Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
Businesses need to view sustainability as a means rather than an end, claims a panel of corporate responsibility experts. The academics from five universities in the US, UK, Singapore, China and Spain argue that profitably will depend on striking a balance between satisfying shareholders, society and the environment. Sustainability will be the only way to achieve this, they say, and it will bring innovation, differentiation and ultimately success.
"Our conclusion is that the 'triple bottom line' should no longer be a tangential activity, with shareholder value the main consideration. Instead, strategies should be focused on all three areas simultaneously as an integrated system because, as our case studies demonstrate, each strand can yield benefits for the other two," said Professor Sarah Slaughter of MIT’s Sloan Management School.
If you can get away from the management speak, there is an underlying truth here. Corporations can no longer have the myopic view of only being held responsible to shareholders. Survey after survey shows that buyers judge their suppliers on their ethics and greenness, while no company can afford to rape the environment if it wants to be in business tomorrow.
Recommendations by the CSR thinkers are embodied in the A New Mindset for Corporate Sustainability paper, sponsored by BT, currently investing £250m in a wind-farm scheme, and Cisco. Also included are case studies on organisations that they believe are blending sustainability with the profit motive.
Please note: Your email address must be entered but will not be displayed
Please note: All submitted content becomes the sole property of CNET Networks UK and may be used, edited or rejected at CNET Networks UK's sole discretion. You acknowledge that you, not CNET Networks UK, are responsible for the contents of your submission.
Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
