Ray Anderson: The business logic of sustainability

Prevoditelj: Igor Pureta Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Believe me or not, I come offering a solution

Vjerovali ili ne donosim rješenje

to a very important part of this larger problem,

važnog dijela jednog većeg problema,

with the requisite focus on climate.

s nužnim fokusom na klimu.

And the solution I offer

Rješenje koje nudim

is to the biggest culprit

odnosi se na najvećeg krivca

in this massive mistreatment of the earth

ovog masovnog ljudskog

by humankind,

zapostavljanja Zemlje

and the resulting decline of the biosphere.

i posljedičnog pada biosfere.

That culprit is business and industry,

Taj krivac su posao i industrija,

which happens to be where I have spent the last 52 years

gdje sam proveoo već 52 godine

since my graduation from Georgia Tech in 1956.

od diplome na Geogria Techu 1956.

As an industrial engineer,

kao industrijski inženjer,

cum aspiring and then successful entrepreneur.

ambiciozni i uspješni poduzetnik.

After founding my company, Interface, from scratch

Nakon osnivanja svog poduzeća, Interface

in 1973, 36 years ago,

1973., prije 36 godina,

to produce carpet tiles in America

kako bih proizvodio tepihe u Americi

for the business and institution markets,

za poslovne objekte i institucije,

and shepherding it through start-up and survival

predvodeći ga kroz start-up i preživljavanje

to prosperity and global dominance in its field,

do prosperiteta i svjetske dominacije u tom polju,

I read Paul Hawken's book,

čitao sam knjigu Paula Hawkena,

"The Ecology of Commerce,"

"Ekologija trgovanja"

the summer of 1994.

u ljeto 1994.

In his book, Paul charges business and industry

U toj knjizi, Paul optužuje posao i industriju

as, one, the major culprit

kao, prvo, glavnog krivca

in causing the decline of the biosphere,

u uzrokovanju pada biosfere

and, two, the only institution that is large enough,

i drugo, jedinu instituciju koja je dovoljno velika,

and pervasive enough, and powerful enough,

općeprisutna i dovoljno snažna

to really lead humankind out of this mess.

da vodi čovječanstvo van ovog nereda.

And by the way he convicted me

Usput me osudio

as a plunderer of the earth.

kao pljačkaša Zemlje.

And I then challenged the people of Interface, my company,

Tada sam izazvao ljude u Interfaceu, mom poduzeću,

to lead our company and the entire industrial world to sustainability,

da vode naše poduzeće i cijeli industrijski svijet do održivosti,

which we defined as eventually operating

koju smo definirali kao upravljanje

our petroleum-intensive company in such a way

našim poduzećem, koja zahtjeva puno petroleja, na takav način

as to take from the earth

da uzimamo od zemlje

only what can be renewed by the earth, naturally and rapidly --

samo ono što zemlja može brzo i prirodno obnoviti --

not another fresh drop of oil --

nijedna dodatna kap nafte --

and to do no harm to the biosphere.

i bez štete biosferi.

Take nothing: do no harm.

Uzmi ništa: ne šteti.

I simply said, "If Hawken is right

Jednostavno sam rekao: "Ako je Hawken u pravu

and business and industry must lead,

i posao i industrija moraju voditi,

who will lead business and industry?

tko će njih voditi?

Unless somebody leads, nobody will."

Ako netko ne vodi, nitko neće."

It's axiomatic. Why not us?

Aksiomatsko je. Zašto ne mi?

And thanks to the people of Interface,

Zahvaljujući ljudima Interfacea,

I have become a recovering plunderer.

postao sam pljačkaš koji vraća opljačkano.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

I once told a Fortune Magazine writer

Jednom sam rekao novinaru časopisa Fortune

that someday people like me would go to jail.

da će jednog dana ljudi kao ja ići u zatvor.

And that became the headline of a Fortune article.

To je postao naslov članka u Fortuneu.

They went on to describe me as America's greenest CEO.

Opisali su me kao najzelenijeg direktora Amerike.

From plunderer to recovering plunderer,

Od pljačkaša do pljačkaša pokajnika,

to America's greenest CEO in five years --

do najzelenijeg američkog direktora u pet godina --

that, frankly, was a pretty sad commentary

to je, iskreno, poprilično tužan komentar

on American CEOs in 1999.

za američke direktore u 1999.

Asked later in the Canadian documentary, "The Corporation,"

Kada su me kasnije pitali u kanadskom dokumentarcu "Korporacija"

what I meant by the "go to jail" remark,

što sam mislio pod time da ću "ići u zatvor",

I offered that theft is a crime.

ponudio sam odgovor da je krađa zločin.

And theft of our children's future would someday be a crime.

A krađa budućnosti naše djece će jednog dana biti zločin.

But I realized, for that to be true --

No shvatio sam, da bi to bila istina --

for theft of our children's future to be a crime --

da bi krađa budućnosti naše djece bila zločin --

there must be a clear, demonstrable alternative

mora postojati jasna, demonstrabilna alternativa

to the take-make-waste industrial system

za uzmi-stvori-baci industrijski sustav

that so dominates our civilization,

koji je toliko dominantan u našoj civilizaciji

and is the major culprit, stealing our children's future,

i glavni krivac je u krađi budućnosti naše djece,

by digging up the earth

kopajući zemlju

and converting it to products that quickly become waste

i pretvarajući njene produkte, koji broz prelaze u otpad

in a landfill or an incinerator --

u odlagalištu ili spalionici --

in short, digging up the earth and converting it to pollution.

ukratko, kopajući zemlju i pretvarajući ju u zagađenje.

According to Paul and Anne Ehrlich

Prema Paulu i Anni Ehrlich

and a well-known environmental impact equation,

i dobro poznatoj jednadžbi utjecaja na okoliš,

impact -- a bad thing --

utjecaj -- loša stvar--

is the product of population, affluence and technology.

je produkt populacije, obilja i tehnologije.

That is, impact is generated by people,

Odnosno, utjecaj stvaraju ljudi,

what they consume in their affluence,

ono što konzumiraju u njihovom obilju,

and how it is produced.

i kako je ono proizvedeno.

And though the equation is largely subjective,

I iako je jednadžba jako subjektivna,

you can perhaps quantify people, and perhaps quantify affluence,

možete izmjeriti ljude, možda izmjeriti obilje,

but technology is abusive in too many ways to quantify.

no tehnologija je previše napadna u toliko načina da bi ih se pobrojalo.

So the equation is conceptual.

Dakle jednadžba je konceptualna.

Still it works to help us understand the problem.

No, i dalje nam služi da shvatimo problem.

So we set out at Interface, in 1994,

Odlučili smo 1994. da od Interfacea

to create an example:

napravimo primjer:

to transform the way we made carpet,

preobrazimo način na koji radimo tepihe,

a petroleum-intensive product for materials as well as energy,

intenzivnim trošenjem petroleja kao i energije,

and to transform our technologies

i da preobrazimo našu tehnologiju

so they diminished environmental impact,

tako da umanjuje utjecaj na prirodu,

rather than multiplied it.

a ne da ga umnožava.

Paul and Anne Ehrlich's environmental impact equation:

Paulova i Annina E. jednadžba za utjecaj na okoliš:

I is equal to P times A times T:

U = P x A x T:

population, affluence and technology.

populacija, obilje i tehnologija.

I wanted Interface to rewrite that equation so that it read

Htio sam da Interface ponovno napiše tu jednadžbu tako da piše

I equals P times A divided by T.

U = P x A : T.

Now, the mathematically-minded will see immediately

Oni s matematičkim umovima će odmah uvidjeti

that T in the numerator increases impact -- a bad thing --

da T u brojniku povećava utjecaj - lošu stvar -

but T in the denominator decreases impact.

no T u nazivniku smanjuje utjecaj.

So I ask, "What would move T, technology,

Stoga pitam: "Što bi pomaknulo T, tehnologiju,

from the numerator -- call it T1 --

iz brojnika --recimo T1 --

where it increases impact,

gdje povećava utjecaj,

to the denominator -- call it T2 --

u nazivnik -- recimo T2 --

where it reduces impact?

gdje ga smanjuje?

I thought about the characteristics

Razmišljao sam o karakteristikama

of first industrial revolution,

prve industrijske revolucije,

T1, as we practiced it at Interface,

T1, kao što smo radili u Interfaceu,

and it had the following characteristics.

i imala je sljedeće karakteristike.

Extractive: taking raw materials from the earth.

Izvučeno: uzimanje sirovina iz Zemlje.

Linear: take, make, waste.

Linearno: uzmi, napravi, baci.

Powered by fossil fuel-derived energy.

Energija dolazi iz fosilnih goriva.

Wasteful: abusive and focused on labor productivity.

Otpadno: nasilno i fokusirano na produktivnost radnika.

More carpet per man-hour.

Više tepiha po čovjeku na sat.

Thinking it through, I realized that all those attributes

Razmišljajući, shvatio sam da se svi ovi atributi

must be changed to move T to the denominator.

moraju promijeniti kako bi se T prebacio u nazivnik.

In the new industrial revolution extractive must be replaced by renewable;

U novoj industrijskoj revoluciji ono što se izvlači mora biti zamjenjeno

linear by cyclical;

obnovljivim; linearno cikličkim;

fossil fuel energy by renewable energy, sunlight;

fosilna goriva s obnovljivom energijom, suncem;

wasteful by waste-free;

otpadno bezotpadnim;

and abusive by benign;

nasilno benignim;

and labor productivity by resource productivity.

i radnička produktivnost resursnom produktivnošću.

And I reasoned that if we could make those transformative changes,

Ako možemo napraviti takve promjene

and get rid of T1 altogether,

i riješiti se T1,

we could reduce our impact to zero,

možemo smanjiti utjecaj na nulu,

including our impact on the climate.

uključujući naš utjecaj na klimu.

And that became the Interface plan in 1995,

To je postao plan Interfacea 1995.

and has been the plan ever since.

i ostao do dan danas.

We have measured our progress very rigorously.

Rigorozno smo mjerili svoj napredak.

So I can tell you how far we have come in the ensuing 12 years.

Stoga vam mogu reći koliko smo daleko došli u 12 godina.

Net greenhouse gas emissions

Emisije stakleničkih plinova su

down 82 percent in absolute tonnage.

niže za 82% posto u ukupnoj tonaži.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Over the same span of time

U istom vremenskom razdoblju

sales have increased by two-thirds and profits have doubled.

naša se prodaja povećala za dvije trećine, a profit udvostručio.

So an 82 percent absolute reduction

Dakle 82% potpunog smanjenja

translates into a 90 percent reduction

se prevodi u 90% smanjenja

in greenhouse gas intensity relative to sales.

u intenzitetu stakleničkih plinova u omjeru s prodajom.

This is the magnitude

Ovo je veličina

of the reduction the entire global technosphere

smanjenja koju cijela svjetska tehnosfera

must realize by 2050

mora shvatiti do 2050.

to avoid catastrophic climate disruption --

kako bi izbjegli katastrofalno remećenje klime --

so the scientists are telling us.

kako nam govore znanstvenici.

Fossil fuel usage is down 60 percent per unit of production,

Korištenje fosilnih goriva se smanjilo za 60% po jedinici proizvodnje,

due to efficiencies in renewables.

zbog efikasnosti u obnovljivim izvorima.

The cheapest, most secure barrel of oil there is

Najjeftiniji, najsigurniji barel nafte koji postoji

is the one not used through efficiencies.

je onaj koji se ne koristi kroz učinkovitost.

Water usage is down 75 percent

Korištenje vode se smanjilo za 75%

in our worldwide carpet tile business.

u svjetskom poslu tepisnih ploča.

Down 40 percent in our broadloom carpet business,

Smanjeno za 40% u drugom sektoru tepiha,

which we acquired in 1993

kojeg smo kupili 1993.

right here in California, City of Industry,

upravo ovdje u Kaliforniji, gradu industrije,

where water is so precious.

gdje je voda toliko vrijedna.

Renewable or recyclable materials are 25 percent of the total, and growing rapidly.

Obnovljivi ili reciklažni materijali čine 25% od ukupnog i ubrzano rastu.

Renewable energy is 27 percent of our total,

Obnovljiva energija je 27% ukupne,

going for 100 percent.

i penje se do 100%.

We have diverted 148 million pounds --

Preradili smo 148 milijuna funti --

that's 74,000 tons --

to je 74 000 tona --

of used carpet from landfills,

korištenog tepiha iz odlagališta,

closing the loop on material flows

zatvarajući petlju na kolanju materijala

through reverse logistics

kroz obrnutu logistiku

and post-consumer recycling technologies

i reciklažne tehnologije

that did not exist when we started 14 years ago.

koje nisu postojale kada smo počeli prije 14 godina.

Those new cyclical technologies

Te nove cikličke tehnologije

have contributed mightily to the fact that we have produced and sold

su uvelike pridonijele činjenici da smo proizveli i prodali

85 million square yards of climate-neutral carpet

85 milijuna kvadratnih metara klimatsko neutralnog tepiha

since 2004,

od 2004.,

meaning no net contribution to global climate disruption

što znači nikakav prinos svjetskom remećenju klime

in producing the carpet throughout the supply chain,

u proizvodnji tepiha kroz lanac nabave,

from mine and well head clear to end-of-life reclamation --

od rudnika preko doživotne garancije

independent third-party certified.

do certifikata treće strane.

We call it Cool Carpet.

Zovemo ga Cool Tepih.

And it has been a powerful marketplace differentiator,

Bio je moćan diferencijator tržišta,

increasing sales and profits.

povećavajući prodaju i profit.

Three years ago we launched carpet tile for the home,

Prije tri godine pustili smo u prodaju tepih za kućanstva,

under the brand Flor,

pod nazivom Flor, (floor - pod)

misspelled F-L-O-R.

krivo napisano F-L-O-R.

You can point and click today at Flor.com

Možete usmjeriti miš i klinkuti na Flor.com

and have Cool Carpet delivered to your front door in five days.

i imati dostavljen Cool tepih na vaša vrata u 5 dana.

It is practical, and pretty too.

Praktičan je i lijep također.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

We reckon that we are a bit over halfway

Mislimo da smo nešto više od pola puta

to our goal: zero impact, zero footprint.

do našeg cilja: nula utjecaja, nula otisaka.

We've set 2020 as our target year for zero,

Postavili smo 2020. kao zadanu godinu za nulu,

for reaching the top, the summit of Mount Sustainability.

za dostizanje vrha planine Održivosti.

We call this Mission Zero.

Ovo zovemo misija Nula.

And this is perhaps the most important facet:

Možda najvažniji dio ovoga:

we have found Mission Zero to be incredibly good for business.

uvidjeli smo da je misija Nula iznimno dobra za posao.

A better business model,

Bolji poslovni model,

a better way to bigger profits.

bolji put do većih prihoda.

Here is the business case for sustainability.

Ovdje je poslovni slučaj za održivost.

From real life experience, costs are down, not up,

Iz pravog iskustva, trošak je manji, ne veći,

reflecting some 400 million dollars

odražavajući kojih 400 milijuna dolara

of avoided costs in pursuit of zero waste --

izbjegnutih cijena u potjeri za nula otpada --

the first face of Mount Sustainability.

prvo lice planine Održivosti.

This has paid all the costs for the transformation of Interface.

Ovo je platilo sve troškove transformacije Interfacea.

And this dispels a myth too,

Također, razotkriva mit,

this false choice between the environment and the economy.

krivi izbor između prirode i ekonomije.

Our products are the best they've ever been,

Naši proizvodi su najbolji ikad,

inspired by design for sustainability,

inspirirani dizajnom za održivost,

an unexpected wellspring of innovation.

neočekivano vrelo inovacija.

Our people are galvanized around this shared higher purpose.

Naši su ljudi potaknuti zajedničkom višom svrhom.

You cannot beat it for attracting the best people

Ne možete ih nadmašiti dovodeći najbolje ljude

and bringing them together.

i spajajući ih zajedno.

And the goodwill of the marketplace is astonishing.

Ugled na tržištu je zadivljujuć.

No amount of advertising, no clever marketing campaign,

Ne postoji količina reklama, pametnog marketinga,

at any price, could have produced or created

bilo koje cijene, koji bi mogli proizvesti ili stvoriti

this much goodwill.

ovoliko ugleda

Costs, products, people, marketplaces --

Troškovi, proizvodi, ljudi, tržišta --

what else is there?

što još postoji?

It is a better business model.

To je bolji poslovni model.

And here is our 14-year record of sales and profits.

A ovdje je naših 14 godina rekordnih prodaja i profita.

There is a dip there, from 2001 to 2003:

Postoji rupa od 2001. do 2003.,

a dip when our sales, over a three-year period,

rupa u kojoj su naše prodaje, kroz trogodišnje razdoblje,

were down 17 percent.

bile niže za 17%.

But the marketplace was down 36 percent.

No tržište je palo za 36%.

We literally gained market share.

Doslovno smo dobili dio tržišta.

We might not have survived that recession

Možda ne bismo preživjeli tu recesiju

but for the advantages of sustainability.

da nije bilo prednosti održivosti.

If every business were pursuing Interface plans,

Kada bi svaki posao išao stopama Interfacea,

would that solve all our problems?

bi li to riješilo sve naše probleme?

I don't think so.

Mislim da ne bi.

I remain troubled by the revised Ehrlich equation,

Ostajem zabrinut Erlichovom jednadžbom,

I equals P times A divided by T2.

U = P x A : T2.

That A is a capital A,

Taj A je veliko slovo,

suggesting that affluence is an end in itself.

implicirajući da je obilje samo po sebi konačno.

But what if we reframed Ehrlich further?

No što ako dalje preobrazimo Ehrlich?

And what if we made A a lowercase 'a,'

Što ako postavimo A kao malo slovo 'a',

suggesting that it is a means to an end,

implicirajući da je sredstvo za dolazak do kraja,

and that end is happiness --

a taj kraj je sreća --

more happiness with less stuff.

više sreće s manje stvari.

You know that would reframe civilization itself --

To bi promijenilo civilizaciju kao takvu -

(Applause) --

(Pljesak)

and our whole system of economics,

i cijeli naš sustav ekonomije,

if not for our species, then perhaps for the one that succeeds us:

ako ne za našu vrste, onda možda za one koje nas nasljeđuju:

the sustainable species, living on a finite earth,

održive vrste, živeći na smrtnoj zemlji,

ethically, happily and ecologically

etično, sretno i ekološki

in balance with nature

u ravnoteži s prirodom

and all her natural systems for a thousand generations,

i svim njenim prirodnim sustavima za tisuću generacija,

or 10,000 generations --

ili 10 000 generacija --

that is to say, into the indefinite future.

odnosno, do beskonačne budućnosti.

But does the earth have to wait for our extinction as a species?

No treba li Zemlja čekati da mi izumremo kao vrsta?

Well maybe so. But I don't think so.

Možda. No ne mislim tako.

At Interface we really intend to bring this prototypical

U Interfaceu pokušavamo donijeti prototip

sustainable, zero-footprint industrial company

održivog poduzeća s nula otisaka

fully into existence by 2020.

potpuno u život do 2020.

We can see our way now,

Možemo vidjeti svoj put sada,

clear to the top of that mountain.

čisto do vrha planine.

And now the challenge is in execution.

Sad je izazov u izvedbi.

And as my good friend and adviser Amory Lovins says,

Kako bi moj dobar prijatelj i savjetnik Amory Lovins rekao,

"If something exists, it must be possible."

"Ako nešto postoji, mora biti moguće."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

If we can actually do it, it must be possible.

Ako možemo to napraviti, mora biti moguće.

If we, a petro-intensive company can do it, anybody can.

Ako mi, poduzeće s velikom potrošnjom petroleja, možemo, bilo tko može.

And if anybody can, it follows that everybody can.

Ako bilo tko može, slijedi da svi mogu.

Hawken fulfilled business and industry,

Hawken je ispunio posao i industriju,

leading humankind away from the abyss

vodeći čovječanstvo van iz bezdana

because, with continued unchecked decline of the biosphere,

jer s nastavljajućim padom biosfere,

a very dear person is at risk here --

vrlo draga nam je osoba u riziku --

frankly, an unacceptable risk.

iskreno, nedopustivom riziku.

Who is that person?

Tko je ta osoba?

Not you. Not I.

Ne vi. Ne ja.

But let me introduce you to the one who is most at risk here.

Ali dopustite mi da vas upoznam s onim tko je najviše u riziku.

And I myself met this person in the early days of this mountain climb.

I sam sam upoznao ovu osobu u ranim danima penjanja na planinu.

On a Tuesday morning in March of 1996,

Ujutro, u utorak u ožujku 1996.,

I was talking to people, as I did at every opportunity back then,

pričao sam s ljudima, kao što sam radio svakom prilikom tada,

bringing them along and often not knowing whether I was connecting.

skupljajući ih zajedno i često ne znajući povezujem li se.

But about five days later back in Atlanta,

No pet dana kasnije u Atlanti,

I received an email from Glenn Thomas,

primio sam e-mail od Glenna Thomasa,

one of my people in the California meeting.

jednog od mojih ljudi na sastanku u Kaliforniji.

He was sending me an original poem

Slao mi je originalnu pjesmu

that he had composed after our Tuesday morning together.

koju je skladao nakon našeg zajedničkog utorka ujutro.

And when I read it it was one of the most uplifting moments of my life.

Kada sam ju pročitao, bila je jedna od najdivnijih trenutaka u mom životu.

Because it told me, by God, one person got it.

Jer mi je reklo: "Za Boga, jedna osoba razumije."

Here is what Glenn wrote. And here is that person, most at risk.

Ovo je što je Glenn napisao. I ovdje je ta osoba, najviše izložena riziku.

Please meet "Tomorrow's Child."

Molim vas, upoznajte "Sutrašnje dijete"

"Without a name, an unseen face, and knowing not your time or place,

"Bez imena, bez lica, bez poznavanja vremena ili ulica,

Tomorrow's child, though yet unborn,

Sutrašnje dijete, iako nerođeno,

I met you first last Tuesday morn.

upoznao sam te prošlog utorka ujutro.

A wise friend introduced us two.

Mudar prijatelj nas upozna.

And through his sobering point of view

I kroz njegov trevezni pogled

I saw a day that you would see, a day for you but not for me.

vidio sam dan koji ćeš vidjeti, dan za tebe, ne za mene.

Knowing you has changed my thinking.

Poznavajući te, promijenio sam mišljenje.

For I never had an inkling

Jer nikad nisam posjedovao čar za naziranje

that perhaps the things I do might someday,

da ono što činim i što bih činiti mogao,

somehow threaten you.

na neki način tebi pokazuje svijet koji je propao.

Tomorrow's child, my daughter, son,

Sutrašnje dijete, moja kćeri, sine,

I'm afraid I've just begun to think of you and of your good,

bojim se da sam se prekasno tvojim mislima predao,

though always having known I should.

iako sam uvijek znao da bih trebao.

Begin, I will.

Počet ću.

The way the cost of what I squander, what is lost,

Način i put onoga što sam protratio i izgubio,

if ever I forget that you

ako te zaboravim ikada,

will someday come and live here too."

doći će i živjeti s tobom tada."

Well, every day of my life since,

Svaki dan mog života od tad,

"Tomorrow's Child" has spoken to me

Sutrašnje dijete mi govori

with one simple but profound message,

s jednom jednostavnom no dubokom porukom,

which I presume to share with you.

koju želim podijeliti s vama.

We are, each and every one,

Mi smo, svi do jednog,

a part of the web of life.

dio mreže života.

The continuum of humanity, sure, but in a larger sense, the web of life itself.

Kontinuum čovječanstva, naravno, no u većem smislu, mreže života samoga.

And we have a choice to make

I imamo izbor

during our brief, brief visit

tijekom našeg kratkog, kratkog posjeta

to this beautiful blue and green living planet:

ovom prelijepom plavom i zelenom planetu:

to hurt it or to help it.

ozlijediti ga ili mu pomoći.

For you, it's your call.

Vaš izbor.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)