1. Identify the companies that are part of the EnviroSense Consortium.

Do you believe that any

of these companies are as committed to sustainability as Interface?
The EnviroSense Consortium, Inc. is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes
a proactive approach to indoor air quality issues. Members of the Consortium include interior
product manufacturers, architectural and design firms, energy and utility companies, and
research and development firms and laboratories. Members of the Consortium promote a threepart total systems approach to indoor air quality: building systems, product systems, and
maintenance systems. In addition, members of the Consortium meet twice yearly to present case
studies, updates, and research results to one another so they can assure the most up-to-date
answers for customers who call for assistance. Following is a list of those manufacturers of
products covered in this textbook that are members of EnviroSense Consortium, Inc.:

Bentley Prince Streetcarpet

The Center for Health Designhealth care
Interface Flooring Systems, Inc.carpet
Interface Research Corporationtechnical help
Re: Sourceservice network
Rocky Mountain Instituteenergy research and consulting
Traneair conditioning

Through its comprehensive website, EnviroSense offers online newsletters, product

updates, IAQ discussion areas, IAQ product profiles, e-mail directories, and access to the latest
technical papers and case studies. A wealth of information is available on control of microbial
sources and volatile organic compound emissions. Twelve Consortium members lend their
knowledge to provide a site where interested parties can onestop shop on the Internet.
Of course I believe that the members of this organization are committed to sustainability
as Interface, because the main purpose of the sustainability is to Enable all people to realize
their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways that simultaneously protect and
enhance the Earths life support system - Ray Anderson. Also, the seven faces towards mount
sustainability that is proposed by Interface will help the members of EnviroSense Consortium
Inc. to achieved their purpose and that is to reduce the cases and concern over building-related
illnesses and other health concerns associated with indoor work atmospheres. The seven faces
that will help and gives benefit to the Organization to minimize the impact on indoor air quality
are: 1. To eliminate the waste; 2. Eliminate emission; 3. Reduce energy; 4. Closing the loop; 5.
Efficient transportation; 6. Make all stakeholders aware of sustainability; 7. Redesign
commerce.
2. Interface makes its commitment to sustainability issues seem so simple. Why dont other
companies follow its example?

 Sustainability does not mean defending the non-human world from human expansion.
Instead, it has come to mean sustaining human civilization at the comfort level which
the world's rich people feel is their right. -Anonymous
This means simply that individuals, acting independently in their own self-interest, will
deplete common resources even when it is not in anybodys long-term interests to have this
happen. Organizations and individuals that ignore this phenomenon will find that wealth and
prosperity will decrease over time.
Manufacturers are increasingly producing and promoting sustainable products (i.e.,
products that have a positive social and/or environmental impact). This increase mirrors public
interest in sustainability, as evidenced by widespread coverage in the press and public opinion
surveys suggesting strong consumer demand for these products. Despite the attention
sustainability is receiving, actual sales of sustainable products still represent only a small fraction
of overall consumer goods sales. However, note that though the market share of sustainable
products has been relatively weak in many product categories (e.g., household cleaning
products), it has been relatively strong in other categories (e.g., personal care products). This
qualified success hints at a variable that is differentially affecting the influence of sustainability
on preference. The current research shows that the effect of sustainability on consumers product
preferences depends on the type of benefit valued in a given product category. In product
categories for which strength-related attributes are the key determinant of purchase, such as
automobile tires, sustainability can be a liability and actually decrease preference. In contrast, in
product categories in which consumers seek gentleness-related attributes, such as baby shampoo,
sustainability can enhance product preference. The authors uncover the reason for this difference.
Consumers implicitly associate ethicality/sustainability with concepts such as gentle, safe,
healthy, and mild and a lack of ethicality/sustainability with concepts such as strength,
power, and toughness. These associations lead consumers to be reluctant to purchase
sustainable products in product categories in which strength is valued. The authors also find that
consumers are hesitant to admit that they would not actually buy a sustainable alternative; in
these studies, it was necessary to use indirect projective techniques to uncover consumers true
beliefs and preferences. Fortunately for marketers of sustainable brands in these product
categories, the sustainability liability can be attenuated through marketing communications. For
example, the findings show that without any explicit information about product strength,
consumers prefer to purchase a standard automobile tire over an eco tire made with sustainable
methods and materials. However, when both the standard and the eco tires are guaranteed
strong, this apparent rejection of the sustainable tire no longer occurs. The findings lead to the
following recommendations for marketers: Marketers of sustainable products for which
gentleness-related attributes are valued can use advertising, packaging, and so forth, to
emphasize sustainability. In this case, sustainability should not harm, and may even help, product
sales. Conversely, marketers of sustainable products for which strength-related attributes are

valued must actively counter the sustainability liability. Emphasizing sustainability in this
context may actually harm product sales; the best way to avoid this potential negative impact is
to provide explicit information about product strength. In summary, this research helps explain
why sustainable products may not always prevail in the marketplace despite consumer interest in
them. The findings should improve the odds of success for companies interested in developing
and marketing sustainable products, as well as support many consumers desire to better align
their values with their consumption behavior.