How much sustainability is enough? That question niggled at me for years. When have companies contributed enough to the wellbeing of the environment and society? There are four ways that companies express their answer to that question. Using a company’s reduction of its carbon footprint as an example of a sustainability goal, let’s explore them. Read More
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”
― Wilkins Micawber, clerk, in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield
Lately, I’ve found myself revisiting the concept of “enough.” Maybe it’s time we all did. Maybe we would benefit from being satisfied with enough wealth, achieving enough sustainability, and making enough difference. I will explore these three “enoughs” in three blogs, starting with enough wealth. Read More
Let's suppose you've crafted a compelling business case to support a company undertaking a significant environmental or social initiative. Your proposal includes three justifications for the project: it helps the company do the right thing by causing less harm and doing more good for the environment, society and employees; it enables the company to capture opportunities such as new revenue streams and expense savings; and it helps the company mitigate risks that could arise if it did not do the project. Where the company is on its sustainability journey determines which of those three components in the business case will best grab the attention of the decision-makers and win their support. Mapping the three justifications to the five-stage sustainability journey helps us choose which justification to highlight. Read More
My last blog described six reasons that I decided to do an integrated report for my sole proprietorship, Sustainability Advantage, for 2017. The report is finished and is proudly posted to my website. There are 7 things I learned from writing my first integrated report <IR>. Read More
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with integrated reports. They are supposed to combine fragmented financial and sustainability reports into one report that explains how much financial and non-financial value a company created for all its stakeholders during the reporting period. That’s a good idea, but I’ve have been disappointed with the incoherence of most so-called integrated reports that I’ve seen so far. That disappointment leads me to the first of 6 reasons why I’m writing my first-ever integrated report for my sole proprietorship, Sustainability Advantage Read More
In April 2016, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) published “CAPEX: A practical guide to embedding sustainability into capital investment appraisal.” Written by the A4S Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Leadership Network, it is an essential and practical guide by CFOs, for CFOs. It strongly urges executives to operationalize its 6 recommendations for 21st century decision-making by enhancing their capital expenditure (CAPEX) appraisal processes. Read More
Sustainability champions are “Little Engines That Could.” We are hopeful optimists. We see what is possible and refuse to be discouraged by steep challenges impeding our progress. Our mantra is, “I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can.” We are energized by reports like the annual State of Green Business 2018 that say an environmental, social and governance (ESG) mindset is moving from the margins into the mainstream. There are 7 hopeful “I think-I-can” signals for sustainability champions which back up this trend, especially on the existential climate change issue. Read More
The 1st edition of the Sustainability ROI Workbook was launched in May, and its 2nd edition was released in September. Today, I am releasing the 3rd edition of the Sustainability ROI Workbook ― SRW 3.0, for short. It just keeps getting better, thanks to suggestions and feedback from users and from participants in workshops and presentations. There are 10 reasons the new SRW 3.0 is exciting. Read More
I had a catch-up lunch with a former IBM colleague recently. As we updated each other on our current activities, I couldn't resist asking him how he would recognize a good business case if he saw one. "Easy," he said. "It answers three questions: How much? How soon? How sure?" Read More
Sustainability champions need to obtain executive approval for their proposals. Executive decision-makers must to be convinced that any proposed sustainability initiative will be good for the company as well as good for the environment, society and other stakeholders. That’s their fiduciary duty.
The Sustainability ROI Workbook is a comprehensive tool that helps frame a compelling business case using quantified / monetized benefits. But it’s just a tool. Savvy sustainability champions know that the art of building a winning sustainability business case is more important than the accuracy of the numbers in the workbook. They are sensitive to the “human factor.”
Let’s suppose that you want to propose a on-site renewal energy installation at company facilities. You will need help from several departments to complete the justification for the project. There are 5 essential conversations for a winning sustainability proposal. Their tone is as important as their content. Let’s start with the tone of your conversation with the CEO. Read More
