Ray Anderson's Alliance for Sustainability Award

In 2006 Ray Anderson was honored with a sustainability award by the Alliance for Sustainability. The Sustainability Awards were bestowed on Ray based on an extensive public nomination process that recognizes both exemplary leaders that have made significant contributions to sustainability and those that have helped to create a world that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane.

The Alliance for Sustainability was founded in 1983 and has been one of the original proponents of sustainability. Its mission is to bring about personal, organizational and planetary sustainability. The Alliance for Sustainabiity has partnered with diverse businesses and offers sustainability training.

Following a public nomination process, 52 nominees were evaluated by a distinguished advisory committee based on factors ranging from exemplary leadership to significant contributions to sustainability. The 2006 recipients included Ray Anderson, chairman and founder of Interface, Inc.

“Both Alisa Gravitz (another Sustainability Award winner) and Ray Anderson have consistently proven that sustainable businesses can profit while benefiting people and the planet – the new triple bottom line,” said Terry Gips, Alliance for Sustainability President and Event Co-Chair. “They stand as true heroes…whose bold, yet compassionate leadership has inspired countless people and brought about fundamental changes in their institutions and industries as well as public policy,” Gips added.

Ray Anderson was recognized for his revolutionary efforts in turning a primarily petroleum-based company into an internationally recognized, billion dollar sustainability leader, demonstrating that a company can “do well by doing good” by creating “the next industrial revolution.” At the same time, he has worked tirelessly to encourage countless business, government and other audiences to make a commitment to sustainability.

Event Co-Chair Dawn Erlandson noted, “Under Anderson’s leadership, Interface has reduced its environmental footprint by more than 40%, cut total carbon dioxide emissions by 56%, decreased total energy consumption required to manufacture carpet by 43%, eliminated over $300 million in waste since 1995 and been named several times as one of the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For.”