Firm on mission to produce greener carpets

The head of a carpet firm has spoken of his mission to make the company more eco friendly, which has included the way the carpets themselves are made.

Ray Anderson of Georgia-based Interface told the Montreal Gazette that people did not believe him when he decided in 1994 that the manufacturer could have a neutral impact on the environment by 2020.

He remarked: "Fifteen years ago, had I sat down and described the Interface of today, it would have been thought to be impossible by almost anyone who looked at it."

One of the ways the firm has improved its green credentials is by taking old carpet and recycling it into new tiles.

This has been carried out alongside other moves such as using methane from a nearby recycling plant to power the factory.

Another company involved in recycling carpets is Shaw Hospitality Group.

The company has been picking up old carpets being thrown out by a hotel chain in the US as it recycles its buildings, before taking the material to its Evergreen Nylon Recycling Centre in Georgia to be made into new carpet material.