Every company faces a particular set of physical and operational risks from severe weather, or political uprisings, or other snags in its value chain. Sustainability strategies lead to more local supply chains and a focus on local markets. Doing so may mitigate risks associated with far-flung supply chains which events like earthquakes in Japan, floods in Tailand, or uprisings in Greece could severely disrupt.
Further, when a company reduces its carbon footprint, it mitigates future severe weather events.
Extreme weather events are happening more frequently, can damage the company’s facilities, and may require extensive time and money to rectify. The homes of employees may be severely damaged, or infrastructure providing access to the company site may be destroyed. Supply chain resilience after severe weather events is a growing issue for companies with far-flung global operations and suppliers. Storms at supplier locations or en route can jeopardize supply and force the company to use more expensive alternative sources. Read more
Sustainability Business Case #1: More Profit
/by Bob WillardHow would we know a business case for sustainability if we saw one?
The strength of any business case depends on agreement on what we mean by “business case”—how we’d know one if we saw one.
These headlines have caught my eye in the last few months [and these are just five of many more with similar wording]: Read more
New Sustainability Advantage DVD Increases my Ripple Effect
/by Bob WillardHow many talks can I give in a year without killing myself?I asked myself that question a few years ago on a strategic planning retreat – being a sole proprietor, I can hold those in the shower. I had settled into a pattern of doing 80-100 talks a year on the compelling business case for sustainability-related strategies, yet I was concerned that the momentum on the sustainability journey in the business community was not building fast enough.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could spread the word faster and wider by doing 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, or even 1,000,000 talks a year all over the world without increasing my carbon footprint … even if I got hit by a truck on day one? Read more
Four New Resources for Sustainability Champions
/by Bob WillardI love it when a plan comes together.
—Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, A-Team leader—
March was a great month. I’ve been counting backward from that date for two years. I wanted to co-release four new interrelated business case resources for sustainability champions. It worked. Read more
Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line – Tenth Anniversary Edition
/by Bob WillardThe New Sustainability Advantage
Pre-Publication Discount Valid Until March 1st 2012
The New Sustainability Advantage has a recalibrated, and more compelling business case for sustainability strategies than described in its 2002 version. Based on recent case studies, it shows that if a typical company were to use best-practice sustainability approaches already being used by real companies, it could improve its profit by at least 51% to 81% within three to five years, while avoiding a potential 16% to 36% erosion of profits if it does nothing.
click image for more information
The fully revised business case is organized around seven easy-to-grasp bottom-line benefits that align with current evidence about the most significant sustainability-related contributors to profit. Read more
End of Bob Willard’s Blog – Exciting New Projects On the Horizon
/by Bob WillardAfter much reflection, this will be my last blog post. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for following my posts and for their insightful comments. I am now refocusing my efforts on enhancing my resources for sustainability champions.
As context, as a certified B Corp, my vision is a sustainable world in which individuals, communities, and businesses thrive within nature’s limits. My two-fold mission is to inspire business leaders to integrate sustainability strategies into company strategies, and to provide useful resources for an army of sustainability champions so that they have the competence and confidence to accelerate the transformation toward a sustainable global society. I want to spend more effort on that last part. Read more
Further on the Robin Hood Tax
/by Bob WillardIn my December 13 blog, 3 Punchy Videos on How to Span the Wealth Chasm, I used three videos to highlight excellent reform proposals to help address the underlying causes of unjust and risky wealth inequities. In a wonderful example of synchronicity, other commentators made similar points that same week. On December 15, Hazel Henderson reinforced the wisdom of a Robin Hood Tax which was the subject of the Bill Nighy clever video that I referenced in my blog.
In her insightful December 15, 2011, CSRwire Talkback article, “Transforming Finance 2.0,” Hazel Henderson makes several points about a “Robin Hood tax,” which she prefers to call a “financial transaction tax (FTT). Read more
3 Punchy Videos on How to Span the Wealth Chasm
/by Bob WillardThe Occupy / We Are the 99% movements have awakened many people to unsustainable economic inequities. There has always been a gap between the haves and the have-nots. It’s the widening of that wealth chasm during a recession and the co-opting of the political process by corporations that has aroused recent global protests.
Protestors are accused of being heavy on criticism and light on solutions. However, when they put forward well-thought-out proposals, they are ridiculed for being naïve and out of touch with “reality.” That is, they don’t have any good ideas. Oh, really? These three videos cleverly capture concrete proposals that would help address the underlying causes of unjust and dangerous wealth inequities.
1. Bill Nighy video backing a Robin Hood tax on banks Read more
3 Options for a More Sustainable Society
/by Bob WillardIn September, 165 university and college student leaders from across Canada came together for three days with national business and sustainability leaders to explore real sustainability solutions. The Co-Operators Group convened this amazing IMPACT! conference at the University of Guelph, Ontario. I was on an opening night panel with three other cross-sector panelists.
Spurred on by insightful student questions, at one point, I thought it was appropriate to acknowledge that we all have different comfort levels with various options available to us as corporate sustainability change agents. I outlined three things that we can do to make businesses sustainable (the link is to a short video of my spontaneous response). This blog builds on the options that I outlined which are open to us when we wake up and decide to take action to change the current unsustainable business model. Read more
Risk to Revenue from Sudden Supply Chain Disruptions
/by Bob WillardEvery company faces a particular set of physical and operational risks from severe weather, or political uprisings, or other snags in its value chain. Sustainability strategies lead to more local supply chains and a focus on local markets. Doing so may mitigate risks associated with far-flung supply chains which events like earthquakes in Japan, floods in Tailand, or uprisings in Greece could severely disrupt.
Further, when a company reduces its carbon footprint, it mitigates future severe weather events.
Extreme weather events are happening more frequently, can damage the company’s facilities, and may require extensive time and money to rectify. The homes of employees may be severely damaged, or infrastructure providing access to the company site may be destroyed. Supply chain resilience after severe weather events is a growing issue for companies with far-flung global operations and suppliers. Storms at supplier locations or en route can jeopardize supply and force the company to use more expensive alternative sources. Read more
The Risk to Revenue From Less Competitive Prices
/by Bob WillardThere are at least seven threats to a company’s revenue stream if it fails to embrace sustainability strategies. In my last blog, we outlined five risks to revenue from a poor reputation on; 1) energy and carbon management, 2) water management, 3) materials and waste management, and 4) eco-system damages, as well as 5) the risk to revenue from poor reputations of the company’s suppliers.
This week, we’ll look at another: the risk to revenue if the company loses its competitive price advantage. Read more