After founding Interface in 1973 both revolutionizing the carpet and floor covering industry and growing the company into one of the world's largest interior furnishings companies, Ray Anderson took on a new challenge. In the wake of reading Paul Hawkens' book, The Ecology of Commerce, which discusses our systematic destruction of the planet and envisions a new approach for our corporations and our society, Ray received what he calls “a spear to the chest.” Since that time, Ray has been dedicated to transforming Interface into a sustainable company and providing leadership in a global effort by pioneering the processes of sustainable development. Finally, Ray and Interface have attained a host of prestigious roles and won many awards including co- chairing the President’s Council on Sustainable Development in 1997, and in 2001, the George and Cynthia Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development, the first corporate CEO to be so honoured.

JG:
What is a sustainable economy or a sustainable capitalist economy?

RA:
Capitalism is in trouble as long as it focuses only on financial capital without regard to natural capital. I don’t see longevity in any system that continually chews up nature to create products that end up as waste in a landfill or an incinerator. Until we substitute cyclical processes for linear processes and renewable sources of energy and materials for extractive non-renewable resources, we are on a downhill track. We live in a finite world, a finite biosphere. We cannot impinge on that infinitely.

In my book, Mid-Course Correction, I laid out the theories and schematics that apply to our company as we make that transformation from a typical company of the 20th century to the sustainable company of the 21st century. Until we learn to sever the links--the umbilical cord to Earth--for materials and energy, and [stop] dumping effluents into the biosphere, we are on that downhill track. The model is there. It means new technologies that largely don’t exist today, but we know what they must be. They must be cyclical and renewable and waste free, and benign. They must be focused on the productivity of all resources, not just labour productivity.

JG:
How can we have economic growth without increasing material consumption?