His story is now legend. In 1994, after reading The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, Ray Anderson felt a “spear in the chest.” The founder of Interface, Inc., a billion-dollar carpeting manufacturer, realized that his company was plundering the environment and he needed to steer it on a new course. Since then, Interface has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by eighty-two percent, with a goal to reach a zero environmental footprint by 2020. Thoughtful and winning, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist shows how Anderson revolutionized his company—improving quality, bringing costs down, and driving up profits—making it one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. He challenges all industries to share his ambitious goal: to take nothing from the earth that can’t be replaced by the earth.
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"Great book. Nice to see a book about sustainability written by the CEO of a major corporation. He is a little full of himself at times but ultimately this book offers some practical solutions to moving away from an unsustainable industrial model based on fossil fuels."
— Danny (4 out of 5 stars)
“Sustainability, argues Anderson, makes just as much business sense as it does a liberal crusade, and he even makes absorbing reading out of the process that transformed his operations…the story of Anderson’s commitment to green practices and the wild success he achieved is fascinating, instructive, and very timely.”
— Publishers Weekly“Highly inspirational...Essential reading for anyone, whether lay, student, or practitioner, interested in business success today and in the environment.”
— Library Journal (starred review)“If we had a lot more businessmen like Ray Anderson, the planet would be neither bankrupt or overheated. He is a hero, and this book makes clear why!”
— Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy" Good view on how the manufacturing industry can be made greener. Also suggested many other good environmentally minded books to read. "
— Christina, 2/25/2013" Excellent. Only wish I'd discovered Ray Anderson earlier and had seen him speak in person. Recommend this book for anyone interested in sustainability/green living. "
— Lisa, 5/7/2012" I like how much more specific Anderson is about practice and metrics than Lovins usually is. It's really refreshing and practical. Also, inspiring. "
— Cassandra, 6/8/2010" The story of a petroleum-intensive industrialist and his quest to become green. A very interesting and inspiring tale if a bit redundant and self-aggrandising. "
— Andre, 10/3/2009Ray Anderson was named one of Time magazine’s Heroes of the Environment in 2007 and one of MSN.com’s Top 15 Green Business Leaders in 2007 and has received the Purpose Prize from Civic Ventures. He and Interface have been featured in the documentary movies The Corporation and The 11th Hour, as well as in the New York Times, Fortune, Fast Company, and many other publications.