Editorial
sustainability
The business case for
sustainability
By Steve downing, Associate Professor of Strategy, based in the School of reputation and
relationships at Henley Management College.
“For every great problem, there is a simple solution - and it is wrong.” Oscar Wilde
ustainability is a rapidly growing, critical
S
and contested topic because it responds
to growing perceptions that the way we
are producing and consuming is
unsustainable – meaning things cannot
go on as they are. Perceptions of the drivers of
unsustainability are broadly environmental, social
and ethical. These give rise to claims about major
systemic fault lines in the way industry, trade and
society is structured globally.
Recently the sense of urgency for change has
been fuelled by politicians accepting scientific
evidence of man-made climate change providing a
massive threat to humanity, equal or greater than
the threat posed by terrorism. The highly visual and
emotional drama of unfolding ‘climate chaos’ and
‘eco-doom’ in reports of dangers to polar regions,
glaciers, permafrost, fish stocks and other species
has become a daily feature of media news and
entertainment. But these stories co-exist with our
overriding commitment to business growth, GDP
as a measure of progress and a consumerist culture.
As the saying goes, ‘we live in interesting times.’
Confusion, denial or dialogue?
It might not be too harsh to say that currently most
organizations and consumers are confused or quite
uncertain about sustainability. Opinions and
arguments are diverse. Many sustainability
champions are from outside of the business
community in Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) and think-tanks. They articulate a vision
of sustainability based on a radical transformation
of social equity and ecological justice as they define
these terms. sustainability offers business new ways to make FTSE 100 now reports on a triple bottom line, ie
In part, responding to these critiques of money and to simultaneously make the world a they report on their social and environmental
globalization over the last two decades, a small better place. This view has gained considerable performance alongside their traditional financial
avalanche of business books has argued that traction. Approximately seventy per cent of the accounting. In order to manage what is measured,
12 TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com
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