains Leenaars. “It is therefore essential for us as a society to drastically reduce our CO2 emissions, restore, protect natural ecosystems and explore how innovations can be used to store CO2. One of the four pillars on which the Climate Take Back mission is based is: ‘Love Carbon’. We have been looking at how CO2 can function as a building block for our products and how we can develop products with CO2-negative materials. This led to the new CQuest™ backings.”

CO2-negative enterprise by 2040
The development of a CO2-negative carpet tile is an important milestone in Interface’s ambitious climate mission: to contribute to reversing global warming and become a CO2-negative company by 2040. Since 2018, all of the company’s products have been carbon neutral across the product lifecycle. This is through the Carbon Neutral Floors™ Program which is verified by an independent third party. Now the sustainability pioneer is coming up with its next innovation. Read more. 

Embodied Beauty™
The first collection of C02-negative products demonstrates that designing with consideration for both climate and good design go hand in hand. Embodied Beauty™ was designed by Kari Pei, vice president of Global Product Design at Interface. Pei drew inspiration from Japanese culture, specifically the Japanese aesthetic of restoration and the beauty of changing nature. Read more.

Flash Line
In addition to three designs from the Embodied Beauty™ collection, Flash Line is part of Interface’s first portfolio of CO2-negative carpet tiles. Less yarn is needed to produce the compact microtuft carpet tile. This is due to the use of special yarns and a unique tufting process. The microtuft carpet tile is made with 100% recycled yarn and contains 86% recycled and biobased materials. Flash Line comes standard with the new CQuest™ BioX backing. Read more. 

Visit Interface’s website to learn more about its carbon-negative products and the company’s efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint and that of the built environment.