Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

Ray AndersonINDIVIDUALSMATTERRay Anderson(Figure 24-A) isCEO of Interface, acompany based inAtlanta, Georgia,that makes carpettiles. The company is the world’slargest commercial carpet manufacturer,with 26 factories in six countries,customers in 110 countries, andmore than $1 billion in annual sales.Anderson changed the way heviewed the world and his businessafter reading Paul Hawken’s bookThe Ecology of Commerce. In 1994, heannounced plans to develop the nation’sfirst totally sustainable greencorporation.He has implemented hundredsof projects with the goals of zerowaste, greatly reduced energy use,and eventually zero use of fossilfuels by relying on renewable solarenergy. By 1999, the company hadreduced resource waste by almost30% and reduced energy wasteenough to save $100 million. Oneof Interface’s factories in Californiaruns mostly on solar cells to producethe world’s first solar-madecarpet.To achieve the goal of zerowaste, Anderson plans to stop sellingcarpet and lease it as a way toencourage recycling. For a monthlyfee, the company will install,clean, and inspect the carpeton a monthly basis,repair worn carpet tilesovernight, and recycleworn-out tiles into newcarpeting. As Andersonputs it, “We wantto harvest yesterday’scarpets and recyclethem with zero scrapgoing to the landfill andzero emissions into the eco-system—and run the whole thingon sunlight.”Anderson is one of a growingnumber of business leaders committedto finding a more economicallyand ecologically sustainable way todo business while still making aprofit for stockholders. Between1993 and 1998, the company’s revenuesdoubled and profits tripled,mostly because the companysaved $130 million inmaterial costs with aninvestment of lessthan $40 million.Anderson says heis having a blast.Figure 24-A Ray Andersoninvolves shifting from our current material-flow economy(Figure 3-18, p. 53) to a service-flow economy overthe next few decades. Instead of buying most goodsoutright, customers would use eco-leasing, renting theservices that such goods provide.In a service-flow economy, a manufacturer makesmore money on a product if it uses the minimumamount of materials, lasts as long as possible, and is easyto maintain, repair, remanufacture, reuse, or recycle.There is evidence that such an economic shiftbased on eco-leasing is under way. Since 1992, the XeroxCorporation has been leasing most of its copy machinesas part of its mission to provide document servicesinstead of selling photocopiers. When the servicecontract expires, Xerox takes the machine back forreuse or remanufacture and has a goal of sending nomaterial to landfills or incinerators. To save money,machines are designed to use recycled paper, have fewparts, be energy efficient, and emit as little noise, heat,ozone, and copier chemical waste as possible. Canonin Japan and Fiat in Italy are taking similar measures.Another example is Carrier, the world’s leadingmaker of air conditioning equipment, which nowleases cooling services. Carrier teams up with other serviceproviders to install superefficient windows andmore efficient lighting and to make other energyefficiencyupgrades that reduce the cooling needs of itscustomers. Carrier makes money by providing suchservices rather than installing equipment.Dow and several other chemical companies aredoing a booming business in leasing organic solvents(used mostly to remove grease from surfaces), photographicdeveloping chemicals, and dyes and pigments.In this chemical service business, the companydelivers the chemicals, helps the client set up a recoverysystem, takes away the recovered chemicals, anddelivers new chemicals as needed.Finally, Ray Anderson, CEO of a large carpet tilecompany, plans to lease rather than sell carpet(Individuals Matter, above). There are many entrepreneurialand career opportunities in the emerging service-floweconomy.24-4 REUSEWhat are the Advantages andDisadvantages of Reuse? ImprovesEnvironmental Quality for Some, CanCreate Hazards for OthersReusing products is an important way to reduceresource use, waste, and pollution in developedcountries but can create hazards for the poorin developing countries.Reuse involves cleaning and using materials over andover and thus increasing the typical life span of aproduct. This form of waste reduction reduces use of538 CHAPTER 24 Solid and Hazardous Waste