Munich, Germany—Interface has revealed a carbon negative nora rubber flooring prototype that is said to store more carbon than is emitted through its manufacturing. This latest innovation quickly follows Interface’s recent “all in” commitment to invest in product development and manufacturing efforts that drive carbon reduction and storage, without offsets.
Interface is set to showcase the prototype at BAU—a leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems—taking place January 13-17, here.
The nora by Interface rubber flooring prototype has a carbon negative footprint when measured cradle-to-gate, storing more carbon than it emits from raw material extraction through manufacturing and packaging. In 2020, the company launched Embodied Beauty—a carbon negative carpet tile collection, marking what is considered a significant milestone in the company’s 30-year sustainability journey.
Leveraging learnings from this carpet tile innovation, Interface sourced and incorporated bio-based and carbon-storing raw materials into its rubber manufacturing to create an industry-first prototype.
“Bio-based materials like natural rubber have been an integral part of our nora rubber flooring for decades as we have sought to lower the carbon footprint of our products,” said Mario Kröger, head of research and development for the nora brand. “Our experienced R&D team has made incredible strides to find the right mix of design and material innovations to achieve a carbon negative footprint. This is an exciting achievement that shows our commitment to reducing environmental impacts across our full product portfolio to achieve our ambitious climate goals.”
Interface acquired nora systems in 2018 and, since then, has been working to bring its expertise in low-carbon design and manufacturing to the rubber flooring category. Through manufacturing innovation, Interface said it has successfully lowered the carbon intensity of its rubber portfolio by 26% since 2019.
The new prototype incorporates additional recycled and bio-based materials to achieve a negative carbon footprint. Interface is set to feature the carbon negative rubber prototype at BAU alongside 39 carbon negative carpet tile styles, which demonstrate the commercial viability of carbon-storing flooring within the building products category.
Interface said it aims to make the carbon negative rubber product commercially available in late 2025. This proof-of-concept prototype will be further refined and prepared for commercialization over the coming months—ensuring it meets the highest levels of design, quality and performance required for all Interface products.