Ray Anderson Discusses the Natural Step

he story is now legend: the "spear in the chest" epiphany Ray Anderson experienced when he first read Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce, seeking inspiration for a speech to an Interface task force on the company's environmental vision. Fourteen years and a sea change later, Interface, Inc., is nearly 50 percent towards the vision of "Mission Zero®," the journey no one would have imagined for the company or the petroleum-intensive industry of carpet manufacturing which has been forever changed by Anderson's vision. Mission Zero® is the company's promise to eliminate any negative impact it may have on the environment, by the year 2020, through the redesign of processes and products, the pioneering of new technologies, and efforts to reduce or eliminate waste and harmful emissions while increasing the use of renewable materials and sources of energy.

Interface was the first company in North America to adopt the Natural Step Framework, which they use to define "Mount Sustainability" and guide them on their journey to Mission Zero. Ray says they're about 60% of the way there and the achievements they've made over the past decade are truly impressive. Learn more by listening to Ray on Ted Talks or visit the Interface website.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• Ray Anderson
• the Natural Step
• sustainability
• sustainable business
• environmentalism