# Ray C. Anderson

> Ray Christie Anderson (1934-2011) founded Interface in 1973 and later redirected the carpet manufacturer toward environmental sustainability. His 1994 encounter with Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce inspired the work that became Mission Zero. An industrial engineer, author, and former corporate executive, he argued for reducing environmental harm through changes in manufacturing and design; his legacy continues through Interface, his family foundation, and initiatives including The Ray.

- **Role:** Entrepreneur, industrial engineer, sustainability advocate, and author
- **Organizations:** Interface, Inc., Ray C. Anderson Foundation, President’s Council on Sustainable Development, Georgia Conservancy
- **From:** West Point, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, with honors, Georgia Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Founded Interface in 1973., Led the environmental transformation that became Mission Zero., Co-chaired the President’s Council on Sustainable Development during the Clinton administration.

## Career timeline

- **1956** — Graduated with honors from Georgia Tech in industrial engineering.
- **1950s-1973** — Worked in the carpet trade at Callaway Mills and Deering-Milliken.
- **1973** — Founded the modular carpet business that became Interface in LaGrange, Georgia.
- **1983** — Interface became publicly traded.
- **1994** — Read The Ecology of Commerce and began redirecting Interface toward environmental sustainability.
- **1997** — Named co-chair of President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development.
- **1998** — Published Mid-Course Correction.
- **2009** — Published Confessions of a Radical Industrialist and gave a TED talk on the business logic of sustainability.
- **2011** — Died on August 8; his family and Interface continued his environmental work.

## Achievements

- Founded Interface in 1973.
- Led the environmental transformation that became Mission Zero.
- Co-chaired the President’s Council on Sustainable Development during the Clinton administration.
- Received the George and Cynthia Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development in 2001.
- Named a TIME Hero of the Environment in 2007.
- Inducted into the World Floor Covering Association Hall of Fame in 2024, posthumously.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — The foundation reported that The Ray joined the America’s Great Corridors of Commerce initiative to provide geospatial analysis and corridor mapping.
- **2025-03** — The Ray C. Anderson Foundation announced plans to sunset by the end of 2030 and reported more than $36 million in grants since 2012.

## Links

- Website: https://www.raycandersonfoundation.org/about-ray

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ray-anderson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23