Ray Anderson, who heads one of the world’s largest floor-coverings companies, has a word for fellow business people who oppose the Kyoto protocol. Not only is it possible to cut greenhouse emissions without killing profits, the pursuit of lower emissions will lead to a stronger business, Anderson said Wednesday. He was in Ottawa at the invitation of the David Suzuki Foundation, lending his support to a new study which says Canada can save billions by cutting greenhouse emissions. “It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do in a strictly business sense, said the founder and chairman of Atlanta-based Interface Inc. “What I don’t understand is why more CEOs don’t get it.” The study by energy expert Ralph Torrie says Canadians would pocket $200 billion in energy savings if they cut greenhouse emissions by 50 per cent between 2004 and 2030. That estimate is in sharp contrast to calculations by some industry groups that compliance with Kyoto would cost the country billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. The Kyoto protocol requires a six per cent emissions cut from 1990 levels by 2012, a much more modest goal than proposed by Torrie. The savings touted by Torrie would be achieved by retrofitting buildings, using alternative forms of energy, improving public transportation, shifting freight to rail and upgrading manufacturing technologies. “It’s a straightforward approach that is based on existing technologies and practical, proven energy-efficiency techniques, Torrie said. “In fact, it puts us on a path to cutting our emissions in half.” Anderson said there are huge energy savings to be found in every industry, citing his own company’s experience. He said Interface has cut its greenhouse emissions by 30 per cent and saved $175 million since 1994 by reviewing every one of its business activities, from manufacturing to travel. The company’s most efficient plant, at Belleville, Ont., achieved a 65 per cent reduction in emissions while increasing employment by two and a half times since 1995, he said. Anderson said he is mortified that the U.S. government has rejected Kyoto, and suggest the administration has tight ties to the energy industry. “We’re dealing here with a classic confrontation between an immovable object and an irresistible force, he said. “The immovable object is the status quo and the irresistible force is the force of history. The force of history always wins.”
weblink: interfacesustainability.com • from: Interface Carpet • in detail XlnkS4C5 XlnkC183E