VIDEO: Interface designs carpet tile with lowest ever carbon footprint

After seven years of 'radical innovation and collaboration', modular flooring manufacturer Interface has unveiled its latest product, which the firm says has the smallest carbon footprint of any carpet tile in history.


‘Microsfera’, a hybrid flooring solution made from recycled nylon, releases just 3kg of carbon per square-meter during its production – much lower than a typical carpet tile which releases 12kg of CO2 per m2. The product also contributes to a better indoor air quality, with ultra-low VOC emissions.

“The beauty of Microsfera is what happens below the surface,” explained Interface’s EMEA senior vice president of operations Ton van Keken. “Another step in our Mission Zero pledge, the pioneering manufacturing processes we have established in the creation of Microsfera pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved in the design and functionality of modular flooring.”

Long lifespan

The new product addresses the two biggest contributors of emissions in the carpet manufacturing industry: the yarn fibre and the latex pre-coat. Interface’s ‘Microtuft’ construction process, first developed in 2000, is fused directly at the back, eliminating the need for a latex pre-coat and cutting the amount of yarn used in the carpet tiles.

Polypropylene yarn, which is lighter and has a longer lifespan, has also been incorporated in the new tiles to achieve an even lower carbon footprint, while having the same durable performance and heavy contract ratings as traditional carpet tiles.

Microsfera carpet tiles are available in Interface’s traditional 100cm x 25cm ‘Skinny Planks’, in a colour range of industrial greys, denim-inspired blues and raw copper hues. 

Mission Zero

Interface, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial modular flooring, was one of the first companies to publicly commit to sustainability when it made a pledge in the mid-90s to eliminate its impact on the environment by 2020.

Known as Mission Zero, Interface’s sustainability initiative influences every aspect of the business and inspires the company to continually push the boundaries in order to achieve its environmental goals. Interface is now more than half way to reaching Mission Zero.

Luke Nicholls

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