Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Finance, Sustainability on Oct 4th, 2011
Convincing a company executive to fully embed sustainability into its strategies and operations therefore requires a compelling two-part business case. This case must include the risks of what might happen if the company does not take action, as well as the benefits it can reap if it does.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Sustainability on Sep 6th, 2011
In my last blog, we outlined how companies can gain more Business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) revenue from a more responsible company brand. This week we will look at a second way that sustainability strategies bolster revenue: the green attributes of the company’s products and services become differentiators.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on Aug 23rd, 2011
People buy from companies they trust. More and more, customers prefer to do business with companies that are doing good things and are responsible. The responsible image of the company builds loyalty with customers who identify with the values of the company – their loyalty is more to the company than to its products. Even [...]
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on Jun 28th, 2011
There are only two reasons a company changes: to avoid risks and / or to capture opportunities. They go for the upside, and / or run from the downside. They are attracted to the carrot, and / or want to duck the stick; the yin and / or the yang. Trying to convince a company to fully embed sustainability into its strategies and operations requires a very compelling business case. The standard business case is made up of these same two parts, shown in the figure below.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Finance, Sustainability on May 29th, 2011
We need to make it easy for CEOs, CFOs, and others in the C-suite to see how embedding sustainability strategies into the company’s strategies and operations will contribute to the firm’s success. That is, we need to connect the dots between typical financial statements and the benefits that can be realized from smart environmental, social, and governance (ESG) approaches and programs. Aligning ESG benefits with income statement elements helps executives see the relevance of sustainability initiatives to their current financial priorities.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on May 17th, 2011
What is the secret of selling executives on using sustainability strategies? Show how the benefits of those strategies help them achieve their existing priorities on which they are already being measured. Executives are juggling way too many key focus areas to welcome adding another one like “sustainability” to the batch. That means sustainability champions need to align the set of benefits that are yielded by smart environmental, social, and governance (ESG) / sustainability strategies with executives’ top priorities.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on Mar 8th, 2011
Economists deny that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was ever intended as a metric of overall country progress or well-being. However, that’s how it is being used. Leaders express alarm if the GDP—the value of all goods and services produced within a nation in a given year—falls. Countries are ranked by GPD or GDP per citizen, implying that countries with higher rankings are doing better overall than countries with lower rankings. What nonsense. We need a better metric for improved quality of life and progress. We need a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) that accounts for not only monetized economic wealth but, more importantly, includes vital environmental and social factors. Here are five reasons why it’s time we replaced the GDP with a GPI.
Posted in Business, Environment, Finance, Sustainability on Feb 8th, 2011
Our current economic and financial systems sanction obscene excesses at the expense of society. It’s easy and therapeutic to rant. It’s more helpful, but more challenging, to propose viable alternatives. In my last three blogs, I reviewed Hazel Henderson’s, Michael Moore’s, and David Korten’s thoughtful proposals on how to repair our economic and financial systems. We also need more responsible business models, like Benefit Corporations (B Corps).B Corps are a new kind of company which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on Dec 21st, 2010
Was the financial crisis triggered by a unique combination of unusual circumstances, or was it the inevitable outcome of a decaying system? Noted futurist, author, and ecological economist, Hazel Henderson, declares that Wall Street has degenerated into a global casino, with a far too dominant influence on the global economy. She says it must be rehabilitated and suggests seven reforms that would be a good start.
Posted in Business, Eco-friendly, Environment, Sustainability on Dec 7th, 2010
Too often, we wait for the people in charge to fix world problems. Why not? Isn’t that their role? Our hopes are raised when we see people with our point of view gain power, and then we are disappointed when they fail to live up to our expectations. The status quo inertia in the current political and economic systems is amazingly strong. When people with important titles fail to shake it up, we may wonder if mere mortals like us can possibly make a difference.
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