The late Ray Anderson (second from right) with David Suzuki, honorary board member John F. Bankes, and Tara Cullis-Suzuki.
Two often divided industries, business and the environment, are united today in mourning a hero. Ray Anderson, the Chairman and Founder of Interface, Inc., passed away on August 8th from cancer at the age of 77.
Here at the Foundation, we are particularly saddened by Anderson's passing, as he was a dedicated member of our Board of Directors from February 2005 to April 2011.
Remembered by staff as a convincing, passionate leader and a kind soul, Anderson founded Interface, Inc. in the 70's, but it wasn't until 1994, when consumers began questioning what the company was doing for the environment, that he was forced to think of its environmental footprint. At the time, the answer was simply, next to nothing.
That's when a copy of The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken landed on Anderson's desk; reading it resulted in "an epiphany" that forever changed his life and worldview.
In his book, Hawken targets business and industry as major culprits of environmental destruction, but also as capable of using their power and influence to solve the problem. Anderson immediately recognized himself as one of the "plunderers" and set out to right his wrongs.
He established a new mission for his company: achieving sustainability—that is, operating in a way that does nothing to harm the Earth—by 2020. He called it Mission Zero. It was a lofty goal for any company, let alone a flooring company reliant on the petroleum industry, but two years ago, he announced in an interview that Interface was already halfway there.
Anderson's ideas and drive influenced countless individuals, environmentalists and businesspeople alike. He gave over a thousand speeches, wrote two books, and inspired many businesses to follow his lead, not least of all GE and Walmart.
We at the Foundation are heartened by the legacy he leaves behind. One only has to look at the blog Interface has created in his memory to know how many hearts he touched and minds he inspired.
We send our condolences to his wife Pat Anderson, his children and grandchildren.
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5:08 PM
Love and have followed David for years! Fantastic human for Mother Gaia…LUV <3
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