Time for a more inclusive sustainability construct?

This year, the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report is on the theme of ‘Sustainability and Equity’, which is a very apt topic in the light of the run up to the Millennium Development Goals deadline of 2015, as finally sustainability has got the attention that it deserved as a developmental matter. It is a community focused issue, and in its finality boils down to livability and quality of life. Social variables of equity, gender, and race are crucial in playing out the sustainability discourse in the grassroots.

When we discuss environmental protection issues, such as clean water, air and land, we are conversing regarding the resource commons. Lots of communities in the developing world live on the environmental resources. Fishing, agriculture and forestry are regular vocations which millions engage in, for their livelihood in the developing part of the world. Environmental sustainability is a social issue, as much as it is a technical construct. Technological determinism will enable us to have the tools to combat ecological degradation but to implement it is another matter altogether, as at the end of the day, it is people and groups who would use it. Read more

Making sustainability an ‘action item’ in boardrooms [News]

By The Business Times, 22 Nov 2011.

When the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB) was launched in 2009, it no doubt was considered by many to be an ambitious challenge that the government was setting for Singapore.

After all, the 10 goals outlined under the blueprint, set out to cover a relatively comprehensive range of activities and outcomes in four major areas, comprising: boosting resource efficiency; enhancing the urban environment; building capabilities and expertise in sustainable development solutions; and fostering community action.

Two years on, adjunct associate professor Bob Fleming of the National University of Singapore Business School, notes that there is ‘directional progress in an appreciation of the need for sustainability and the consequences for not achieving the targets’. Read more

Driving innovation with strategic sustainability [News]

By Rachel Kelly, Channel NewsAsia, 27 Oct 2011.

Environmental sustainability may be the next mega trend for businesses when it comes to keeping one step ahead of the competition.

But one report said top level executives should not confuse Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting with strategic sustainability.

CSR reports may highlight things like the amount of paper a company has saved by recycling, fair employment policies, or even the training its security team has received, but what many do not include is how much the company may have saved or made through sustainable initiatives.

Dr David A. Lubin, Chairman of Esty Sustainability Network, said: “The research that we have done suggests that most companies are in what we would call a defensive position – they are trying to reduce their risks and reduce their cost of waste. And the minority is in an offensive situation – really using sustainability as a driver of innovation. And an even smaller percentage are using it as a defining concept of their brand.” Read more

Why You Shouldn’t have a Sustainability Strategy

This article is contributed by Eric Lowitt, the author of The Future of Value.

Last month I got a call from a VP of sustainability at a Global Fortune 500 company (let’s refer to her as ‘Ellen’ to protect the innocent). This person had guided her company’s sustainability initiatives to early success. But her department is struggling to gain ongoing funding for sustainability efforts. In fact her company is questioning whether its sustainability strategy will achieve its goals.

What happened? And what can we learn? This VP’s sustainability strategy wasn’t integrated into her company’s competitive strategy. Typically what gets into the strategic plan gets funded via the operating plan. Since her sustainability strategy resided outside the operating plan, she turned to her colleagues for funding help. Those dollars have run out.

I often hear variants of Ellen’s story. In fact, over the past two years I’ve interviewed more than 100 sustainability, strategy, finance, and business unit leaders at Global Fortune 500 companies in support of my forthcoming book, The Future of Value. A frequent topic was the “separate sustainability strategy” versus “integrated sustainability and competitive strategy” debate. Read more

A CLEAR Approach to Connect Sustainability to Competitive Strategy

This article is contributed by Eric Lowitt, the author of The Future of Value.

Last week I was interviewed for a Fox Small Business Center article. The topic was sustainability management practices for small business owners. As we got into the heart of our conversation, it struck me that the approach small business owners should use for sustainability management isn’t dissimilar to the approach larger businesses use. Indeed my research into the practices of Global Fortune 500 companies revealed a common set of activities companies use to tie sustainability to the creation of business value.

I had the privilege of interviewing over 100 sustainability, strategy, and finance managers at these companies for my forthcoming book, The Future of Value. These interviews suggest the trick to excellence in sustainability management is a commitment to continuously renew your company’s approach. After all, the assumptions companies use to plan their sustainability strategies constantly change. This needed commitment was underscored on July 10 when Australia’s Prime Minister announced carbon emissions would be taxed at about $25 USD starting next year.

The approach starts with an effort to craft a sustainability strategy and ‘ends’ with an effort to renew the company’s sustainability strategy. In between are steps to nurture a robust sustainability governance structure, execute the strategy, and analyze the results of your efforts. These five steps are the core of the CLEAR Model (see figure below). Read more

How IKEA Embraces Sustainability Globally and in Singapore

Over 7 million people visited the two IKEA stores in Singapore last year. Singaporeans love IKEA for its affordable and well-designed home furnishing products, but not many realise that IKEA is also committed to sustainability.

At Green Business Times, we have always admired how IKEA conduct business while keeping in mind their environmental and social responsibilities. To give you an overview of how IKEA embraces sustainability, we will share with you the efforts of the IKEA Group and IKEA Singapore. Read more

Panel Discussion on Economic and Environmental Sustainability

Venue: Seminar Room 3-1, Level 3, Manasseh Meyer, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259776

Organiser: Global Public Policy Network, GPPN

Panellists:

1. Mr Tan Yong Soon, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resource

2. Dodo Thampapill, Associate Professor, LKY School

3. Seetharam Kallidaikurich, Visiting Professor, LKY School

Details from the LKYSPP website.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development Unveils Blueprint for a Sustainable Singapore

This is a news release from Sustainable Singapore.

1. The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development (IMCSD) has unveiled a blueprint for Singapore’s sustainable development, detailing the key goals and initiatives for the next 10 to 20 years.

2. Speaking at a media conference, Minister for National Development and co-Chair of the IMCSD Mr Mah Bow Tan said, “The economic situation has changed dramatically since we set up this committee in February last year. The temptation is to slow down our efforts in the area of sustainable development while we tackle the immediate economic challenges. However, the two are not mutually exclusive. Even as we tackle the short-term challenges, we must build capability for our long-term development. Sustainable development must remain a national priority, in good times and bad, given our resource constraints, the demands of our growing city and the global challenge of climate change.” Minister Mah added, “Sustainable development can only be achieved through long-term attention and effort. We must act now. As individuals, we must be prepared to change the way we live, work, play and commute. As a nation, we have to invest to develop new technologies and alternative sources of energy.” Read more

Nokia Virtual Eco-Rountable

Nokia held its first Virtual Eco-Roundtable in Singapore last week and we were invited to attend the event and hear Nokia’s global and Southeast Asia Pacific (SEAP) executives speak on environmental sustainability and its commitment to the environment. The discussion was held in Nokia’s videoconference room, the Halo Room, as some speakers were presenting from the Nokia HQ in Finland.

The presentations and speakers include:

• Introduction by Chris Carr, Vice President, Sales, SEAP
• Nokia Environmental Strategy by Markus Terho, Director, Environmental Affairs, Markets
• SEAP Environmental Programs by Francis Cheong, Regional Manager, Environmental Affairs, SEAP
• Environmental Design by Tiina Karhu, Senior Specialist, Design Strategy, Nokia Design
• Packaging Design by Ulla Uimonen, Head of Packaging Design, Nokia Design

We learned 2 key points from the Nokia Virtual Eco-Roundtable: 1) Nokia is Integrating Sustainability into the Business and 2) Nokia is Advocating Sustainable Choices. Read more