Europe, Middle East, Africa, India 8 Without Blue, there's no Green Net Effect Collections One and Two 10 The Ripple Effect Working with partners to create a restorative loop. 12 In a Blue State of Mind The colours and textures of the seven seas; the music of the spheres. 29 Waste Nets to Yarn  Friends of Interface Interface was founded on the belief that, by bringing people and ideas together, we can create exciting solutions in unexpected ways. For years we've taken a holistic approach to design, looking beyond just beautiful tiles, to the system around them — while engaging brilliant minds...

The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and holds 97% of the planet's water. At least 660 million people around the globe rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. Pictured: Local fishing boat used by Danajon villagers to sail the bank, collecting waste fishing nets.

Without Blue, There's No Green Try as you might, you will be hard-pressed to find a perfectly straight line in nature — certainly not in the undulating raw power of our oceans and seas. Although he designs within the exacting dimensions of squares and planks, product designer David Oakey found inspiration and synergy while creating Net Effect, a collection that reflects the beauty of our largest natural resource. “I heard Dr. Sylvia Earle on the radio. She was so passionate about the plight of the ocean, I bought her book — and her concerns really clicked with me. Most of the time, when we talk...

“Putting money into our community bank through Nets for Pesos meant our bank was able to loan that money out for things like school. My sister was one of the first to get such a loan. Never did I think this would happen because of a fishing net.” Cristina Peptio (paraphrased), Village Community Banking Group, The Philippines The Ripple Effect Creating a Restorative Loop with the Net-Works™ program At Interface, recycling isn’t exactly news. For 18 years, we have deepened our pledge to close the loop and use only recycled or bio-based materials in our products. This includes challenging suppliers...

Net Effect One is a collection of three textures, showcasing that precise moment when the sea foams into the shore. Net Effect Two is a collection in our new skinny plank format that captures the fluidity of water, even in linear patterns, with texture, colour and pattern. In a Blue State of Mind Introducing the Net Effect Every body of water on the planet has its own unique symphony of blue. While most of the sun's UV rays are absorbed into the depths, the short wavelengths of blue light are reflected off algae, phytoplankton and marine life—leading to swirling sapphires, aqueous aquamarines...

Why does blue soothe our senses? Blue holds the shortest wavelength of any colour in the visible spectrum of light; this means that when sunlight passes through the atmosphere, blue wavelengths are scattered more widely by molecules, and thus, the colour blue appears more often in nature than any other.

“The whole project really came about through synchronicity. We found that blue is one of our best-selling colours across the world, and that blue was going to be seen a lot on the fashion catwalks. Suddenly we were connecting the dots.”  David Oakey

Gullwings. A wave. From its perch on Lake Michigan, the inspiration for this astonishing structure is clear. As art captures intention and gesture, Calatrava's Milwaukee Art Museum embodies motion in steel, glass and concrete.

Interior: Milwaukee Art Museum

Net Effect Two 25cm × 1m B701–Pacific & Atlantic B702–Pacific & Atlantic B703–Pacific & Atlantic

Waste Nets to Yarn Making Waves The launch of the Net Effect™ collection is a poignant reminder that beautiful design goes beyond product, to the story behind it. Net Effect,™ and the simultaneous expansion of the Net-Works program, have only been possible because a tightly interwoven human network, spread around the globe, worked together to build something new. These co-innovators have brought forth all of the ingredients necessary for true synchronistic design - creating a beautiful product line while simultaneously empowering a community and restoring our oceans and seas. Collectively, we're...

water. The ocean holds 97% of Earth’s water and, not surprisingly, embraces about 97% of the biosphere. Without the ocean, Earth would be as bleak and barren as Mars. No blue, no green. So why aren't people taking better care of it? If people understood that the ocean is the cornerstone of Earth’s life support system, they might care that the chemistry of the ocean is changing owing to what we are putting into it and taking out of it. Half of the coral reefs have disappeared in half a century. And about sustainability? First, it is necessary to understand that our economy, health, security—and...

would benefit vulnerable coastal communities. Then we found out that Oakey was designing a collection inspired by Sylvia and the oceans. It all came together! How did the idea come to life? It may seem a little crazy that a commercial carpet tile company has ended up working with the fishing community on a remote, double-barrier reef. But that's the beauty of seeing design as more than just product. Coinnovating with experts from lots of different disciplines has been brilliant; together we've reimagined what the value chain could look like. Sustainability is the mother of all collaborations...

has not been tried in other places before, you need to do it in an area where you have the right support systems where you have the right partners. What is the most important part of this program? I think it is about changing minds! It’s about changing perspectives on plastics. So with Net-Works and with the support we are getting from Interface, we are coming close to setting up a platform where we can educate people about the complications of not discarding plastic waste properly. Can you see the potential in growing this programme? As soon as people hear about Net-Works, they immediately stop...