Remembering Ray Anderson: A Trailblazing CEO and Environmentalist
While everyone (quite rightly) has been lamenting Steve Jobs' resignation as Apple CEO, people may have
missed another corporate departure that will leave the business world poorer. Ray Anderson, CEO of InterfaceFLOR, the world's largest carpet-tile manufacturer, died recently, at the age of 77. Anderson was one of the first business leaders to take environmental impacts seriously; he then set ambitious goals - and achieved them. His is a story any business leader could and should learn from.
None of this was obvious from the outset. Anderson's company imported the idea of carpet made in tiles (rather than vast rolls) which were more flexible and reduced waste. But it wasn't until he read Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce that he became convinced that manufacturing business must eliminate environmental damage. His Mission Zero (earning him the nickname, the 'Zeronaut) aimed to reduce all negative impacts of his company by 2020.
Between 1995 and 2010, his company had:
- Reduced water use by 75%
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44%
- Dropped energy use by 43%
- Converted to renewable energy sources (in Europe) 100%
- Made 36% of its products entirely from recycled materials
- Eliminated petroleum from all products
But Anderson's innovations weren't just about cutting consumption. Working with the Biomimicry Guild, the company invented a glueless carpet, as well as an entirely new carpet system which, because each tile was random, radically reduced waste.
That Anderson's was not a tiny business -- revenues exceeded a billion dollars - is important; it proved that green didn't have to be tiny and big didn't mean bad. It's a lesson most business leaders have still not fully absorbed.
How did I first encounter Anderson? For years, I've interviewed CEOs and I've always asked them whom they most admire. Consistently, there have been two answers: Steve Jobs and Ray Anderson. Inspirational. Game-changing. Pioneers. But now gone from the companies they led. Who will replace them?
Further Reading
Steve Jobs' Legacy
Do Tough Decisions Require Trade-Offs?
5 Rules to Eliminate Now