To celebrate Georgia Tech's UN Sustainable Development Goals Action and Awareness Week (SDG Week), Dean Anuj Mehrotra hosted Laurel Hurd, president and chief executive officer of Interface, Inc. in a discussion around sustainable business practices in the global economy. The event was held on Monday, March 4 at the Bill Moore Student Success Center in collaboration with the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business and other campus sustainability partners.
Interface, Inc. was founded in 1973 by Ray C. Anderson, a Georgia Tech alumnus, and is a global manufacturer of modular flooring. The company stands out as a corporate sustainability pioneer, working towards achieving its verified Science Based Targets by 2023 and its goal to become a carbon negative enterprise by 2040.
Hurd discussed the importance of the circular economy, the challenges businesses face as they seek to decrease their carbon footprints, and the fine line businesses must walk between having a sustainable business and a profitable one. She described the passion Anderson had to bring sustainability-minded business practices to Interface and how she is committed to continuing his legacy. “At the center of everything is the customer...The good news is our customers are looking for a sustainable solution,” she said. Hurd emphasized that sustainability is not just a function of Interface, but “the bones of the business.”
Watch the full event in the video below.