Transportation air pollutants can be halved -- Interface and Meridian IQ are on their way

Nov., 2006 - Interface, Inc. and Meridian IQ are joint recipients of an Environmental Excellence Award from the US EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership for their achievements and leadership in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants related to transportation activities.

This partnership between Interface, a leading global manufacturer of carpet and commercial fabrics, and Meridian IQ, a leading provider of global logistics services, is an example of the benefits of collaboration between SmartWay Partners.

Meridian IQ helped Interface take the highly successful Shipper FLEET Performance model and "dig a bit deeper" to create an even more comprehensive model for measuring Interface's transportation footprint that goes beyond the rail and truck transport parameters in the EPA model, to also include ocean and air impacts. Meridian IQ has enabled Interface to break the data down by partial truckload - to ensure accurate emission reduction results and to optimize Interface's supply chain efficiency in keeping with its sustainability goals.

Interface has committed to "Mission Zero(TM)," their corporate promise to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020.

The EPA provides tools through the Shipper FLEET Performance Model The Freight Logistics Environmental and Energy Tracking Performance Model (FLEET Performance Model) for Shippers allows a company to quantify the percentage of freight they ship or receive with fleets that are members of the SmartWay Transport Partnership. In addition, the model has the capability to help shippers estimate the actual carbon dioxide, NOx, and particulate matter emissions generated from their entire shipping operations.

Logistical tools and solutions from Meridian IQ have allowed Interface to advance considerably toward their target of reducing GHG emissions related to product transport by 50% by 2020. Meridian IQ is the global logistics management subsidiary of YRC Worldwide.

The SmartWay Transport Partners include businesses and organizations of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to family-owned businesses, each working to improve their environmental performance.

Interface has a Southern California carpet division located in Los Angeles.