A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson

The document outlines the environmental and economic achievements of Ray C. Anderson at Interface, Inc., following his 1994 epiphany to reconcile industrial production with ecological stewardship. Between 1994 and 2010, Anderson led the company to divert over 100,000 tons of carpet from landfills, transition eight of nine plants to renewable electricity, and significantly reduce energy intensity, waste, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions, while saving $438 million in waste costs. These efforts were part of 'Mission Zero,' a 2020 goal to eliminate waste and harm while maintaining business success.

• Following a 1994 epiphany, Ray C. Anderson transformed Interface, Inc. by diverting more than 100,000 tons of carpet from landfills toward recycling, remanufacturing, and energy recovery.
• Interface, Inc. achieved significant operational reductions: energy intensity decreased by 43 percent, waste to landfill and water use both dropped by 82 percent, and absolute greenhouse gas emissions fell by 35 percent.
• The transition to sustainable practices resulted in a 42 percent reduction in waste costs, totaling savings of $438 million, and led to the establishment of 'Mission Zero,' a 2020 target to operate without taking or wasting resources or causing harm.

APA

Lovins, A. B. (2011). A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/giantpassesrmitrusteeraycanderson/

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B. A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson. RMI, 2011. https://rmi.org/resources/giantpassesrmitrusteeraycanderson/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |title=A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson |publisher=RMI |date=9 August 2011 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/giantpassesrmitrusteeraycanderson/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lovins2011giant, author = {Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/giantpassesrmitrusteeraycanderson/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }