“Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose—Doing Business by Respecting the Earth” by Ray C. Anderson
In 1973, Ray Anderson founded Interface, a company that manufactured carpet tiles. He was inspired by European producers that made carpet tiles for flooring in response to the growing trend of offices without walls (think cubicles). Ray recognized the inherent flexibility and cost savings for companies that expanded or frequently modified workspaces and introduced the innovative product to American office buildings.
The venture was beyond successful. After a time, Anderson came to question whether making tiles comprised almost entirely of petroleum products that simply complied with existing environmental laws, would be sufficient in the future. When potential customers began to question the company’s environmental policies and after reading Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce, he had an epiphany. He thought, “In the future they will put people who do what I do in jail.”
He immediately assembled a working group and tasked it with turning Interface into an environmentally friendly company. This book is the story of a journey that got underway in 1994. Since then, Interface has made astounding strides toward its goal—to manufacture in a way that’s not only less destructive to the planet, but is also restorative.
This book is a real revelation for anyone who thinks, “Sure, it would be great if we could do business without hurting the environment, but in real life that could never happen.” While the U.S. chose not to adopt the Kyoto Accords—deeming the required 7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions onerous and not economically viable—Interface cut its own greenhouse gas emissions by 70%. Interface managed to increase profitability, not in spite of, but as a direct result of its new, less polluting production methods. Anderson shows how, in an industry about as unsustainable as it gets, a company can make its products “benign by design.”
He was a leader and an innovator in doing business the right way until his death in 2011, but his legacy will continue to influence and inspire for generations. To see an interview with Ray about the book, visit YouTube.
