Inform Corporate Strategy THE MONTH IN NUMBERS


average amount of money spent on energy every hour at


£17


Defra’s London headquarters Source: Defra


amount of cash motorists will be given towards the cost of an electric car from next January


£5,000 4%


Source: DfT


of global supply of palm oil is sustainable


Source: Defra


Report says 36% of business leaders will turn away from it


Sustainability is at risk of dropping off the corporate agenda post- recession with businesses ditching it in favour of strategies to generate short-term profits and enhance their balance sheet, according to a new report from the mobile phone company O2.


Harnessing Change: Preparing for Business in the Next Decade, reveals that the downturn has left British boardrooms deeply divided on spending. Nearly half (46%) of business and public sector leaders plan to prioritise sustainability over the next two years, but more than a third (36%) admit they will turn away from it.


One in three argue that they


don’t have the expertise to quantify and justify its benefits resulting in it failing to fly in boardrooms. Despite being at odds with sus- tainability in the short-term, the report finds that corporate com- mitment to environmentalism has reached a tipping point, with an


■


The search is on to find the UK’s greenest businesses, as one of the world’s longest running environmental awards schemes urges firms taking action on sustainability to step forward. Now in its 35th year, the Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards scheme is calling on companies to apply for its 2011 awards before the entry deadline of 11 October 2010. “The BCE Awards showcase innova- tive environmental projects carried out by businesses that demonstrate excellence and leadership,” says BCE Awards presi- dent Sir Anthony Cleaver. “The calibre of our previous winning projects shows that businesses are making a real difference to their impact on the environment, while often reaping significant commercial bene- fits. We urge companies to put themselves forward this year so they too get the chance to win the recognition offered by our prestigious awards.” > bceawards.org


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Electronics giant Sony UK has launched Open Planet Ideas, a new online commu- nity ‘incubator’ for collaborative technolo- gy solutions to critical environmental issues. The initiative challenges partici- pants to re-imagine the smart use of today’s technologies to address key sus- tainability issues like climate change, biodi- versity and water conservation. Sony’s Adrian Northover-Smith said: “This project will harness the ingenuity and creativity that exists across the globe to show the positive role technology can play in bring- ing about positive environmental change.”


Sustainability in danger of exiting boardroom


for the UN in June that said the downturn had done little to damp- en global corporate commitment to sustainability.


Priorities: UK boardrooms are focused on short-term profits


emerging consensus that sustain- ability is good for business. Almost 60% of the senior execu- tives questioned said it will increase market share over the next ten years and almost half (44%) said it will boost profits by making their operations more efficient. The findings come after warn- ings from the Committee on Climate Change that the UK is in danger of missing its carbon reduc- tion targets, and follows a report


“This report shows that success and sustainability go together, but UK executives are facing serious barriers to pushing it up the agen- da,” said Ben Dowd, O2’s business sales director. “With budgets under ever increasing scrutiny, sustain- ability will only gain real traction in Britain when boardrooms have the tools to prove its commercial bene- fit.


“Harnessing state of the art tech- nology is the answer with energy monitoring, and expert consultan- cy just some of the ways that can give British boardrooms the confi- dence they need to make sustain- ability part of their profit improve- ment plans.”


Commissioned by O2 and writ- ten by The Future Laboratory, the report surveyed 500 senior execu- tives at companies with turnovers between £50M and £500M and includes interviews with leading members of the business and aca-


demic communities. Tom Savigar, director of The Future Laboratory, said: “The recession should have prompted all organisations to see opportunities for cost reduction in improving sustainability, but it hasn’t, yet. “Sustainability strategies that encompass the environment, gov- ernance and society, will come to define growth in the future, but it requires long-term thinking, with the commercial return on invest- ment not realised immediately. “There will be those that will be reluctant to take on board a long- termist view; but indecision and hollow sustainability promises will increasingly come under fire from legislators and consumers.” Setting out its recommendations,


the report highlights the need to: ■


invest in innovation ■


drive internal advocacy to think long-term


■ invest in new technology ■


■


forge stronger ties with local communities


lobby for more rules and guid- ance from government


BRIEFS THE BEST PRACTICE PRINCIPLES HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED, DESIGNED TO HELP CAR AND VAN MANUFACTURERS AVOID ACCUSATIONS OF GREENWASH 8 | Sustainable Business | August/September 2010


BRIEFS


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