11.06.2006 - 09:17am ET

(CSRwire) Atlanta, GA --Interface, Inc. and Meridian IQ are joint recipients of an Environmental Excellence Award from the US EPA's SmartWaySM Transport Partnership for their impressive achievements and leadership in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants related to transportation activities. The award was announced at the National Association of Environmental Management Forum, held Oct. 25-27, in Savannah, GA.

This unique partnership between Interface, a leading global manufacturer of carpet and commercial fabrics, and Meridian IQ, a leading provider of global logistics services, is a prime example of the benefits of collaboration between SmartWay Partners.

Meridian IQ helped Interface take the highly successful Shipper FLEET Performance model and "dig a bit deeper" to create an even more comprehensive model for measuring Interface's transportation footprint that goes well beyond the rail and truck transport parameters in the EPA model, to also include ocean and air impacts. Additionally Meridian IQ has also enabled Interface to break the data down by truckload -- even partial truckload - to ensure the most accurate emission reduction results and to optimize Interface's supply chain efficiency in keeping with its sustainability goals.

"As a company, we have committed to Mission Zero™, our promise to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020," said Tim Riordan, vice president of supply chain, Interface, Inc. and the company's liaison to the SmartWay Transport Partnership. "The tools that the EPA has provided through the Shipper FLEET Performance Model and the additional logistical tools and solutions from Meridian IQ have allowed us to advance considerably toward our target of reducing GHG emissions related to product transport by 50% by 2020."

"The work that Meridian IQ and Interface have done together is proof that smart companies can make environmentally sound business decisions that make a positive difference," said Jim Ritchie, president and CEO, Meridian IQ. "This recognition of our accomplishments and leadership in the SmartWay Transport Partnership means a great deal to the team that worked with Interface, and to all of us at Meridian IQ."

"EPA is pleased to recognize Interface, Meridian IQ and other partners with SmartWay Excellence Awards. The award winners are leading the way toward a cleaner, more efficient transportation future with strategies that reduce emissions and increase profits," said Margo Oge, director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

SmartWay Transport Partners include businesses and organizations of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to family-owned businesses, each working to improve their environmental performance.

About Interface, Inc. Atlanta-based Interface, Inc. (NASDAQ: IFSIA), is a global leader in the manufacture of environmentally-responsible floorcoverings and other textiles, through brands including Bentley Prince Street®, InterfaceFABRIC™, InterfaceFLOR®, and FLOR™. The company is committed to giving the marketplace a wide range of choices for specifying Earth-friendly and Environmentally Preferable Product-certified products, with the industry's first climate neutral carpet, Cool Carpet™, and the only carpet product designed using the principle of biomimicry, the i2™ collection from InterfaceFLOR Commercial. FLOR offers residential carpet products created from a rapidly renewable, corn-based polymer (polylactic acid - PLA) and InterfaceFABRIC's Terratex® commercial panel and upholstery fabric is made from fibers containing 100% post-consumer recycled polyester or 100% rapidly renewable PLA. For more information, visit www.interfaceglobal.com

About Meridian IQ: Meridian IQ, a wholly owned subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq: YRCW), is a global logistics management company. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, and with offices in North America, Asia, Europe and South America, Meridian IQ enables companies to improve their transportation network and overall supply chain efficiency by offering flexible logistics solutions supported by Web-hosted technology and global logistics management capabilities.

About SmartWay: SmartWay was introduced by EPA and a select group of fifteen shipping and business leaders, including Interface, in 2004 as an innovative, market-based partnership to reduce fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollutants from the freight sector. In just two years, by employing straightforward strategies for reducing truck and rail emissions, Partner companies have drastically reduced their emissions. Despite record-breaking diesel prices, more than 400 freight industry companies are on track to save over $1.2 billion on fuel and remove more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the air by 2007 as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) innovative SmartWaySM Transport Partnership.

By 2012, the SmartWay program, with full industry participation, estimates nationwide annual fuel savings of 3.3 to 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel, eliminating 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. For more information about SmartWay, visit: www.epa.gov/smartway or call (734) 214-4767.

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