| business case for sustainability: Walking the Talk Charles O. Holliday, Stephan Schmidheiny, Philip Watts, 2002-08-16 Report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. |
| business case for sustainability: Managing the Business Case for Sustainability Stefan Schaltegger, Marcus Wagner, 2017-09-08 The difficulties in moving towards corporate sustainability raise the question of how environmental and social management can be integrated better with economic business goals. Over the last decade, the relationship between environmental and economic performance, and more recently the interaction between sustainability performance and business competitiveness, have received considerable attention in both theory and practice. However, to date, only partial aspects of the relationship between sustainability performance, competitiveness and economic performance have been studied from a theoretical as well as an empirical perspective. And, to date, no unique relationship has prevailed in empirical studies. A number of explanations have been put forward to explain this, including methodological reasons, such as the lack of statistical data, the low quality of that data, or the fact that such data is often available for short time periods only. Other theoretical explanations have been developed, such as the influence of different corporate strategies or the relatively small influence of environmental or sustainability issues as one factor among many on the economic or financial success of firms. So, how should the business case for sustainability be managed? This is the starting point for this book, which compiles insights on a large number of aspects of the link between sustainability performance, business competitiveness and economic success in an attempt to provide a comprehensive and structured view of this relationship. The book provides an unrivalled body of knowledge on the state of theory and practice in this field and identifies prospective future fields of work. The book includes: conceptual frameworks for the interaction of social, environmental and economic issues in business environments; case studies of companies that have successfully integrated social, environmental and economic issues; analyses of the causal and empirical relationship between environmental and/or social performance, business performance and firm-level competitiveness; concepts and tools useful for improving business value with proactive operational strategies; assessment of the factors influencing operational sustainability strategies and their economic impact; and comparisons of interactions between sustainability performance and firm competitiveness across industry sectors and countries. Managing the Business Case for Sustainability is the definitive work in its field: the most comprehensive book yet published on the theory and practice of managing sustainability performance, competitiveness, environmental, social and economic performance in an integrated way. It will be essential reading for managers, academics, consultants, fund managers, governments and government agencies, NGOs and international bodies who need a broad and comprehensive overview of the business case for sustainability. |
| business case for sustainability: The Business of Sustainability U. Steger, 2004-05-28 Most academics and certainly most sustainability managers agree that research on the 'business case' for sustainability has been very inconclusive. In fact many have simply decided that the business case for sustainability is elusive. This book goes further than ever before in trying to be more specific about the economic rationale for corporate sustainability, by approaching this issue on an industry-specific level. To do this, empirical evidence was gathered from managers in nine industries, along with their stakeholders, during an extensive and ambitious research project. The book gives a detailed and representative insight of the business case in the nine sectors but also a unique cross-industry perspective on this issue. |
| business case for sustainability: Managing the Business Case for Sustainability Stefan Schaltegger, Marcus Wagner, 2017-09-08 The difficulties in moving towards corporate sustainability raise the question of how environmental and social management can be integrated better with economic business goals. Over the last decade, the relationship between environmental and economic performance, and more recently the interaction between sustainability performance and business competitiveness, have received considerable attention in both theory and practice. However, to date, only partial aspects of the relationship between sustainability performance, competitiveness and economic performance have been studied from a theoretical as well as an empirical perspective. And, to date, no unique relationship has prevailed in empirical studies. A number of explanations have been put forward to explain this, including methodological reasons, such as the lack of statistical data, the low quality of that data, or the fact that such data is often available for short time periods only. Other theoretical explanations have been developed, such as the influence of different corporate strategies or the relatively small influence of environmental or sustainability issues as one factor among many on the economic or financial success of firms. So, how should the business case for sustainability be managed? This is the starting point for this book, which compiles insights on a large number of aspects of the link between sustainability performance, business competitiveness and economic success in an attempt to provide a comprehensive and structured view of this relationship. The book provides an unrivalled body of knowledge on the state of theory and practice in this field and identifies prospective future fields of work. The book includes: conceptual frameworks for the interaction of social, environmental and economic issues in business environments; case studies of companies that have successfully integrated social, environmental and economic issues; analyses of the causal and empirical relationship between environmental and/or social performance, business performance and firm-level competitiveness; concepts and tools useful for improving business value with proactive operational strategies; assessment of the factors influencing operational sustainability strategies and their economic impact; and comparisons of interactions between sustainability performance and firm competitiveness across industry sectors and countries. Managing the Business Case for Sustainability is the definitive work in its field: the most comprehensive book yet published on the theory and practice of managing sustainability performance, competitiveness, environmental, social and economic performance in an integrated way. It will be essential reading for managers, academics, consultants, fund managers, governments and government agencies, NGOs and international bodies who need a broad and comprehensive overview of the business case for sustainability. |
| business case for sustainability: A Guide to Sustainable Corporate Responsibility Caroline D. Ditlev-Simonsen, 2022 This open access book discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by companies in an age that increasingly values sustainability and demands corporate responsibility. Beginning with the historical development of corporate responsibility, this book moves from academic theory to practical application. It points to ways in which companies can successfully manage their transition to a more responsible, sustainable way of doing business, common mistakes to avoid and how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are integral to any sustainability transformation. Practical cases illustrate key points. Drawing on thirty years of sustainability research and extensive corporate experience, the author provides tools such as a Step-by-Step strategic guide on integrating sustainability in collaboration with stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers and investors. The book is particularly relevant for SMEs and companies operating in emerging markets. From a broader perspective, the value of externalities, full cost pricing, alternative economic theories and circular economy are also addressed. |
| business case for sustainability: Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility Samuel O. Idowu, Nicholas Capaldi, Liangrong Zu, Ananda Das Gupta, 2013-01-27 The role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the business world has developed from a fig leaf marketing front into an important aspect of corporate behavior over the past several years. Sustainable strategies are valued, desired and deployed more and more by relevant players in many industries all over the world. Both research and corporate practice therefore see CSR as a guiding principle for business success. The “Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility” has been conceived to assist researchers and practitioners to align business and societal objectives. All actors in the field will find reliable and up to date definitions and explanations of the key terms of CSR in this authoritative and comprehensive reference work. Leading experts from the global CSR community have contributed to make the “Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility” the definitive resource for this field of research and practice. |
| business case for sustainability: Climate Change: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review Harvard Business Review, Andrew Winston, Andrew McAfee, Dante Disparte, Yvette Mucharraz y Cano, 2020-09-22 Climate change is threatening our world. How are you responding? Heat waves, flooding, extreme storms, harsh winters. The effects of climate change are only getting worse. How can you ensure your organization is taking the right steps to mitigate this threat--and what can you, as an individual, do to help? These articles by experts and researchers will help you understand how climate change is affecting the future of business. Climate Change: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will prepare you to join in the current discussion, identify immediate and long-term risks for your company, and plan for the future. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues--blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more--each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas--and prepare you and your company for the future. |
| business case for sustainability: Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis Raz Godelnik, 2021-06-26 This book provides a clear, critical, and timely analysis of the state of corporate sustainability within the context of the climate crisis. It offers not only a substantive critique of the current efforts but also clarity about the changes needed and how to implement them. The book goes beyond the more common debate on shareholder capitalism vs. stakeholder capitalism to explain the shortcomings of the current approach to sustainability in business, which the author describes as sustainability-as-usual. Using strategic design lenses, the author proposes a new model of awakened sustainability, which offers a transformational shift in corporate sustainability to ensure companies fairly and effectively address the climate crisis. The book presents the numerous changes needed in the environment in which companies operate to enable awakened sustainability and how these changes can be realized. Grounded in the scientific community’s calls for urgent action on climate change, this groundbreaking text provides scholars with an evaluation of current and future trends in corporate sustainability. It connects the dots between the progress made in the last five decades and the opportunities entailed in the work on a regenerative and just vision for companies in this decade and beyond. |
| business case for sustainability: Business Strategies for Sustainability Helen Borland, Adam Lindgreen, Francois Maon, Véronique Ambrosini, Beatriz Palacios Florencio, Joelle Vanhamme, 2018-10-03 Business Strategies for Sustainability brings together important research contributions that demonstrate different approaches to business strategies for sustainability. Many corporate initiatives toward what firms perceive to be sustainability are simply efficiency drives or competitive moves – falling far short of actual strategies for ecological sustainability. To suggest true ecological sustainability strategies, this new research anthology adopts an interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary, approach to discern what business strategies might look like if they were underpinned by environmental and ecological science. The 23 chapters in this anthology reflect five main topic sections: (a) delineating sustainability challenges and visions; (b) contradiction, integration and transformation of business and sustainability logics; (c) innovating and developing strategic capabilities for sustainability; (d) assessing and valuing sustainability; and (e) toward multi-level engagement and collaboration. |
| business case for sustainability: The Business Case for Sustainable Finance Iveta Cherneva, 2012 This edited volume brings together finance industry perspectives from top global institutions, which focus on the bottom line for integrating ESG factors into the operations of the finance industry. Executives and senior practitioners answer the question: 'does following sustainable finance principles make commercial sense for a commercially-oriented financial institution, and if so, what evidence is there?' ' |
| business case for sustainability: Business and Sustainability Mick Blowfield, Michael Blowfield, 2013 Climate change, the resource constrained economy, and sustainability in general are amongst the hottest and most problematic topics for contemporary businesses. This book provides a comprehensive overview of how the world's sustainability challenges are affecting and being affected by business. |
| business case for sustainability: Winning Sustainability Strategies Benoit Leleux, Jan van der Kaaij, 2018-11-11 Despite recent optimism and global initiatives, the implementation of corporate sustainability programs has been slow at best, with less than a third of global companies having developed a clear business case for their approach to sustainability. Presenting numerous award-winning cases and examples from companies such as Unilever, Patagonia, Tumi, DSM and Umicore alongside original ideas based upon 20 years of consulting experience, this book reveals how to design and implement a stronger sense of focus and move sustainability programs forward. This proven combination of purpose, direction and speed is dubbed “Vectoring”. Based upon practitioner cases and data analysis from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Vectoring offers a plain-spoken framework to identify the relative position of companies compared to their peers. The framework and its 4 archetypes deliver insights for practitioners to locate inhibitors and overcome them by providing practical suggestions for process improvements. This includes designing and executing new sustainability programs, embedding the SDGs within company strategy and assessing the impact of sustainability programs on competitiveness and valuation. Offering directions for CFOs to shift companies from integrated reporting to integrated thinking in order to accelerate their sustainability programs, Winning Sustainability Strategies shows how to achieve purpose with profit and how to do well by doing good. |
| business case for sustainability: Walking the Talk Jr, Charles O. Holliday, Stephan Schmidheiny, Philip Watts, 2017-10-19 The authors argue the business case for sustainable development in this study that explores a range of issues beginning with corporate social responsibility and ending with eco-efficiency. |
| business case for sustainability: Beyond the Triple Bottom Line Francisco Szekely, Zahir Dossa, 2024-08-06 A pragmatic new business model for sustainability that outlines eight steps that range from exploring a mission to promoting innovation; with case studies. Many recent books make the case for businesses to become more sustainable, but few explain the specifics. In this book, Francisco Szekely and Zahir Dossa offer a pragmatic new business model for sustainability that extends beyond the traditional framework of the triple bottom line, describing eight steps that range from exploring a vision and establishing a strategy to implementing the strategy and promoting innovation. Szekely and Dossa argue that businesses and organizations need to move away from the business case for sustainability toward a sustainable business model. That is, businesses should go beyond the usual short-term focus on minimizing harm while maximizing profits. Instead, businesses on the path to sustainability should, from the start, focus on addressing a societal need and view profitability not as an end but as a means to support the sustainable organization. Szekely and Dossa explore key problems organizations face when pursuing a sustainability agenda. Each chapter presents one of the eight steps, describes a business dilemma for sustainability, provides a theoretically grounded strategic framework, offers case studies that illustrate the dilemma, and summarizes key findings; the case studies draw on the experiences of such companies as Tesla Motors, Patagonia, TOMs, and Panera. The book emphasizes leadership, arguing that leaders who question the status quo, inspire others, and take risks are essential for achieving sustainable business practices. |
| business case for sustainability: The Big Pivot Andrew S. Winston, 2014-03-11 We live in a fundamentally changed world. It’s time for your approach to strategy to change, too. The evidence is all around us. Extreme weather, driven by climate change, is shattering records all over the planet. Our natural resources are in greater demand than ever before as a billion more people enter the global middle class, wanting more of everything. Radical transparency is opening up company operations and supply chains to public scrutiny. This is not some futuristic scenario or model to debate, but today’s reality. We've passed an economic tipping point. A weakening of the foundations of our planetary infrastructure is costing businesses dearly and putting our society at risk. The mega challenges of climate change, scarcity, and radical transparency threaten our ability to run an expanding global economy and are profoundly changing “business as usual.” But they also offer unprecedented opportunities: multi-trillion-dollar markets are in play, and the winners of this new game will profit mightily. According to Andrew Winston, bestselling author (Green to Gold) and globally recognized business strategist, the way companies currently operate will not allow them to keep up with the current—and future—rate of change. They need to make the Big Pivot. In this indispensable new book, Winston provides ten crucial strategies for leaders and companies ready to move boldly forward and win in this new reality. With concrete advice and tactics, and new stories from companies like British Telecom, Diageo, Dow, Ford, Nike, Unilever, Walmart, and many others, The Big Pivot will help you, and all of us, create more resilient businesses and a more prosperous world. This book is the blueprint to get you started. |
| business case for sustainability: Handbook on the Business of Sustainability Yousafzai, Shumaila, Henry, Colette, Boddington, Monique, Sheikh, Shandana, Fayolle, Alain, 2022-02-11 This ground-breaking Handbook uniquely focuses on the business of sustainability, offering a fresh insight and practical solutions to the challenges that businesses face in making human activity sustainable. It is organized into four distinctive themes that cut across levels of analysis and illustrate a rich set of solution contexts that will guide future research. |
| business case for sustainability: Green Giants E. Williams, 2015-08-12 What do Brazil’s top beauty brand, America’s second-fastest-growing restaurant chain, and the world’s third bestselling car have in common--besides achieving enormous success with revenue in the tens of billions? They are doing it all while holding to their convictions of implementing sustainable principles that help consumers live better lives. But they aren’t the only ones. Green Giants examines nine companies--including Chipotle, Toyota, Unilever, Tesla, General Electric, and more--who have established the blueprint for sustainable success that anyone can follow. Author Freya Williams, an early pioneer of the modern sustainable business movement, discovered six factors responsible for the overwhelming success of these nine socially responsible companies: The Iconoclastic Leader Disruptive Innovation A Higher Purpose Built In, Not Bolted On Mainstream Appeal New Behavioral Contract Packed with eye-opening research, exclusive interviews, and enlightening examples, Green Giants serves as your blueprint for merging wild profitability with social responsibility. |
| business case for sustainability: Handbook of Sustainability-Driven Business Strategies in Practice Markovic, Stefan, Sancha, Cristina, Lindgreen, Adam, 2021-12-07 Sustainability is a top priority for organizations and a key strategy in corporate agendas, but the effective deployment of any strategy demands that the strategy is consistent, functional, and aligned. This Handbook advocates sustainability strategies that encompass environmental, social, and economic dimensions at department-level. |
| business case for sustainability: Sustainability Scott T. Young, Kanwalroop Kathy Dhanda, 2013 'Sustainability' offers a comprehensive treatment of the relationship between business and sustainability. |
| business case for sustainability: Foundations of Sustainable Business Nada R. Sanders, John D. Wood, 2019-12-12 The second edition of Sustainable Business prepares future business leaders to tackle the most crucial social and environmental issues of our time. This engaging textbook provides students with a comprehensive, balanced introduction to integrating sustainable business policies into all core business functions and processes. The text employs a qualitative-based learning process to help students understand how leadership, finance, accounting, risk management, marketing, supply chain management, and operations can be adapted to meet the sustainability goals of the 21st century. Looking at sustainable business from the managerial viewpoint, the fully-updated new edition explains how and why business is evolving due to increased consumer and regulatory pressure for sustainable performance. Business topics are first introduced in the same manner as traditional MBA programs, and then examined through the lens of sustainably. The text incorporates real-life examples of social and environmental leadership to demonstrate the efficacy of good sustainable business decisions, and illustrates the negative ramifications of outdated, purely economic-driven managerial decision-making. Influential concepts based on interdisciplinary research in sustainability are discussed in detail, and practical insights address how to turn policy into practice in the workplace. |
| business case for sustainability: Balancing Green Yossi Sheffi, 2018-03-30 An expert on business strategy offers a pragmatic take on how businesses of all sizes balance the competing demands of profitability and employment with sustainability. The demands and stresses on companies only grow as executives face a multitude of competing business goals. Their stakeholders are interested in corporate profits, jobs, business growth, and environmental sustainability. In this book, business strategy expert Yossi Sheffi offers a pragmatic take on how businesses of all sizes—from Coca Cola and Siemens to Dr. Bronner's Magical Soaps and Patagonia—navigate these competing goals. Drawing on extensive interviews with more than 250 executives, Sheffi examines the challenges, solutions, and implications of balancing traditional business goals with sustainability. Sheffi, author of the widely read The Resilient Enterprise, argues that business executives' personal opinions on environmental sustainability are irrelevant. The business merits of environmental sustainability are based on the fact that even the most ardent climate change skeptics in the C-suite face natural resource costs, public relations problems, regulatory burdens, and a green consumer segment. Sheffi presents three basic business rationales for corporate sustainability efforts: cutting costs, reducing risk, and achieving growth. For companies, sustainability is not a simple case of “profits versus planet” but is instead a more subtle issue of (some) people versus (other) people—those looking for jobs and inexpensive goods versus others who seek a pristine environment. This book aims to help companies satisfy these conflicting motivations for both economic growth and environmental sustainability. |
| business case for sustainability: Operations Management and Sustainability Luitzen de Boer, Poul Houman Andersen, 2018-09-03 This edited book presents cutting edge international research in operations management sustainability and topical research themes. As the sustainability agenda gains greater prominence and momentum throughout society, business actors and stakeholders are increasingly concerned with the impact of current business operations. There is a growing need for OM research and practice which reflects these concerns. Based on demands from industry and society at large, universities and schools now develop academic programs which are meant to serve this need – yet there is no clear and manifest research program concerning OM and sustainability. This book is of use to both researchers orientating themselves in this new and exciting field and educators seeking inspiration to develop new courses. |
| business case for sustainability: Managing Sustainable Business Gilbert G. Lenssen, N. Craig Smith, 2018-03-07 This book offers 32 texts and case studies from across a wide range of business sectors around a managerial framework for Sustainable Business. The case studies are developed for and tested in executive education programmes at leading business schools. The book is based on the premise that the key for managing the sustainable business is finding the right balance over time between managing competitiveness and profitability AND managing the context of the business with its political, social and ecological risks and opportunities. In that way, a sustainable business is highly responsive to the demands and challenges from both markets and societies and managers embrace the complexity, ambivalence and uncertainty that goes along with this approach. The book presents a framework that facilitates the adoption of best business practice. This framework leads executives through a systematic approach of strategic analysis and business planning in risk management, issues management, stakeholder management, sustainable business development and strategic differentiation, business model innovation and developing dynamic capabilities. The approach helps broaden the understanding of what sustainable performance means, by protecting business value against sustainability risks and creating business value from sustainability opportunities. |
| business case for sustainability: Social Sustainability for Business Jerry A. Carbo, Viet T. Dao, Steven J. Haase, M. Blake Hargrove, Ian M. Langella, 2017-08-16 Social Sustainability for Business demonstrates the need for a transformational change to the way businesses across the globe operate. What has become the standard, accepted business model, with a focus on corporate profit, shareholder wealth maximization, and GDP growth, is no longer a sustainable business model for workers, consumers, communities, society, the planet, or any of its inhabitants and ecosystems. The authors argue that the current commercial system depletes natural resources, denigrates human rights, and inhibits positive social and technological innovation. To address these issues, they focus on societal goals—such as a sustainable planet, meeting human rights of workers, and safe products for consumers—and outline steps that organizations and individuals must take to achieve them. Readers will gain insight into the psychological barriers to and influences on sustainable behavior. They will also learn how reconsidering corporate social responsibility and business ethics can stop and reverse the destruction of a profit-based approach. Cases on modern examples of sustainability or lack thereof explain how establishing and maintaining a socially sustainable business system can protect the environment, meet the rights of its people, and ensure that their needs are met tomorrow. End-of-chapter and end-of-case discussion questions will help students in sustainability classes to think critically about the practical impact of the topics discussed. |
| business case for sustainability: The Business Guide to Sustainability Marsha Willard, Darcy Hitchcock, 2009-09-02 First edition: Winner of Choice Magazine - Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 Sustainability promises both reduced environmental impacts and real cash savings for any organization - be it a business, non-profit/NGO or government department. This easy-to-use manual has been written by top business consultants specifically to help managers, business owners, organizational leaders and aspiring environmental managers/sustainability coordinators to improve their organization's environmental, social and economic performance. The authors demystify 'sustainability', untangle the plethora of sustainability frameworks, tools and practices, and make it easy for the average person in any organization to move towards sustainability. Organized by sector (manufacturing, services and office operations, and government) and common organizational functions (senior management, facilities, human resources, purchasing, environmental affairs and compliance, marketing and public relations, and finance and accounting), the authors show how organizations can incorporate sustainability into their everyday work through the application of useful tools and self-assessments. This fully updated edition includes a new chapter on information and communication technology (ICT). The authors have also added many new facts, stories, practices and resources throughout the book to keep up with this rapidly emerging field and have updated their widely used SCORE sustainability assessment. |
| business case for sustainability: The Sustainability Advantage Bob Willard, 2002 The hard-cash benefits of sustainable business written by and for business leaders. |
| business case for sustainability: Business and Environmental Sustainability Sigrun M. Wagner, 2020-07-19 Environmental sustainability is increasingly important to organisations, whether for regulatory, financial or ethical reasons. Business and Environmental Sustainability looks at the environmental aspect of sustainability for all organisations pursuing competitive advantage. The book provides theoretical foundations from science, economics, policy and strategy, introduces three environmental challenges (climate change, pollution and waste) and looks at how corporate functions can address these. This textbook provides a thorough foundation by introducing readers to the science, reasoning and theory behind environmental sustainability and then delves into how these ideas translate into principles and business models for organisations to use. Next, it covers environmental challenges from climate change, pollution and waste, and then goes on to examine the different corporate functions (from supply chain management to human resources) to illustrate how environmental sustainability is managed and put into practice in organisations. Finally, a set of integrative case studies draws everything together and enables the reader to apply various analytical tools, with the aim of understanding how companies can not only reduce their environmental footprint but can positively contribute to environmental sustainability. Written by an award-winning lecturer, Business and Environmental Sustainability boasts a wealth of pedagogical features, including examples from a range of industries and countries, plus a companion website with slides, quiz questions and instructor material. This will be a valuable text for students of business, management and environmental sustainability and will also be suitable for broader courses on corporate responsibility and sustainability across environmental studies, political science and engineering. |
| business case for sustainability: Strategy for Sustainability Adam Werbach, 2009 Leave your quaint notions of corporate social responsibilty and environmentalism behind. Werbach is starting a whole new dialogue around sustainability of enterprise and life as we know it in organisations and individuals. |
| business case for sustainability: The Business of Less Roland Geyer, 2021-09-06 The Business of Less rewrites the book on business and the environment. For the last thirty years, corporate sustainability was synonymous with the pursuit of ‘eco-efficiency’ and ‘win-win’ opportunities. The notion of ‘eco-efficiency’ gives us the illusion that we can achieve environmental sustainability without having to question the pursuit of never-ending economic growth. The ‘win-win’ paradigm is meant to assure us that companies can be protectors of the environment whilst also being profit maximizers. It is abundantly clear that the state of the natural environment has further degraded instead of improved. This book introduces a new paradigm designed to finally reconcile business and the environment. It is called ‘net green’, which means that in these times of ecological overshoot businesses need to reduce total environmental impact and not just improve the eco-efficiency of their products. The book also introduces and explains the four pollution prevention principles ‘again’, ‘different’, ‘less’, and ‘labor, not materials’. Together, ‘net green’ and the four pollution prevention principles provide a road map, for businesses and for every household, to a world in which human prosperity and a healthy environment are no longer at odds. The Business of Less is full of anecdotes and examples. This brings its material to life and makes the book not only very accessible, but also hugely applicable for everyone who is worried about the fate of our planet and is looking for answers. |
| business case for sustainability: Corporate Sustainability Management Mark W. McElroy, J.M.L. van Engelen, 2012-05-23 Businesses around the world are increasingly turning to an exciting new branch of management known as corporate sustainability management (CSM) to help them better understand and manage their non-financial performance. Indeed, what we are witnessing is nothing less than the birth of a new management function. The main pillar of CSM is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which has been successful as an organizing principle but a disappointment in practice. This is largely due to the absence of 'sustainability context' in related measurement, management and reporting efforts, when for example the monitoring of a company's use of freshwater resources fails to take into account the size of related supplies. This book is the first to introduce a systematic means of including context in sustainability management and doing effective CSM. After making the case for why context matters, the book explains how to do context-based CSM by providing a stepwise, cyclical blueprint for how to practice it in any organization. This includes a template for context-based metrics compatible with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), as well as specific examples of metrics for each of the triple bottom lines. Practical examples of best practices are presented throughout, while simultaneously addressing key issues, such as how organizations can measure performance against context-based standards when consensus for such standards does not yet exist. Appendices include tools for developing and applying context-based metrics, as well as case studies taken from the practice of context-based CSM at two companies in the United States. This guide is the essential tool for business and organizational leaders in all sectors committed to improving their sustainability performance, with a particular emphasis on measurement, management and reporting. |
| business case for sustainability: Business & Sustainability Gabriel Eweje, Martin Perry, 2011-12-06 This volume aims to assist readers to navigate the conceptual maze surrounding discussions of business and sustainability by offering critical reflection on the state of business action for environmental sustainability and providing evidence about what is actually taking place in real localities and businesses. |
| business case for sustainability: Corporate Sustainability in Practice Paolo Taticchi, Melissa Demartini, 2020-11-24 Building better organisations, with a clear sense of purpose, is a common challenge faced by many entrepreneurs and executives in industry. A fully integrated corporate sustainability strategy can help organisations to better manage risks, to win business opportunities and to ultimately strengthen reputation. Building on the experience of renowned strategists, sustainability, finance and academic experts, this book offers practical tools and approaches that can be used to develop and implement fully integrated corporate sustainability strategies. |
| business case for sustainability: Organizing for Sustainability Jan Jonker, 2021 This upper-level Open Access textbook aims to educate students and professionals on how to develop business models that have a positive impact on people, society, and the social and ecological environment. It explores a different view of how to organize value creation, from a focus on an almost exclusively monetary value creation to one that creates positive impact through multiple values. The book offers students and entrepreneurs a structured approach based through the Business Model Template (BMT). It consists of three stages and ten building blocks to facilitate the development of a business model. Users, be they students or practitioners, need to choose from one of the three offered business model archetypes, namely the platform, community, or circular business models. Each archetype offers a dedicated logic for vale creation. The book can be used to develop a business model from scratch (turning an idea into a working prototype) or to transform an existing business model into one of the three archetypes. Throughout the book extra sources, links to relevant online video clips, assignments and literature are offered to facilitate the development process. This book will be of interest to students studying the development of business models, sustainable management, innovation, and value creation. It will also be of interest executives, and professionals such as consultants or social entrepreneurs seeking further education.-- Provided by publisher. |
| business case for sustainability: Managerial Strategies for Business Sustainability During Turbulent Times Leon, Ramona-Diana, 2017-07-12 As the economy fluctuates, so does the need for resilient business practices. If organizations can remain strong and steady during difficult times, they will be more fruitful during successful periods as well. Managerial Strategies for Business Sustainability During Turbulent Times is a crucial resource that discusses successful methods and techniques for building sturdy company practices. Featuring pertinent topics such as sustainable supply chains, knowledge management, information sharing, and performance evaluations, this is an ideal scholarly reference source for CEOs, managers, business students, and researchers that would like to discover more unique and engaging ways to build a strong business foundation. |
| business case for sustainability: Corporate Sustainability Management in the Energy Sector Oliver Salzmann, 2008-12-16 Oliver Salzmann provides a comprehensive view on corporate sustainability management in companies such as Shell and RWE and develops a model for the systematization of strategic, thus profit-oriented, corporate sustainability management. |
| business case for sustainability: Green Initiatives for Business Sustainability and Value Creation Paul, Arun Kumar, Bhattacharyya, Dipak Kumar, Anand, Sandip, 2017-06-19 Sustainability has become an unavoidable topic in modern society. In order for sustainable development to be fully achieved, it must be integrated into the planning and measurement systems of business enterprises. Green Initiatives for Business Sustainability and Value Creation is an essential reference source including the most recent scholarly research on the development and application of green business models for contemporary organizations, with a focus on possible contexts and constructs of closed loop supply chain management. Featuring extensive coverage on topics such as consumption behavior, political economy, and structural modeling, this book is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, and professionals seeking current research on the importance of strategic green business practices. |
| business case for sustainability: Sustainable Business Helen Kopnina, John Blewitt, 2014-09-15 Sustainable Business: Key Issues is the first comprehensive introductory-level textbook to address the interface between environmental challenges and business solutions to provide an overview of the basic concepts of sustainability, sustainable business, and business ethics. The book introduces students to the background and key issues of sustainability and suggests ways in which these concepts can be applied in business practice. Though the book takes a business perspective, it is interdisciplinary in its nature and draws on knowledge from socio-economic, political, and environmental studies, thereby providing a practical and critical understanding of sustainability in the changing paradigm of global business. It goes beyond the conventional theories of sustainability and addresses critical issues concerned with population, consumption and economic growth. It discusses realistic ways forward, in particular the Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle frameworks. The book is both a theoretical and practical study guide for undergraduate and postgraduate international students of broad areas of sustainability, teaching ways to recognize opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of environmental, economic, ethical, and social systems. It takes a strategic approach in applying the power of business methods and policy to address issues of global importance such as climate change, poverty, ecosystem degradation and human rights. This textbook is essential reading for students of business, management and sustainability courses. It is written in an engaging and accessible style, with each chapter including case studies, discussion questions, end of chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. |
| business case for sustainability: Innovation for Sustainability Nancy Bocken, Paavo Ritala, Laura Albareda, Robert Verburg, 2019-02-22 The aim of this edited book is to provide a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges related to innovation for sustainability. Combining work from both emerging and established scholars in different academic fields, this book provides an integrated understanding of the topic from four perspectives. First, the big picture: frameworks, types, and drivers; second, strategy and leadership; third, measurement and assessment and fourth, tools, methods and technologies. Chapter 11 of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com. The editors donate their remuneration for this book to conservation organisation the WWF. |
| business case for sustainability: Net Positive Paul Polman, Andrew Winston, 2021-10-05 A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Named one of 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50 An advocate of sustainable capitalism explains how it's done — The Economist Polman's new book with the sustainable business expert Andrew Winston…argues that it's profitable to do business with the goal of making the world better. — The New York Times Named as recommended reading by Fortune's CEO Daily …Polman has been one of the most significant chief executives of his era and that his approach to business and its role in society has been both valuable and path-breaking. — Financial Times The ex-Unilever CEO who increased his shareholders' returns by 300% while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability for eleven years running has, for the first time, revealed how to do it. Teaming up with Andrew Winston, one of the world's most authoritative voices on corporate sustainability, Paul Polman shows business leaders how to take on humanity's greatest and most urgent challenges—climate change and inequality—and build a thriving business as a result. In this candid and straight-talking handbook, Polman and Winston reveal the secrets of Unilever's success and pull back the curtain on some of the world's most powerful c-suites. Net Positive boldly argues that the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems, not creating them. Together the authors explode our most prevalent corporate myths: from the idea that business' only function is to maximise profits, to the naïve hope that Corporate Social Responsibility will save our species from disaster. These approaches, they argue, are destined for the graveyard. Instead, they show corporate leaders how to make their companies Net Positive—thriving by giving back more to the world than they take. Net Positive companies unleash innovation, build trust, attract the best people, thrill customers, and secure lasting success, all by helping create stronger, more inclusive societies and a healthier planet. Heal the world first, they argue, and you’ll satisfy your investors as a result. With ambitious vision and compelling stories, Net Positive will teach you how to find the inner purpose and courage you need to embrace the only business model that will matter in the years ahead. You will learn how to lead others and unlock your company's soul, while setting and delivering big and aggressive goals, and taking responsibility for all of your company's impacts. You'll find out the secrets to partnering with others, including your competition and critics, to drive transformative change from which you will prosper. You'll build a company that serves your people, your customers, your communities, your shareholders—and your children and grandchildren will thank you for it. Is this win-win for business and humanity too good to be true? Don't believe it. The world's smartest CEOs are already taking their companies on the Net Positive journey and benefitting as a result. Will you be left behind? Join the movement at netpositive.world |
| business case for sustainability: Women and Sustainability in Business Kiymet Caliyurt, 2016-11-03 Women and Sustainability in Business: A Global Perspective, brings together original research from a dozen countries, concerning the issues and challenges facing women in sustainable business. This is a recurrent topic among researchers, regulators, companies and rating agencies. Governments pay special attention to how women impact the economy when shaping their strategies on economic sustainability. Women’s contribution to business is fundamental to creating a sustainable economy, such that businesses try to strengthen ‘women’s presence’ within their organisations, especially on their boards. Today, sustainable companies cannot survive without strategies involving women. Stakeholders, regulators, NGOs and rating agencies track both women-focused strategies and the corporate sustainability reports of companies. Well-designed strategies for women workers help companies to develop their financial and social sustainability initiatives progressively. This book analyses the practice of women in sustainable business, in terms of company performance, social responsibility, board management, entrepreneurship, employment, education, management, social sustainability, environmental politics and technology, from a wide range of diverse, regional perspectives and highlights the differences between the underdeveloped, developing and developed world. |
The business case for sustainability - Deloitte United States
The sustainability transition creates an opportunity to identify new revenue streams and optimize costs, positioning organizations for long-term, profitable growth that secures future market …
Building the business case for sustainability - World Business …
The guide demonstrates the business case for sustainability by linking sustainability opportunities to ten financial drivers (e.g. reduced cost) and six intangible drivers (e.g. improved reputation). …
The business case for sustainability - SBC
These practical guides explain important sustainability topics for businesses. Share them with the people in your organisation who are working together to meet your environmental, social and …
The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability - Beyond …
Embedded sustainability efforts clearly result in a positive impact on business performance. Drawing from our own research and our colleagues’ research in this area, we have created a …
The “Business Case for Sustainability” Concept Schaltegger, …
A business case for sustainability, or what scholars in business ethics often call “enlightened self-interest”, is mostly described as a situation where economic success is increased while …
The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability
Drawing from our own research and our colleagues’ research in this area, we have created a sustainability business case for the 21 st century corporate executive. Hoping to alleviate their …
The Case for Sustainable Business Practices - World Bank
Sustainability in business is about “ensuring long-term business success while contributing toward economic and social development, a healthy environment and a stable society.”1 As part of …
The Business Case for Sustainability - International Finance …
Globally, sustainability challenges are becoming even more material, reaching thresholds of importance to companies’ long-term strategies, to their customers, and external stakeholders. …
Making the Business Case for Environmental Sustainability
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The Sustainability Business Case for the 21st Century …
business and academic literature found positive financial and strategic benefits for companies taking a comprehensive approach to managing for sustainability and embedding it in their core …
The Business Case for Climate Action - KPMG
As business leaders contemplate their response, this paper by KPMG Ireland presents four compelling business cases, supported by evidence, which can be used by Irish businesses to …
Beyond the Business Case for Corporate Sustainability
At the business level sustainability is often equated with eco-efficiency. However, such a reduction misses several important criteria that firms have to satisfy if they want to become truly …
The business of sustainability - McKinsey & Company
The business of sustainability Many companies are actively integrating sustainability principles into their businesses, according to a recent McKinsey survey,1 and they are doing so by …
Develop the Business Case for your Sustainability Strategy
Defining the Business Case for Sustainability •A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. •A business case is an argument… intended to convince a decision …
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Since its foundation in 1987 SustainAbility has guided business towards new pathways to sustainable development, both as strategic advisors and an independent think tank. The …
The Sustainability Business Case for the 21st Century …
business and academic literature found positive financial and strategic benefits for companies taking a comprehensive approach to managing for sustainability and embedding it in their core …
The business of sustainability: Putting it into practice
Companies that rigorously pursue sustainability also regularly revisit their business portfolios to determine the potential impact of trends (such as existing or potential climate change …
The Business Case for Sustainability - aapa-ports.org
Sustainable Development: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Corporate Social Responsibility: The overall …
The sustainability business case just got stronger - Deloitte …
Three packages—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS Act, and especially the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)— have fundamentally altered the calculation of …
The Business Case for Sustainability - Springer
The Business Case for Sustainability In this chapter, I will discuss how companies actually address sustainabil-ity challenges. First, the chapter will begin with examples of dierent …
Making the Business Case for Sustainability - Harvard Business …
Apr 13, 2021 · How can you make the business case for sustainable practices to skeptical decision-makers in your organization? Here are key terms to use to frame your discussion, …
The business case for sustainability - Deloitte United States
The sustainability transition creates an opportunity to identify new revenue streams and optimize costs, positioning organizations for long-term, profitable growth that secures future market …
The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability
Oct 21, 2016 · Today’s executives are dealing with a complex and unprecedented brew of social, environmental, market, and technological trends. These require sophisticated, sustainability …
Building the business case for sustainability - WBCSD
Jul 16, 2024 · The perceived high costs of sustainable actions and the diffuse, long-term nature of inaction costs add to this complexity. This guide provides clarity, offering finance teams and …
Why Sustainability Is Critical For Business Success In 2025 (And …
Jan 30, 2025 · Business can be the most powerful force for good when it prioritizes collaboration and shared responsibility. Moving from a “me-first” to a “we-first” mindset isn’t just an …
How to make the business case for a sustainability strategy
Dec 12, 2022 · In the first of a series of practical guides for organizations on sustainability, Knut Haanaes, Frédéric Dalsace, and Jules Wurlod explain why any successful sustainability …
Why 2024 is the year sustainability develops a business case
Jan 26, 2024 · In 2023, we saw a significant change in the understanding of the business case for sustainability among top leaders globally. The proportion of executives who thought it was …
The Business Case for Sustainability | Cambridge Institute for ...
21 August 2023 - Prof. Dr Wayne Visser explores the question: Why should business care about sustainability issues like climate change, income inequality, biodiversity loss and human …
The business case for sustainability - SBC
In 2023 McKinsey showed that companies that prioritise sustainability alongside profitability and growth deliver better returns to stakeholders. reported that ‘companies that scored the …
Sustainability: Sources of value creation | McKinsey - McKinsey
Dec 18, 2024 · In this article, we provide a framework to analyze the business case for sustainability activities, both in terms of playing defense (by mitigating against key threats to …
