Confessions of a radical industrialist - Ray Anderson

Ray Anderson's story is truly inspirational. In 1994, after readingThe Ecology of Commerceby 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 Industrialistshows just how Anderson revolutionised his company, and includes the 'seven faces of Mount Sustainability' they are climbing:

1. moving towardszero waste2. makingemissions benign3. usingrenewable energy4. instigatingclosed-loop recycling, imitating nature's way of turning waste into food

5. ensuring all transportation isresource-efficient6. creating acorporate ecosystem, with cooperation as its founding principle

7. assessing costs accurately in order to setreal 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 ofFortune's '100 Best Companies to Work For', and increased profits.

WhatConfessions of a Radical Industrialistproves is that running your company sustainably isn't radical at all - it's just good business.