Interface Tactile squares

● Interface, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of carpet tiles, turned to Biomimicry 3.8 to find an alternative to the glue it used to install carpet, which put out TOXIC FUMES and made replacement difficult. For inspiration, Benyus and her team studied the GECKO, whose feet are covered in tiny hairs that create an attractive force when pressed down. With that principle in mind, her team developed Tactiles, gluefree adhesive squares that connect the tiles at their corners. As a result, “Interface was able to REDUCE ITS ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT BY 95 percent,” Benyus says.