Clinging on upside down like geckos, copying nature’s patterns – Interface Inc has broken ground internationally with its biomimicry designs in carpet tiles, and has become widely recognised for proving green initiatives have commercial value.
Here in New Zealand, its local arm has followed suit, with its carpet tiles certified as ‘climate neutral’ since last year and sales soaring.

But following is not enough for InterfaceNZ’s Managing Director, Robb Donzé. He’s made it his mission to have his company become a sustainable business leader in its own right, and believes all his staff have an important role to play. Here we ask Robb for the living proof that biomimicry and sustainable design are alive and working successfully here in New Zealand. We also pick Robb’s brains on the best advice for other companies interested in the field.

Interface Inc’s founder and worldwide chairman Ray Anderson featured at this year’s CEO Summit and talked about the company’s bold “Mission Zero” policy for 2020 (a policy aiming for 0% company emissions by 2020). How influential is Ray on the day to day workings here in NZ?

He is influential, every time he comes here he goes and meets the staff and talks to them. It’s important they get that contact because we’re often the only company we know doing these things, so it’s nice to have them see that they are part of a bigger picture. And of course, as an independent distributor we have to live up to Interface’s expectations in terms of the Mission Zero policy in order to keep our agreement, and we must be living up to them because it does get renewed.

But as well as following the company internationally, we also want to be a leader in sustainable design in New Zealand, so we have launched some initiatives of our own. For example, we’ve looked at how we were sampling products – these typically go on a card and are used once – it’s a waste of a card and of the product. So now we use chips that go in a box and get used again and again. We also moved into new offices designed by Jasmax, and really challenged them on the interior. It had to pay back in 25 years and have important features for ventilation and air quality. We also use hybrid cars and run competitions between our staff on who can drive the most efficiently. I’ve even structured our pay bonuses, from the people in the warehouse up to me, so that our targets include improving the recycled content in our work.

Internationally, Interface has also redesigned more than 82 of its products using biomimicry techniques (emulating nature’s processes as a design guide). Can you talk about a couple of examples that are available on the New Zealand market?

I2 is a new product that was launched five or six years ago that stands out to me. It looks to nature – noting that the strength in nature is its diversity. If you take a pile of leaves, and throw it up in the air and watch it land again, it still looks like a pile of leaves. Interface’s designers looked at this, and came up with the idea of making every i2 tile random – every tile is different. It means you don’t have to worry about matching dye batches, or finding and fitting certain tiles into a pattern or position. So companies such as banks or insurance companies with large floor spaces don’t have to worry about dye batches differing, or tile waste.

Another one is our new Tac-tiles product. It has solved the problem of gluing tiles to the floor. We no longer have to do that – instead we’ve got pieces of specialised tape that use a polyester propriety adhesive to fix the tiles together in the corners. Gravity then holds them to the floor. They’re based on the gecko, which can cling on upside down with his sticky feet and then move on, leaving nothing behind. When we removed the glue, the carbon footprint of the product reduced by 95%. We actually used these at the Hilton, at Better by Design’s CEO Summit this year – and the Hilton was really pleased because nothing was left behind on the floor.

You strongly believe in including all your staff in learning about sustainability – not just your designers or managers. Why?

Because you’ve got to have everyone on board if you want to succeed. It’s something we more or less tell people when they start here – these are the company principles, we need you on board, we’ll support you in it. In fact, we don’t need to tell anyone anymore - these people are seeking us out! I’m very proud of the fact that our staff are all involved and that we have great programmes here across the company. Last year for example, our logistics guys put out a tender for our shipping stuff – one of the team put in a KPI that the supplier needed to keep track of the carbon footprint. And he put that in, not me. Now we use Owens, a division of Mainfreight, and they keep track of the stuff for us.

But it’s also really important to lead by example if you want others to follow. It’s not fair to have your staff drive one type of car, and then have managers are driving around in SUVs – you must lead by example. Staff won’t buy–in unless they see that management are on board and are living it. For example, I think it’s important that my team see that I haven’t travelled somewhere because I couldn’t see the benefits of the footprint, and see that I’m driving a hybrid car too.

Does sustainability really lead to increased efficiencies and profits?

Yes. Our business has been growing phenomenally, 30% in one year alone. But I would add that sometimes it’s also not just about what management can see change in the bottom line quickly – it’s your staff being more motivated, your customers being more loyal. It’s an intangible that you can’t put your finger on. Our business growth is basically due to our customers, who by our actions are becoming more and more trusting that we are doing the right things, and so they keep coming back to us.

Is there a point where sustainability is ‘achieved’ – ie as in Mission Zero - or will it be a continuing process of innovation and improvement?

No, I can’t ever see that final point happening. It is a continuing process. Ray talks about “Mission Zero” being by 2020, but we also know that in itself that isn’t good enough. We have to become restorative too. In 10-12 years from now, we might have a negative impact – but we’ll need to look at how we can fix what’s already been broken. Mission Zero was never a destination – once we achieve a 0% footprint it’s all going to move along to how we are going to improve the quality of life, for ever.

What advice do you have for companies wanting to start in this area?

Number one – just get started. The little things add up.

Number two – measure, measure, measure. Keep track of everything; petrol, air miles – you can’t improve what you’re not measuring. When we moved to hybrid cars, everyone thought we were crazy, but we did it because we’d been measuring and we knew how long it would be to pay back. That was five years ago and they have already paid back.

I’d also say people shouldn’t look at it like sustainability is a huge investment. It’s not hard. Involve others. Say to your travel agent, if you want our business, we’ll need you to keep track of our miles. Say the same to your freight company. It makes them think.

Overall though, I’d tell people that sustainability can’t just be about ticking boxes. It’s got to be part of a continuous journey, and it needs to be absolutely led from the top.

Who or what provides you with inspiration and ideas for your sustainability initiatives?

My inspiration right now is this beast that I’ve created! My staff inspire and challenge me – they’re always asking me - what are we doing this month? It’s a race track and I’ve got to keep up. But one thing I do try to do is to catch up with my other Interface colleagues nearly every year at

NeoCom in Chicago. I go to get re-inspired – to see what they and the rest of the industry is up to next.

I also recommend reading Paul Hawkins, Janine Benyus and for a great local example of how to imagine what is sustainable, Martin Hill. He’s a product designer and environmental sculptor based in Wanaka, who has fantastic examples.