Interface Fabrics establishes "green" protocols

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 7/3/2003 12:00:00 AM

Guilford, ME — As another step in its seven-year plan to produce fabrics using environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes, Interface Fabrics Group (IFG), an Interface company, has introduced two protocols.

The company, which produces Terratex brand fabrics, is now using wind to fuel 10 percent of its electrical energy needs at its Maine and Massachusetts operations.

This year, the company will purchase 2.5 million kilowatt hours of "green tags" from an independent energy resource. The green tags represent renewable energy certificates and the purchase of wind power will save about 4.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, the equivalent to taking 410 cars off the road.

Paul Paydos, vp, technical services for IFG, said "this purchase along with the fact that our Maine facilities derive almost 90 percent of their thermal energy needs from waste wood chips means that IFG is making significant progress towards a goal to reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy.

The second new step in producing sustainable manufacturing is the Dye and Chemical protocol, which has led to a proprietary process to assess all chemical components in dyes and finishing chemicals. It moves beyond governmental requirements to requiring suppliers to disclose all chemical ingredients in their products allowing the company to select environmentally preferable materials.