Ray Anderson (entrepreneur)

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Ray Anderson is founder and chairman of Interface Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications and a leading producer of commercial broadloom and commercial fabrics. He is "known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability."1 Since 1995, he has reduced Interface's waste by a third, and plans to make the company sustainable by 2020.

For instance, under his leadership, Interface seeks to reduce and then eliminate "petroleum from its manufacturing processes."3 He is pioneering recycling efforts with nylon and polyester which "is recyclable, leading to more closed loop technologies for the future."2 However, Anderson wasn't always a friend of the environment. He had his epiphany in 1994 when he read The Ecology of Commerce, by Paul Hawken, who argues that [the] industrial system is destroying the planet and only industry leaders are powerful enough to stop it.

Anderson is featured in the documentaries The Corporation and The 11th Hour.

Ray Anderson is the author of a novel titled Mid-Course Correction. Inspired by Daniel Quinns novel, Ishmael, Paul Hawkens novel, The Ecology of Commerce and many others, Ray Anderson has successfully composed a piece that covers his personal journey towards sustainability in his work.

[edit] External links

  1. Ray Anderson Interview
  2. Interface Inc corporate website
  3. On Responsibility in the Private Sector, keynote speech by Ray Anderson at Rethinking Development (GNH2) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, June 22, 2005.
  4. Visionary Leader of the Month: Ray Anderson
  5. Sustainable Growth - Interface, Inc., Fast Company, Issue 14 April 1998
  6. Interface Puts More Distance Between Manufacturing and the Well Head (PDF)