Ray Anderson in 2009, the year he declared that his company was 60% of the way towards its goal.
For most of his many years as head of the world's largest commercial carpet-tile manufacturer, the American industrialist Ray Anderson, who has died of cancer aged 77, never gave a thought to the negative impacts that his petrochemical-reliant company might have on society or the environment. Then, in 1994, he read a book on the state of the Earth that radically changed his outlook. He transformed his company, InterfaceFLOR, into an exemplar of how a multinational can attempt to significantly reduce its environmental footprint while maintaining and even improving profitability.
He was set on this path when staff reported that customers were increasingly inquiring about the company's environmental performance. They asked him to give them a presentation on the subject so that they could be better informed. Anderson did not know what he could say. Simultaneously, a book, The Ecology of Commerce (1993), by the environmentalist Paul Hawken, landed on his desk. It was an epiphany, "a spear in the chest", Anderson said. "I was dumbfounded by how much I did not know about the environment and about the impacts of the industrial system on the environment. A new definition of 'success' began to creep into my consciousness, and the latent sense of legacy asserted itself. I was a plunderer of the Earth, and that is not the legacy one wants to leave behind."
Shortly afterwards he made his presentation to staff, stunning those present by announcing that the company had a new goal – "to eventually take nothing from the Earth that is not naturally and rapidly renewable". What became known as "Mission Zero" was a radical path for a mainstream industrial business, especially in the mid-1990s, and more ambitious even than programmes put forward by small, cutting-edge "ethical" businesses.
Anderson won over his staff and work began on how to deliver the goal of zero negative impacts by 2020. In 2009 he declared that his company was 60% of the way to achieving the target. InterfaceFLOR had reduced its water use by 75% since 1996, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44%, and dropped energy use by 43%. It also switched to using 100% renewable electricity at its sites in Europe and made 36% of its products from recycled content, up from 0.5% in 1996. And it managed to eradicate any petroleum from the fabrication of its products.
Anderson was keen on the idea of biomimicry, which looks at how nature works and then applies the lessons to industrial processes. A study of leaves on forest floors led to the creation of carpet tiles with random designs that could be installed in any pattern, thereby reducing waste. Observation of the gecko helped develop a way to stick tiles to floors without glue.
While much of what Anderson instigated is now relatively common – including measures such as car pooling for employees, moving distribution of goods on to water and rail, switching to an element of fair trade for suppliers, and introducing sustainability training for employees – his company blazed a trail. It also showed, as Anderson was keen to point out, that most of the measures were beneficial to the bottom line – money. Waste-saving innovations alone over the past 13 years have saved the company $372m.
Having set his company on the path to what he called "Mount Sustainability", Anderson increasingly turned his attention to proselytising around the world. He became one of the most significant advocates of corporate responsibility, respected for practising a large measure of what he preached and doing so with an existing company rather than one purpose-built for the task. InterfaceFLOR set up a unit that lent its expertise to other large companies, and Anderson is at least partially credited with helping to convince senior executives at Walmart to reassess their social and environmental performance. He also wrote influential books, including Confessions of a Radical Industrialist (2009).
Anderson, who was steeped in the hard-nosed culture of the business world, wielded considerable influence in the corporate sphere. Ralph Nader, one of the leading figures in the US green movement, called him "the greatest educator of his peers in industry, and the most knowledgable motivator, by example and vision, for the environmental movement". Anderson co-chaired the President's Council on Sustainable Development during Bill Clinton's administration, which led to him to co-chair the Presidential Climate Action Plan in 2008.
The youngest of three children of William Anderson, a postal worker, and Ruth McGinty, a teacher, Anderson was born in West Point, Georgia. He gained a football scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering in 1956. After initially selling fireworks, he spent more than a decade working in the technical side of the carpet business. In 1973 he branched out on his own to found a 15-employee company that became known as Interface and, later on, InterfaceFLOR. The business was based on the innovative idea, brought over from the UK, of making hard-wearing modular carpet tiles which could be laid easily. It grew quickly outside of its Georgia base to have an international presence across four continents, and went public in 1983. By 2010 it had a turnover of close to $1bn and around 5,000 employees.
Anderson's first marriage, to Harriet Childs, with whom he had two daughters, Mary and Harriet, ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife, Pat; his daughters; a stepson, Brian; a brother, William; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
• Ray Christie Anderson, industrialist, born 28 July 1934; died 8 August 2011
He was set on this path when staff reported that customers were increasingly inquiring about the company's environmental performance. They asked him to give them a presentation on the subject so that they could be better informed. Anderson did not know what he could say. Simultaneously, a book, The Ecology of Commerce (1993), by the environmentalist Paul Hawken, landed on his desk. It was an epiphany, "a spear in the chest", Anderson said. "I was dumbfounded by how much I did not know about the environment and about the impacts of the industrial system on the environment. A new definition of 'success' began to creep into my consciousness, and the latent sense of legacy asserted itself. I was a plunderer of the Earth, and that is not the legacy one wants to leave behind."
Shortly afterwards he made his presentation to staff, stunning those present by announcing that the company had a new goal – "to eventually take nothing from the Earth that is not naturally and rapidly renewable". What became known as "Mission Zero" was a radical path for a mainstream industrial business, especially in the mid-1990s, and more ambitious even than programmes put forward by small, cutting-edge "ethical" businesses.
Anderson won over his staff and work began on how to deliver the goal of zero negative impacts by 2020. In 2009 he declared that his company was 60% of the way to achieving the target. InterfaceFLOR had reduced its water use by 75% since 1996, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44%, and dropped energy use by 43%. It also switched to using 100% renewable electricity at its sites in Europe and made 36% of its products from recycled content, up from 0.5% in 1996. And it managed to eradicate any petroleum from the fabrication of its products.
Anderson was keen on the idea of biomimicry, which looks at how nature works and then applies the lessons to industrial processes. A study of leaves on forest floors led to the creation of carpet tiles with random designs that could be installed in any pattern, thereby reducing waste. Observation of the gecko helped develop a way to stick tiles to floors without glue.
While much of what Anderson instigated is now relatively common – including measures such as car pooling for employees, moving distribution of goods on to water and rail, switching to an element of fair trade for suppliers, and introducing sustainability training for employees – his company blazed a trail. It also showed, as Anderson was keen to point out, that most of the measures were beneficial to the bottom line – money. Waste-saving innovations alone over the past 13 years have saved the company $372m.
Having set his company on the path to what he called "Mount Sustainability", Anderson increasingly turned his attention to proselytising around the world. He became one of the most significant advocates of corporate responsibility, respected for practising a large measure of what he preached and doing so with an existing company rather than one purpose-built for the task. InterfaceFLOR set up a unit that lent its expertise to other large companies, and Anderson is at least partially credited with helping to convince senior executives at Walmart to reassess their social and environmental performance. He also wrote influential books, including Confessions of a Radical Industrialist (2009).
Anderson, who was steeped in the hard-nosed culture of the business world, wielded considerable influence in the corporate sphere. Ralph Nader, one of the leading figures in the US green movement, called him "the greatest educator of his peers in industry, and the most knowledgable motivator, by example and vision, for the environmental movement". Anderson co-chaired the President's Council on Sustainable Development during Bill Clinton's administration, which led to him to co-chair the Presidential Climate Action Plan in 2008.
The youngest of three children of William Anderson, a postal worker, and Ruth McGinty, a teacher, Anderson was born in West Point, Georgia. He gained a football scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering in 1956. After initially selling fireworks, he spent more than a decade working in the technical side of the carpet business. In 1973 he branched out on his own to found a 15-employee company that became known as Interface and, later on, InterfaceFLOR. The business was based on the innovative idea, brought over from the UK, of making hard-wearing modular carpet tiles which could be laid easily. It grew quickly outside of its Georgia base to have an international presence across four continents, and went public in 1983. By 2010 it had a turnover of close to $1bn and around 5,000 employees.
Anderson's first marriage, to Harriet Childs, with whom he had two daughters, Mary and Harriet, ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife, Pat; his daughters; a stepson, Brian; a brother, William; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
• Ray Christie Anderson, industrialist, born 28 July 1934; died 8 August 2011
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