Planet Earth International 2009

Corpor
cleaner, environmentally sustainable energy-
saving measures now make compliance
potentially proﬁ table.”
There are signs that companies are taking
the issue seriously. A global survey of 1,254 ate go
senior business executives (including more
than 300 CEOs), published by the Economist
Intelligence Unit in February 2008, revealed
that ‘energy efﬁ ciency is one of the top three
v
sustainability priorities named by corporate ernance
ofﬁ cers of major companies worldwide’.
The survey showed that energy
efﬁ ciency was a key consideration in
corporate sustainability efforts, with serious
implications for how corporate businesses
manage their assets. More than half of all
respondents named energy efﬁ ciency as one
of their sustainability priorities. The survey
was co-sponsored by global business ﬁ rms
including Jones Lang LaSalle and seven
other leading companies from different
industries: A T Kearney, Bank of America,
ExxonMobil, Orange, SAP and SunGard and
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Professor Morad says, “The principle
of making the environment a central
component of corporate governance is
very good business, because no industry
today can disregard growing energy costs,
pollution damage, and other environmental
challenges such as growing ﬂ ood risks
associated with global warming. Ignoring
the environment places businesses at
competitive disadvantage, especially as
energy and commodity prices remain
relatively high.”
Growing investor pressure and increased
regulation has been prompting companies
to see the value of making environmentally
sound products for some time. By rethinking
their business strategies with high energy
prices and climate change in mind, and
putting sustainability at the heart of their
corporate governance, these organisations
will have a distinct competitive advantage
in the years to come. Professor Bones
adds, “People are starting to question the
fundamentals of good business leadership,
and the realisation is dawning that to return
to the lasting values is to take care of the
one thing on which our sustainability as a
Corporations need to rethink
species completely depends.” ■
their business strategies
with high energy prices and
Alison Coleman is a freelance journalist and has
climate change in mind.
been a regular contributor to UK national news-
papers and magazines for the last 10 years.
www.yearofplanetearth.org PLANET EARTH 81
PE17.carbon managmnt.kj.mw.indd 81 16/2/09 11:35:05 am
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15 | Page 16 | Page 17 | Page 18 | Page 19 | Page 20 | Page 21 | Page 22 | Page 23 | Page 24 | Page 25 | Page 26 | Page 27 | Page 28 | Page 29 | Page 30 | Page 31 | Page 32 | Page 33 | Page 34 | Page 35 | Page 36 | Page 37 | Page 38 | Page 39 | Page 40 | Page 41 | Page 42 | Page 43 | Page 44 | Page 45 | Page 46 | Page 47 | Page 48 | Page 49 | Page 50 | Page 51 | Page 52 | Page 53 | Page 54 | Page 55 | Page 56 | Page 57 | Page 58 | Page 59 | Page 60 | Page 61 | Page 62 | Page 63 | Page 64 | Page 65 | Page 66 | Page 67 | Page 68 | Page 69 | Page 70 | Page 71 | Page 72 | Page 73 | Page 74 | Page 75 | Page 76 | Page 77 | Page 78 | Page 79 | Page 80 | Page 81 | Page 82 | Page 83 | Page 84 | Page 85 | Page 86 | Page 87 | Page 88 | Page 89 | Page 90 | Page 91 | Page 92 | Page 93 | Page 94 | Page 95 | Page 96 | Page 97 | Page 98 | Page 99 | Page 100 | Page 101 | Page 102 | Page 103 | Page 104 | Page 105 | Page 106 | Page 107 | Page 108 | Page 109 | Page 110 | Page 111 | Page 112 | Page 113 | Page 114 | Page 115 | Page 116 | Page 117 | Page 118 | Page 119 | Page 120 | Page 121 | Page 122 | Page 123 | Page 124 | Page 125 | Page 126 | Page 127 | Page 128 | Page 129 | Page 130 | Page 131 | Page 132