Ray Anderson was already a middle-aged, rich, and powerful CEO when he read an environmentalist book in the 1990s. He proceeded to overhaul his carpet company— dominant in the global market— from a petrochemical intensive operation to a sustainable technology driven one. He doubled profits and generated priceless goodwill at the same time. His company attracted the best and brightest workers. Ray passed away last year (he gave this talk in 2009), but I believe his company continues onward to the goal he called “Mission Zero”— no carbon footprint— something he considered feasible in a few decades. Even though he didn’t live to see that goal, he lived long enough to teach others the economic and ecological value of sustainable business.

Ray Anderson on sustainable business