Sustainability isn't for everyone, and even in the firms that we have come to recognize as leaders, there are internal struggles over who is going to own what program and plan of action. This is particularity true in firms who are adding on top of, versus integrating, sustainability to the existing responsibilities of the individual (or department), and it is usually that I find myself often takin…
One of the key stakeholders and primary drivers of a firm are its consumers, and regardless of the issue that is being discussed, the role of the consumer has been almost always seen as the change agent. Once "consumers" wisen up, change will happen. Over the last few months, this conversation has taken on a particular interest with representatives from consumer brands that I have been s…
Over the last few months, I have begun to sense a change in the way that firms view sustainability at the strategic level. It is a sense that comes from the firms that I have been speaking with, but also in the depth of conversations that we have begun to have about how to move their firms forward in the face of the challenges they face. To give you an example, I received the following email fr…
Thoughts from Marjorie Yang, Chairman of the Esquel Group and featured in Fortune's Most Powerful Women of the Asia-Pacific: Esquel Group has matured into a company that competes in a global market and no longer relies on the traditional strength of cheap and efficient labor. Under such a situation, I believe transparency, accountability and discipline are the key elements of leadership. We do…
When speaking in front of large groups, particularly those where future leaders are in the room, I often go out of my way to point out that no CEO on the planet is going to recalibrate their firm to save the polar bears. Even if the, as many would, feel strongly that they are an important icon. And it is not because they don't care, or that they are evil. It is just a simple matter of fact tha…
Thoughts from Paul Hawken, prolific author on business practice and sustainability. “When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t o…
Thoughts from Yvon Chouinard, Founder and CEO of Patagonia I've been a businessman for almost 50 years. It's as difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit being an alcoholic or a lawyer. I've never respected the profession. It's business that has to take the majority of the blame for being the enemy of nature, for destroying native cultures, for taking from the poor an…
When: 29 March 2013, 09:00am to 12:00pm Where: To be confirmed Contact: Jasmine Wang ([email protected]) Cost : TBC For many who still only see Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a "nice to have", CSR is merely a box to check with no clear strategic purpose; normally just set the budgets for annual donations and volunteering events. However, there are also some co…
Thoughts from Jeffrey Hollender, entrepreneur, author, activist, Co-Founder of Seventh Generation, and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Greenpeace USA. The vision behind our idea is a world where people don’t carry hazardous chemicals in their bodies, the environment is free of toxic pollutants, and the economy diligently conserves its natural resources for consumers and future generation…
Thoughts from Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface, Inc., an industry leader in sustainability. As long as the market is steered by invisible subsidies and perverse incentives, as long as it remaining blind to the real costs (economic, social, and environmental), it cannot steer a safer course through the storm any better than a blind helmsman can keep a ship off a reef. -- Ray An…
As Beijing tallies the costs of the smog that inundated the city this week, economic and social, I thought I would highlight a recent lecture I gave that explored the "Big 4" questions that people are asking these days when wondering when action will be taken. How big is the problem faced? What is the timeline? Who is responsible? How much will it cost to fix? Meant to create a fr…
Thoughts from Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever: The question that should be asked is "why is operating an unsustainable business model that damages the mere system that business needs to participate in to survive an accepted business model?" -- Paul Polman Paul Polman has been CEO of Unilever since January 2009. Under his leadership Unilever has an ambitious vision to fully decouple its growt…
Over the last few months, one of the topics that I have been speaking on has been the need for firms to go beyond "Business as Usual," and last week Interface Flooring once again provided an excellent example for how a firm can do just that. Their announcement, Interface To Recycle Discarded Fishing Nets Into Carpet provides an overview of the program: Global carpet tile manufacturer Inter…
