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Interface sustainability ambassador wins leadership award

 
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11 Oct 2012

A Middle East-based sustainability ambassador for global carpet tile manufacturer Interface has been recognised for achievements in sustainability business practises.

In addition to her regional marketing management responsibilities, Seixas’ passion for corporate social responsibility and sustainability drove her to undertake intensive training to become a Sustainability Ambassador for Interface in 2009.

Ana Seixas, LEED AP, Sustainability Ambassador for Interface with her Asian Sustainability Leadership Award.
Ana Seixas, LEED AP, Sustainability Ambassador for Interface with her Asian Sustainability Leadership Award.

Interface was one of the first companies to publicly commit to sustainability, when it made a pledge in the mid-nineties to eliminate its impact on the environment by 2020. Known as Mission Zero, it influences every aspect of the business and inspires the company to continually push the boundaries in order to achieve its goal. The company is one of the founders of the Emirates Green Building Council, established in 2006.

Since becoming a Sustainability Ambassador, Seixas has taken on the extra responsibility to promote sustainability across the Middle East and India, disseminating Interface’s unique sustainability drive and engaging and encouraging the business community towards the sustainability path. She has spoken at leading exhibitions and conferences such as the Big 5 and the International Green Awards Sustainability Summit in Dubai and at the Green Building Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi.

Seixas is one of the first women in the UAE to have become a LEED Accredited Professional, and was involved in the design of Interface’s Middle East and Africa office, based in Dubai, which was designed in 2009 to comply with LEED™, the United States Green Building Council rating system.

“It’s a great honour to be the recipient of this award which I believe acknowledges the hard work and efforts that sustainability practitioners across the region have made in the past few years.” said Seixas.

“In 2008 very few people in the construction industry in Dubai were talking about sustainability and green buildings, but since then a lot has changed. I am fortunate to be one of many passionate people working in a company like Interface which strives to spread the messages about sustainable business practises.”

The Asian Sustainability Leadership Awards recognises business exemplars in economic, environmental and social dimensions. Endorsed by the Asian Confederation of Businesses and World CSR Day, the awards are decided by an independent jury of experts.

Since 2000, Interface has used LCA to assess the environmental footprint of its products and address ways in which to reduce and ultimately eliminate these impacts. In order to bring even more transparency to LCA assessments, Interface achieved a European first in 2010, becoming the first carpet manufacturer to offer Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for some of its range of carpet tiles and pledged to have EPD’s for all its product range by 2012.

In 2011 Interface introduced the Biosfera I carpet tile collection, the first to include 100% recycled yarn, made from a combination of pre consumer and post consumer raw material source, including old fishing nets.

In September 2012, the company launched Fotosfera, the first ever truly commercial carpet tile made from plant (or bio) based nylon. Fotosfera consists of yarn exclusive to Interface that is made from castor plant oil produced in rural communities.

The product supports Interface’s strategy to reduce its reliance on virgin petro-chemical raw materials and delivers strong environmental and socio-economic benefits.

The company works hard with its leading global yarn supplier to use increasing amounts of recycled yarn in all of its product ranges and decrease its use of yarn overall. To the end of 2011, 44% of Interface’s total raw materials used globally were either recycled or bio-based.



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