Interface Carpet Company Ray Anderson

Ray anderson founder of interface and green business pioneer died monday from cancer at the age of 77 leaving an important legacy.

Interface carpet company ray anderson.

Anderson founder and former chairman of interface inc. Anderson set our company and our people on a path to mission zero with a pledge to reduce our negative impact on the environment and live zero every day. We remember this week ray anderson one of the earliest and biggest voices for the role that business must play in sustainability efforts. He was known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability.

He shook the foundations of the petroleum intensive carpet manufacturing industry by declaring that interface was committed to becoming the world s first environmentally sustainable and ultimately restorative company. In a gentle understated way he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce. As the father of two daughters he says this was my third child 1978. Twenty years ago last week interface founder and ceo ray anderson spoke the word sustainability for the first time.

Manufacturers of carpet tiles also known as modular carpet or carpet. At his carpet company ray anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional take make waste industrial system on its head. When reading greenbiz or any of the other numerous media channels that cater to the field of sustainable business it s easy to forget that such a notion scarcely existed 20 years ago. Ray anderson founds interface as a joint venture with carpets international plc a british company to enter the emerging carpet tile market emptying his personal savings accounts and drawing investments from friends.

It awakened him to the urgent need to set a new course for interface. Interface was founded in 1973 by ray anderson whose decade and a half in the carpet trade had led him to create one of the first u s. In 1994 our founder and visionary ray c. Its founder ray anderson was featured in the documentary film the corporation discussing environmental sustainability in modern business.

Anderson who founded the carpet company interface died on monday. Ray berard is a senior vice president in interface s r d division overseeing a dozen efforts to design carpet and fabric that can be pulled apart and turned into carpet again. Hear the story directly from ray in the video below. Mission zero a commitment to eliminate any environmental impacts by the.