principles that form the foundation for TNS framework [1]:
1 Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed (according to the first law of thermodynamics and the principle of matter conservation). This means that the overall mass of the earth remains constant. We have the same volume of matter now as we did 4.5 billion years ago. Therefore, matter—or the earth's resources—only changes its form.
2 Matter and energy tend to disperse (according to the second law of thermodynamics). This means that sooner or later matter that is introduced into society will be released into natural systems. This is the underlying mechanism behind our experience that energy and material transformation operate to reduce the available energy in the system and increase the dissipation of matter throughout the system.
3 Material quality can be characterized by the concentration and structure of matter. What we consume are the qualities of matter and energy—the concentration, purity and structure of matter, and the ability of energy to perform work. Because nothing disappears and everything tends to disperse, a carpet turns to dust and a car turns to rust, and not the reverse. Dust does not reassemble into a carpet or rust into a car. As matter disperses, it loses its concentration, purity and structure.
4 The net increase in material quality on earth is produced by sun-driven processes. Photosynthesis is the only large-scale producer of material quality. While the earth is a closed system with regard to matter, it is an open system with respect to energy. This is the reason why the system has not already run down with all of its resources being converted to waste. The earth receives light from the sun and emits heat into space.
In addition to these scientific principles, TNS conditions are influenced by the cyclic principle that can be summarized as follows: (i) waste must not systematically accumulate in nature and (ii) the reconstitution of material quality must be at least as large as its dissipation.
THE NATURAL STEP RECENT PROJECTS
Interface—The First Company to Adopt the Natural Step
Interface became the first US company to adopt TNS framework and methodologies [9]. Under the guidance of TNS and other sustainability visionaries, a new vision for Interface was later crafted—Mission Zero™; to eliminate any negative impact Interface has on the environment by 2020, showing it is possible to create a better world, and being restorative by the power of our influence.
Interface included aspects from TNS's Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) in the company's strategic planning process and all employees training. Gradually the FSSD became a vital and visible part in the company's operations and culture, and it was consistently positioned as providing the most rigorous definition of sustainability.
From 1996 to 2013, Interface reduced the manufacturing waste it sends to landfill by 84%. About 49% of all raw materials are now either recycled or bio-based, including 36% of yarn and 51% of carpet backing. Savings from avoided waste costs amounted to US$450 million. In terms of energy, total energy use at the global factories has been reduced by 39% per unit. Also, 36% of energy consumed globally is from 100% renewable sources (with seven out of nine facilities operating with 100% renewable energy), and actual greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 41%. Interface, Inc. today uses only 20% as much water to make products as they did in 1996. This is an impressive accomplishment, especially for a materials manufacturer, and shows the benefits of looking at a business through the lens of sustainability.
Twenty-two years ago, Interface Inc. started on a journey led by their founder, Ray Anderson. The company adopted a bold new vision—“To be the first company that, by its deeds, shows the entire industrial world what sustainability is in all its dimensions: people, process, product, place and profits—and in doing so—become restorative through the power of influence.” Reaching this vision meant that Interface would need to evolve into an entirely different kind of organization, but there was no blueprint for this kind of organization in business.
Interface started by asking how they could translate the operations of nature into a model for business. They relied heavily on TNS Framework to guide their thinking as they mapped out how to change their business. Interface ultimately developed the Seven Fronts of sustainability—seven key areas where Interface would focus to remake their company. Over the last 22 years, Interface has followed these Fronts and made progress reducing the impacts of the company and its reliance on natural resources. This has included a strong focus on the manufacturing operations where they traditionally used large amounts of raw materials, energy, and water.
As Interface approached the management of their manufacturing operations through a sustainability lens, they were able to identify numerous opportunities to not only conserve resources, but also cut costs.
Some savings have been the result of making fundamental shifts in how Interface manufactures its flooring products. For instance, engineers at Interface's Bentley Prince Street factory in California reconsidered the way they made carpet that resulted in a reduction of the water used to manufacture each unit by 47%. The company simply moved away from the chemical-intensive dye-injection and yarn dye methods for adding colors and patterns to their products. Dye-injection involved using a large machine, much like a big ink-jet printer, to apply colors to long lengths of carpet. The yarn-dye method involved soaking fibers in dye solution before tufting it into carpet. In pursuit of their sustainability objectives, Interface Bentley Prince Street totally phased out the use of dye-injection carpet printing in 1999 and reduced carpet made with the yarn-dye process from 45% of its output in 2001 to 1% in 2009.
As a substitute, the company shifted its focus to two alternative processes—piece dyeing and solution dyed yarns. The piece dyeing process involves manufacturing a blank slate of white carpet, and then adding patterns and colors on a made-to-order basis. This process of customization is far more energy and resource efficient than the sweeping dye-injection method.
The company also reconsidered the process of creating the carpet yarn itself. Instead of soaking fibers in dyes, the switch was made to the use of yarn filaments that are extruded from solutions already impregnated with pigment. This dyeing method drastically reduces the amount of water, energy, and chemicals required in the process and at InterfaceFLOR's modular carpet factory in Georgia. This change in the manufacturing process resulted in a savings of over 88% in water per unit of production.
Interface has also taken advantage of the low hanging fruit available to them by making easy changes in building operations. At InterfaceFLOR in Thailand, they have reduced total water usage by 30% through the installation of water efficient toilets, showers, and sinks. Outside, they selected plants for their landscape plan that only required one year of temporary irrigation.
Interface's significant reduction in water use is just one example of how managing the environmental impacts of business can bring about meaningful change. By relentlessly pursuing sustainability focused innovation, Interface is racing to fulfill its long-term vision of becoming a “restorative company” and is continuing to set the pace as a world leader in next generation manufacturing.
VinylPlus—The European PVC Industry's Voluntary Commitment to Sustainable Development
In 2000, together with the Environment Agency in the United Kingdom, TNS published a report on the challenges the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry must address to align its activities with the four system conditions for sustainability [10]. The report highlighted five key sustainability challenges and followed an extensive study of PVC including consensus-building workshops with industry, NGOs, retailers, and regulators. Over the years these challenges have provided a reference point for the industry, initially in the United Kingdom and subsequently across Europe. The most proactive organizations in the sector have been working to address them.
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