Doing Well by Doing Good: Interface and its Journey towards Sustainability

Organizational decision-making literature tells usthat profit maximization is such a predominant factorinfluencing decisions within for-profit organizationsthat it would be difficult, even if theoreticallypossible, to integrate into the organization along-term environmental sustainability ethic. Thecombination of leadership, vision and internalincentive systems, supplemented by the developmentand maintenance of a corporate culture that supportsthe simultaneous consideration in decision-making ofenvironmental sustainability and profitability, hasenabled Interface to achieve an organization in whichenvironmental and financial influences ondecision-making are at parity. Like employees inother for-profit organizations, Interface'sassociates are expected to make money for thecompany. But they are expected to do more. They arealso expected to deliver environmental returns oninvestment in conjunction with financial returns.