Hospitality Design - August 2014 - 53

perspectives

trends

giving back
By Alissa Ponchione

1
2

1. Interface's
Net-Works project
purchases fishing
nets from fishermen
in the Philippines to
be recycled as carpet
nylon.
2. Nanimarquina's Kala
Project turned a winning
design into the Kala rug,
with proceeds funding a
school in rural India.

SWEET CHARITY

Altruism means business for some manufacturers

The day-to-day processes of research and
development, manufacturing, and marketing
products to the public are time consuming
in themselves. But some companies are
going further than business as usual, seeking
to expand their global footprint through
philanthropic initiatives.
By joining forces with non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) or investing in emerging
markets, manufacturers are solidifying a loyal
customer base that purchases their products
partly because of these efforts. The compelling
story at New York's Crowne Plaza Times
Square, for example, is its toilets. The property's
ownership group purchased 800 Champion
toilets from American Standard, which meant
that an equal number of sanitary toilet pans
were donated in Bangladesh.
In the hotel's lobby, a display explains
American Standard's Flush for Good mission.
For every Champion toilet purchased in the U.S.
and Canada, American Standard donates a SaTo
latrine pan-a product the company developed

(with a grant from the Gates Foundation) where
a mechanical seal and water seal reduce disease
transmission by closing off pit latrines to the
open air. The end goal for American Standard?
"We want to be a purpose-driven organization,"
says Jim McHale, the company's vice president
of product development.
For Interface, that purpose is achieving a
zero environmental footprint by 2020 with its
Mission Zero initiative. But its work goes far
beyond the environment. "If you're going to be
a sustainable, profitable company, you have to
embrace social sustainability" as well, explains
Nigel Stansfield, vice president and chief
innovations officer for the carpet manufacturer.
Interface's Net-Works project, launched in
2013, purchases old fishing nets from coastal
communities in the Philippines and recycles
the nylon in its carpet fiber. Working with 25
fishing villages, the company is achieving "high
brand value and high value to its supply chain,"
Stansfield says, while providing a second income
for many fishermen.

Long-term Investment

Because some countries lack solid
infrastructure, financial security, formal
banking structures, or healthcare benefits,
1
companies that invest in those regions can help
create a stronger economic environment abroad.
In the Philippine fishing villages, for instance,
Interface also helped to establish a Village
Savings and Loan Association that gives workers
the opportunity to create savings accounts or
apply for loans that come in handy during bad
economic times.
With facilities in Griffin, Georgia, as well
as abroad in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Ghana,
textile manufacturer 1888 Mills places the focus
on its employees. In Ghana, its cut-and-sew
facility (which mainly produces healthcare
products) employs between 300 and 400
women, empowering them financially. The
company is able to provide livable wages and
healthcare in on-site clinics, subsidize food
programs, and offer educational scholarships
and transportation. All benefits "that fit with our

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