Sustainability

From the Sustainability Dictionary:

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

This definition was created in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). It is enshrined in the Swiss federal constitution. It is similar to the “seventh generation” philosophy of the Native American Iroquois Confederacy, mandating that chiefs always consider the effects of their actions on their descendants seven generations in the future.

There are many ways to measure or define sustainability. As described in the book Natural Capitalism, in business, these should include the sustainable development and use of, at least, the following four types of capital:

  • Financial Capital
  • Manufacturing Capital
  • Natural Capital
  • Human Capital

In addition, many organizations use the following criteria to assess sustainable products, services, and other activities:

Social Criteria:

  • Socially desirable
  • Culturally acceptable
  • Psychologically nurturing

Financial Criteria:

  • Economically sustainable
  • Technologically feasible
  • Operationally viable

Environmental Criteria:

  • Environmentally Robust
  • Generationally Sensitive
  • Capable of continuous learning



We Will be Using Less Resources by 2050 Due to Resource Crunch, UN Says

According to the UN, by 2050, we will be using fewer resources whether we like it or not.

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What a Toilet Paper Launch Can Teach Us About Innovation

Innovations sometimes fail not because of any inherent fault of their own. And if they do fail once, they’re seldom given a second chance. Which, in many cases, is a terrible waste of a good idea.

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Greenpeace Ranks Best Companies in ICT

Following on the heels of the Green Electronics Ranking, today Greenpeace released the fifth version of its Cool IT Leaderboard. This ranks and evaluates global IT companies on their leadership in the fight to reduce global carbon emissions

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Business Support for Communities Could be Waning

Consumer boycotts and pocketbook pressure has been effective in the past in changing corporate behavior. How do we keep the pressure on to keep companies incentivized to do the right thing?

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Why Masdar Matters

Leon Kaye explains that Masdar City does not have it all right, nor should it: at a fundamental level, it is an experiment. And that is why this UAE hub is a leader.

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Is Novo Nordisk Really the Most Sustainable Company in the World?

Last week Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical firm was ranked number one on the Global 100, a leading sustainability ranking. How do you actually determines which company is the most sustainable one in the world? Is Novo Nordisk really entitled to be awarded with this title, at least for 2012?

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LA’s Transition to a Greener Economy

Our economy – and thus, our lifestyle – is firmly entrenched in the infrastructure that surrounds us and how we use it. This makes it extremely challenging to change how we live. At the VerdeXchange Conference in my home city of Los Angeles last week, I was pleased to encounter a group of individuals from government organizations and the private sector coming together to figure out how to transition Los Angeles to a greener economy. Even as a resident working in the sustainability field, I was surprised to learn about some of the work being done to green the city’s most carbon intensive and highly polluting facilities, operations, and infrastructure.

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Lessons in Sustainability From Gandhi

January 30th 2012 is Gandhi’s 64th death anniversary and four days ago, India celebrated her Republic Day. It struck me that there are some sharp parallels between Gandhian philosophies and the sustainability movement.

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Does Sustainability Increase Profits or Not?

A UN-backed survey conducted by Globescan and SustainAbility, of 642 senior executives, campaigners and academics found that the vast majority feel that pressure to deliver short-term financial results is impeding their sustainability efforts. Of course the sluggish economy has been a challenge, but do companies today really have to choose between profitability and sustainability or is this a false choice?

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Where Sustainability Reporting is Headed: An E&Y and GreenBiz Survey

While at the GreenBiz12 Forum in New York earlier this week, I got a sneak preview of the findings of the new Ernst & Young and GreenBiz Group survey of trends in sustainability reporting.

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Smart Phone Apps: Weapons of the Green Economic Revolution

Apple announced that it sold 37 million iPhones during the last quarter of 2011. That is equal to everyone living in California buying an iPhone during the holiday season. The Pew Research Center reports that during this same time period tablet (iPad) and e-reader ownership doubled, resulting in one out of three of us now owning this type [...]

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From Detroit to Doha, Citizens Are Building a Greener Economy

My recent stay in Detroit and current trip to Doha have opened my eyes to how citizens are taking matters into their own hands and building more sustainable economies.

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Ernst & Young to Certify GHG Emissions Reporting

Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four accounting firms, has received approval from ANSI to certify greenhouse gas emissions reporting.

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Eco-Friendly Fashion on the Red Carpet

Last week as all the celebrities gathered for the Golden Globe Awards, one woman held the beacon high for eco-fashion. For the past three years, she has gathered momentum for the Green Carpet Challenge which is an initiative started by her to see more ethical fashion on the red carpet.

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Increasing Labor Productivity: A Mixed Blessing?

Increasing labor productivity is generally hailed as a positive outcome of technological innovation.  The production of more goods and services with fewer hours worked allows for both higher standards of living and decreased inflationary pressure, since wage increases can result from increased productivity and are not translated into higher costs for goods and services.

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One More Step And We Get Supply Chain Cake

Apple released details of its supply chain performance, via an extensive “Progress Report.”  Our friends at Supply Chain Matters provided a link to the report, and to a list of all of Apple’s suppliers.

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Mixed Green Business Results

GreenBiz Group offers a mixed view of the green and sustainable business landscape.

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Kaiser Permanente Greens its Supply Chain by Switching to Safer IV Equipment

Kaiser Permanente announced that it is converting its IV medical equipment to safer alternatives that do not contain PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and DEHP (di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate).  Both these chemicals are widely used in plastics but have been shown to harm human and environmental health.

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Leveraging Deficits: How the Best Corporate Citizens Drove Cross-Sector Collaboration During the Great Recession

With a “renaissance” in how companies, NGOs, and governments are collaborating to tackle some of our toughest challenges, this blog post looks in-depth at the specific new models and practices that are emerging in cross-sector collaboration.

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Why Mileage-Based Auto Insurance is Good for Drivers, Insurers and the Planet

Changing auto insurance to incentivize less driving, rather than more, could no only lead to less cars on the road and less accidents, but has the potential to be a game-changer for carbon emissions.

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Oxfam UK Promotes Second-Hand Haute Couture

Oxfam has always been the front-runner when it comes to second-hand clothing, books, and music shopping in the UK. All Oxfam shops also have an excellent collection of Fairtrade goods. Oxfam has about 700 shops in the UK and donations of unwanted goods are resold to help support the charity’s work. Every year, Oxfam has [...]

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Which Companies Pitched Green Products at CES?

Within the cavernous halls at CES 2012 were plenty of energy efficient, “green” and eco-friendly products along with OLED and smart TVs. Panasonic and Samsung led the pack.

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The Rise of the Biobased Economy and How Your Company Should Respond in 2012

By Jacquie Ottman & Mark Eisen Our economy is slowly but surely heeding the signal that carbon is the new watchword. During the past few years, a steady stream of so-called “biobased” products have been making their way to retail shelves — compostable dinnerware made from corn, plant-based laundry detergents, and bamboo flooring among them. [...]

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Deficit-Driven Economic Developments

The recession started a renaissance in how companies, NGOs, & governments collaborate. With governments and non-profits facing yawning budget deficits and business facing one of its biggest trust-deficits in history, organizations are coming together in unprecedented ways to tackle some of society’s greatest challenges. In fact, a distinct set of collaborative practices used by the “best corporate citizens” and their partners have emerged that others could adopt.

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Humane Society Makes Strategic Stock Purchase in Major Fast Food Chain

In recent years, advocacy organizations like Greenpeace, PETA, and others have been able to leverage the stakeholder engagement trend and the power of social media to focus public attention on their key issues and put pressure on companies to take action. Recent news from The Humane Society of the US (HSUS) reveals that these organizations have added yet another influencing tactic [...]

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Fair Trade USA: Why We Parted Ways with Fair Trade International

In recent months, Fair Trade USA has caused a ripple in the Fair Trade movement by boldly questioning the status quo and moving in a new direction to significantly increase the effectiveness and reach of the Fair Trade model. President and CEO Paul Rice explains his new strategic vision, Fair Trade for All, which aims to double the impact of Fair Trade by 2015 by innovating the model, strengthening farming communities and igniting consumer involvement.

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UPS Earns LEED Gold Status for Corporate Offices in Atlanta

Despite UPS headquarters being 20 years old, the company just announced that it has become the first in the package delivery and logistics industry to gain LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council. UPS submitted the building for review in May 2011 (shortly after the appointment of Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker) and [...]

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The Dark, Unsustainable Underbelly of the Cruise Ship Industry

In the days where eco-tourism is gaining fast ground, there are still ways to have a holiday that is highly unsustainable. One of these ways is to take a cruise. The cruise ship industry was called out as the Dinosaur of the Year by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) which is based in Germany. [...]

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AMEE Makes Carbon Footprinting Easier and More Fun

At first glance, AMEE, a venture-backed UK company launched in 2008, looks like any other carbon tracking and management provider. But upon further investigation, it becomes clear that although still in its early stages, the AMEE platform has the potential to be much more. The company’s mission is to make the world’s environmental data more accessible [...]

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Patagonia Founder First in Line to Register as Benefit Corporation

Since the dawn of corporate social responsibility, Patagonia has been it’s pioneer and poster child. The company was founded on the principle that the business’s bottom line was more than just monetary. As early as 1974, founder Yvon Chouinard published an essay in the Patagonia catalog urging climbers to be more conscious of their motives and to [...]

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