Confessions of a Radical Industrialist

Ray Anderson's story is truly inspirational. In 1994, after reading The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, Ray felt a 'spear in the chest': he realised that his company, billion-dollar carpeting manufacturer Interface, Inc, was plundering the environment with its unsustainable business practices, and he needed to steer it on a new course. Thoughtful and winning, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist shows just how Anderson revolutionised his company, and includes the 'seven faces of Mount Sustainability' they are climbing:1. moving towards zero waste2. making emissions benign3. using renewable energy4. instigating closed-loop recycling, imitating nature's way of turning waste into food5. ensuring all transportation is resource-efficient6. creating a corporate ecosystem, with cooperation as its founding principle7. assessing costs accurately in order to set real pricesBy setting unprecedented targets for cutting waste, instigating revolutionary recycling initiatives, and encouraging employees at every level of the company to contribute ideas on how to save resources, he has succeeded in cutting Interface's greenhouse gas emissions by 82%, and the goal is to reach zero emissions by 2020. Not only that, he has also brought down costs, improved quality, made Interface one of Fortune's '100 Best Companies to Work For', and increased profits. What Confessions of a Radical Industrialist proves is that running your company sustainably isn't radical at all - it's just good business.

In 1994, Ray Anderson felt a 'spear in the chest': he realised that his company, billion-dollar carpeting manufacturer Interface, Inc, was plundering the environment with its unsustainable business practices, and that it desperately needed to change direction.

Under his leadership, Interface went on to set unprecedented targets for cutting waste, instigated revolutionary recycling initiatives, and encouraged employees at every level of the company to contribute ideas on how to save resources. As a result, the company's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 82% and are on target to reach zero level by 2020. Not only that, these changes also brought down costs, improved quality, and increased profits.

In Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, Ray Anderson shares the remarkable story of how Interface turned itself around, and proves that running your company sustainably isn't radical at all - it's just good business.

Préface
'The next generation of entrepreneurs must take Ray Anderson's words to heart' Sir Richard Branson

Auteur

Ray Anderson is chairman and founder of Interface, Inc. He's a sought-after speaker and adviser on environmental issues and serves on many boards, including that of the David Suzuki Foundation. In 2007, Time magazine called him a 'Hero of the Environment'.

'Part cheerleader, part scold, part dreamer ... [Anderson is] the rarest of hybrids: a born-again green industrialist.' Fortune magazine

'The leading corporate evangelist for sustainability.' New York Times