The Profitable Shift to Green Energy Global consumer goods
companies following today's energy trends are finding that
greening their energy supplies with renewable energy initiatives
is good—not only for the world but also for their profits.
Before his death last year, Ray Anderson was anointed by The New
York Times as America's greenest businessman. When Anderson, CEO
of the Atlanta-based global carpet firm Interface, first decided
to move manufacturing and operations toward full sustainability
in the mid-1990s, he had trouble convincing his colleagues that
such a move was in the company's best interest. Barely a decade
later, however, it was clear that Anderson was ahead of his
time. By 2005, Interface was saving $400 million a year by
reducing waste, decreasing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by
92 percent, cutting water use by 75 percent, and sending fewer
materials to landfills. Profits doubled in the same time period.
Anderson clearly understood the impact a green strategy could
have on the bottom lin