Gamechangers: Ray Anderson, Interface Inc.

Having never heard of Interface, the U.S.-based (and “world’s largest”) carpet manufacturer, before this year, I wanted to find out more about how the company evolved in a sustainable and innovative direction. Seeing the Founder and Chairman, Ray Anderson, the a short clip from The Corporation, especially captured my attention. You could just tell that his actions were genuine.

Ray Anderson’s TED Talk from 2009 about the manipulation of the I = PAT formula and his company’s Mission Zero plan was uplifting. The abundance of people who think “differently” and “challenge the status quo” in the sustainability field is what captivates me to study it. From every single issue in our world today, using a sustainable perspective forces you to think collaboratively with people in different backgrounds. The poem he read at the end, Tomorrow’s Child, inspired me to reflect on the challenges future generations will face because we have been such a consumption-fuelled society in the past. But if Ray Anderson can completely revamp his carpet manufacturing company, then there must be hope, right?

That Anderson made it his signature speaks volumes about this Southern industrialist, a businessman thoroughly committed to all that sustainability stands for. ~ Joel Makower, Green Biz

a man with a vision.

a man with a vision.