Corporate Sustainability Initiatives Can Change The World

May 31st, 2007

I have just finished reading Bruce Piasecki’s excellent book, World, Inc., in which he points out that corporate leaders can change the world through their sustainability initiatives, and may be the only ones who can do so. Bruce has been a consultant to Fortune 100 companies for more than twenty years, and he has seen a big shift in their attitudes toward sustainability. So have I. Corporations are now taking leadership on sustainability instead of merely complying with government regulations. And sustainability is part of larger governance, risk and compliance (GRC) boardroom-directed initiatives. Suddenly, there is a business case for corporate social responsibility. It’s a must-have program, not a frill.

This, Bruce says, is part of a new, socially responsible capitalism that he sees in companies like HP and Suncor, among others. After all, EHS issues don’t exist in a vacuum — they never have –and now sustainability is seen as necessary for recruiting and keeping top talent, for attracting and retaining institutional investment, and for participating in a global business environment that seeks to establish high standards for development. Younger workers do not want to work for companies they can’t be proud of. And pension funds are divesting their portfolios of polluters. Ultimately, money talks.

The themes of Bruce’s book are the very same themes I hear as I encounter clients and partners and other EHS decision makers both in the US and internationally. I’m looking forward to speaking at his conference in June.

Entry Filed under: Sustainability, Corporate Responsibility, Corporate Governance