Interface announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting its commitment to expanding Net-Works in partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Net-Works is an innovative, cross-sector collaboration designed to tackle the growing environmental problem of discarded fishing nets in some of the world’s poorest coastal communities, while at the same time supporting one of the company’s Mission Zero goals to source 100% recycled nylon, according to the company. Today, the program is established in rural coastal areas in the central Philippines (including the Bantayan Islands and Danajon Bank, one of only six double-barrier reefs in the world).
With the CGI Commitment to Action, the team announces that Net-Works will be expanded, with a new net collection hub in the Lake Ossa region of Cameroon, and in two additional hubs anticipated over the next three years.
“Inclusive business is about finding ways to have a net positive impact on social and environmental issues while still minding the bottom line,” said Nigel Stansfield, chief innovations officer for Interface. “We are challenging the status quo to reimagine our supply chain in a way that improves our ability to source recycled content, while simultaneously cleaning up oceans and lakes and lifting people from poverty. It’s ambitious, and it’s working.”
According to Stansfield, over the last 18 months, Net-Works hubs have collected in excess of 85,000 pounds of discarded fishing nets, helping 4,500 villagers in communities in the Philippines to earn supplemental income equal to 84,000 additional meals. It is anticipated that over the next three years, Net-Works will support and strengthen over 500 hectares of community-based Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Net-Works regions, thereby helping to restore the biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystems.
For more information, visit interface.com
