Reclaimed: Net Worth

The late Ray Anderson has been an environmental hero since he made his company, Interface, the global commercial carpet-maker, one of the greenest companies in the world and subsequently inspired a new era of corporate social responsibility. Now Interface has partnered with the Zoological Society of London to create Net-Works, a program that reclaims the spent fishing nets that pollute beaches and harm marine life. Targeting the Danajon Bank region of the Philippines in its first phase, the nets are collected by members of the local fishing community then sent to the United States to be spun into yarn. In many parts of the world, the nylon used in fishing nets is the same material used in commercial carpets, making this a prime opportunity for Interface and struggling local economies. The pilot project is focusing on 15 villages, but plans are in the works for Net-Works to expand to other parts of the world.