Social Business at Blue Planet Life

Blue Planet Life is a dedicated social business meeting the social goal of lifting life standards of the poor by education and by addressing the world community with issues of humanity and nature to bind people of all directions for one issue: to secure life on planet earth for the future.

Business Will Lead the War Against Climate Change

In the wake of the failure of political solutions, the business community can lead the war on climate change. There are tremendous opportunities for businesses that show leadership in emissions reductions. Business has contributed greatly to environmental degradation and now the same capitalist system that drove the industrial revolution, is beginning to play a vital role by solving the problems it created.

Businesses are taking action on climate change in ever increasing numbers for many reasons including benefits to the corporate image and alignment of the corporation with the environmental interests of owners, employees, suppliers, and customers. Sustainable initiatives can also reduce costs, increase return on investments, and reduce dependency on uncontrollable costs like fossil fuels.

There is a powerful logic driving the growth of sustainable business. Many large corporations are showing leadership with sustainability initiatives that both reduce the size of their footprints and decrease their long term costs. Overall, a cost benefit analysis reveals the merits of sustainable practices. Although it is clear that some are faring better than others, Companies like Xerox, PUMA, HP, Walmart and even smaller companies like Zotos are successfully incorporating sustainability initiatives and reducing their footprints.

Business is well suited to finding innovative approaches as it is always looking for cheaper, faster, cleaner, more efficient and more effective solutions. Business is also more likely to find these opportunities than a government planner.

The combination of high energy prices and increasing consumer pressure are coalescing to drive businesses to adopt more sustainable practices. The general public increasingly expects companies to be sustainable. Social media is making it easier to coordinate mass campaigns and social action is making it harder for companies to ignore their footprint. Positive social actions like Carrot-Mobs and the powerful incentive of consumer loyalty are driving ever increasing levels of sustainability. Private incentives like the one million dollar X-Prize award, are also driving creative sustainable innovation.

As sustainability is still very young, the emissions reductions possibilities for business are massive. The vast majority of businesses have yet to adopt sustainable practices. According to the Sustainability & Innovation Survey by MIT’s Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group, 82 percent of small companies have yet to go green, and 66 percent of large companies have yet to embrace sustainability. That leaves room for major emissions reductions.

Loss of competitive positioning and public ire are two powerful disincentives that are also driving businesses to embrace sustainability. The number of sustainable businesses will continue to grow because it is an unstoppable mega-trend. To assist companies in their efforts to go green, new alliances are developing including new partnerships between corporations and environmental organizations. Although consumers are still woefully ignorant about the environment, there can be no doubt that the green consumer is on the rise. Consumers have shown a steady and growing demand for green goods and services for several years now.

Increases to employee productivity and benefits to the brand are just two reasons why businesses will keep integrating sustainable practices to serve the company's best interest. Public pressure and customer loyalty will also add to the forces pushing companies to go green.

However the single greatest motive that will drive businesses to reduce their footprints is the profit incentive. As the most powerful of all incentives, profit will continue to be attractive to decision makers.

The green market is now estimated to be worth $5.27 trillion (£3.2 trillion) worldwide and in the next couple of decades the clean energy market alone is expected to be worth more than $13 trillion. With trillions at stake and ominous disincentives, businesses cannot afford to ignore the green market.

In today's business environment, sustainable practices are becoming a strategic priority. Although some businesses will need to cajoled to look beyond the short term profit cycle, there is ample incentive to expand their time horizons for a return on their investments.

In the absence of an environmental policy framework, leadership will come from visionary businesses that see the writing on the wall.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Green Guide for SMEs from the Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust has launched a green guide to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the green goods and services industry. This guide is intended to help Britain's small firms to seize green opportunities by cutting costs or developing greener products and services.

The free 'Green Your Business for Growth’ guide includes information on how SMEs can find opportunities for green growth and develop a strategy to implement the changes. The guide contains information on how smaller companies can boost their competitive advantages while reducing their environmental impact. It also includes templates for energy and environment policies and a checklist to assess current sustainability.

The green market is estimated to be worth £112 billion in the UK and £3.2 trillion worldwide. A Carbon Trust poll found that 65 per cent of consumers want to purchase products from environmentally responsible companies. Despite these numbers and the fact that businesses are benefiting from greening their operations, recent research conducted by the trust revealed that SMEs are misinformed about the potential of the green economy. More than half see a greener economy as a threat, while a roughly equal number believe that you need a lot of capital and only about 1 in 5 believe investing in green products and services will lead to higher profits.

The Carbon Trust is trying to combat misinformation with important facts. In addition to saving 29.5 million tonnes of CO2 and £2.6 billion in energy costs for its customers, The Carbon Trust is also pointing out the risk exposure for SMEs that do not embrace the green economy. As larger firms look to reduce carbon in their supply chains, companies that fail to implement more sustainable practices will lose out to greener competitors.

The Carbon Trust points to a number of SMEs it has worked with that have reduced costs, won new business and built customer loyalty.

Click here to download the guide.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Cooperation Between Environmental Organizations and Businesses

Increasingly we are seeing cooperation between environmental organizations and businesses. All around the world, grassroots environmental organizations are teaming up with corporations in the service of the environment.

Environmental organizations have commonly pressured corporations to change. Greenpeace's widely publicized campaigns against unsustainable companies are some of the best known examples.

Other environmental campaigns are less adversarial and more inclusive. There are many strong partnerships were the business community is working alongside environmmental groups. For example, Xerox has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to promote sustainable forestry, preserve biodiversity and help minimize forest loss and degradation that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Strong partnerships are forming where non-profits are putting their expertise to work guiding businesses. Some of the most productive partnerships involve information sharing between environmental groups and companies. Greenpeace has partnered with companies like Cisco and Google, Carbon Trust has put out a Green Guide for SMEs and the WWF-UK has launched its Green Game-Changers initiative for Business. The WWF is involved in training business executives for sustainability through its Sustainability Training Program. The WWF has partnered with the IMD to create a Sustainable Business Program. The WWF also provides training to business leaders through its One Planet Leaders Program The Environmental Defense Fund has the comprehensive Innovation Exchange and Ceres has been integrating sustainability into capital markets for more than 20 years.

Other campaigns work with companies to foster change from within the business community. For example, 350.org's "The US Chamber of Commerce Doesn't Speak For Me," campaign.

Various professional and development organizations support sustainable businesses. The B Corporation, certifies businesses as change agents, The ISSP, International Society of Sustainability Professionals, promotes professional development, as well as providing networking and sharing of best practices.

Although the EPA is a government organization, the public - Private cooperation that fuels its Green Power Partnership program has yielded impressive results.

Cooperation between businesses and environmental organizations is helping to produce a greener world. These partnerships illustrate that capitalism and environmentalism can converge in ways that benefit the planet.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Hult International Business School Publication "Greenovate!"

A Hult International Business School publication named "Greenovate!" is the first publication in the Beyond Eureka! series of studies by the Center for Innovation, Excellence, and Growth (IXL). The joint publication explores the topic of developing consistent and dependable processes of innovation as well as how companies can employ environmentally-friendly strategies and turn a profit.

The companies they profile include one that makes smart, solar-powered garbage cans that signal trash collectors when they are full, thus reducing fuel costs. This is but one innovative example of the 50 companies featured in the inaugural publication.

The book examines a range of industries and many different products that are profiting from the adoption of sustainable business practices. Each company profile includes the goals and barriers encountered.

Research compiled for a unique hands-on MBA consulting course by the Hult graduating class of 2009 was also incorporated into the book. The publication clearly illustrates that the confluence of good business sense with environmentally-friendly strategies can enhance a product or service.
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Global Social Benefit Incubator

On August 26 Santa Clara University is host to the 2010 Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) which is receiving entrepreneurs from around the world. The day will feature business plan presentations that showcase innovative adaptation of technology and models of social change.

The (GSBI) program at Santa Clara University supports sustainable social ventures. It combines classroom instruction in finance, marketing creation, organizational development and business planning. The program also includes case studies, best practices and carefully matched Silicon Valley mentors.

In 2010, the STS Center launched a three-year initiative to focus on “Renewable Energy for the Underserved.” This initiative will explore several segments of the clean energy field including off-grid power and light, energy saving devices , value chain organizations, financial services, second generation bio-fuels and distribution. This year, there are 12 social entrepreneurs that are representing the Renewable Energy Sector in the GSBI class of 2010.

Social entrepreneurship can be of great benefit to the environment, the economy and to all of humanity.

To RSVP for the event go to GSBI's registration page. For further information call the Center for Science, Technology, and Society, Santa Clara University, (408) 551-6027, or email sdale@ scu.edu.
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Sustainability is a Catalyst for Innovation

The companies participating in Sustainable Brands 2010 are functioning models of the evolving relationship between sustainability and innovation.

A 2008 report titled “A New Mindset for Corporate Sustainability" was co-sponsored by BT and Cisco, and was written by six academic experts from the United States, China, United Kingdom, Singapore and Spain. According to the report, sustainable innovation is creating new business models, opening up new markets, and providing a competitive advantage. Sustainable innovation is also improving profitability.

This report is more than a theoretical summary or academic exercise, it includes case studies that demonstrate how companies are employing innovative sustainable practices to better the environment and their bottom line.

Organisations that wish to grow profitably in the future must focus their efforts to benefit shareholders, society and the environment simultaneously. Concentrating on any one of these areas at the expense of the other two may compromise a business's long-term success. A focus on sustainability provides the best means to implement this triple-pronged strategy simultaneously, enabling organisations to innovate, differentiate themselves and succeed."

Although sustainable practices were once dismissed for being too costly, as evidenced by Sustainable Brands 2010, more and more companies are coming to the realization that sustainable innovations are a gateway to growth.

Sustainability affords new opportunities for innovation and for profit.
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New Year's Resolutions for a More Sustainable World in 2010

The beginning of the new decade is a good time make a resolution for a more sustainable world. During the holidays we collectively generate mountains of waste. According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board and Recycle Works, the US alone purchases over 2.6 billion holiday cards each year. (enough to fill a football field 10 stories high). Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, Americans throw out an extra million tons of trash each week (a 25% increase). In addition, 38,000 miles of ribbon are discarded each year–enough to tie a bow around the Earth.

Powerful improvements can be made through relatively simple business innovations and consumer decisions. Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. and about 30 million go to the landfill. During the average 15 year life span of a fake Christmas tree, a real tree user will put about 1/2 ton of waste into landfills. Fake trees are even more destructive to the environment as they are made with polyvinyl chloride (or PVC, otherwise known as vinyl), one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic. Fake Christmas trees are also know to have several carcinogens, including dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. Fake trees also contain lead and other additives that have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological and reproductive system damage.

The most eco-friendly way to enjoy a Christmas tree is to buy a live tree with its roots intact from a local grower. As reviewed in a recent New York Times article, Scott Martin, a landscape designer in California, has established a business that rents living Christmas trees to LA homes using biodiesel trucks. After the holidays, the trees are picked up and planted on industrial properties.

The beginning of the new year is a good time to make green resolutions. Here are several suggestions:

Inform yourself about sustainable business
Raise awareness about sustainable business
Lobby your legislators on behalf of the green economy
Get a green degree
Get a green job
Invest in sustainable stock
Start a sustainable business
Make your existing business more sustainable

Whatever you resolve to do, find a way to get involved in the green economy. As consumers we can resolve to make more informed, responsible buying decisions. As entrepreneurs and business owners, we can make our businesses more sustainable by resolving to adopt the triple bottom line of planet, people and profits.

Other green business resolutions include incorporating sustainable principles into your business decisions. Supplying environmentally friendly products or services that replace the demand for non green products or services. Being greener than traditional competition and making an enduring commitment to environmental principles. (for more specific information on sustainable business frameworks and guidelines see ISO14001).

You can also follow THE GREEN MARKET and get updated, topical information delivered to your inbox, as well as gain access to the wealth of resources and tools in the Green Link Library.

Whether you are a business owner, entrepreneur or consumer, everyone can make sustainable resolutions for 2010.
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Profiting from Green

Green’s coming of age is the overriding theme of our times. Green is huge and growing. This is illustrated by the fact that Green received $5.18 billion in venture capital funding in 2007. With $41 billion in assets, collaborations like the Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) demonstrate that investors are serious about Green.

In her book Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, Jacquelyn A. Ottman says “Marketers that take the time now to court the deepest green consumers with truly innovative solutions to environmental concerns will be the ones who reap the biggest future opportunities… Look at those businesses at the forefront of the green trend and see a deeper characteristic than just greened-up products or ads that makes them at once environmental and societal leaders as well as profitable: green leaders are driven by more than short-term financial goals. They are motivated by a double bottom line, a bottom line that recognizes the potential for business to affect societal change as well as create economic wealth. A business that at the end of the day is measured by profits as much as its contribution to human potential and the harmony of the company's objectives with other living beings.”

Green is more than just an innovative business concept; a Green business considers the implications of its actions in the wider context. Green is not only about the environment it is about beliefs and values. Burgeoning environmental awareness is feeding a cultural identity based on integrity, idealism and compassion. Profiting from Green implies fidelity to Green ethics. Soaring commodities prices may earn returns for commodity speculators, but they have also helped to drive up the price of food, thereby contributing to world hunger. Profit is only one of the goals of a Green business. As part of a cohesive strategy they must strive to reduce their ecological footprint and function in a socially responsible fashion.

According to an Indie Breakfast Club report on talks given at Lohas Forum 11 by Chris Van Dyke (CEO of Nau) and Joel Makower (founder and author of Greenbiz) , Makower was quoted as saying successful Green businesses have “a comprehensive understanding, a bold vision, benchmarks for success and a desire to collaborate." And Van Dyke said successful Green companies seamlessly weave “a triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) into their DNA”

There are many ways to deliver on a Green promise and communicate Green Value, from eco-labeling to a product offering that employs carbon offsets. Each business needs to scrutinize it's own activities and customer base to develop the most effective and appropriate Green strategies. Successful Green businesses must have vision to see the wider implications of their operations. Green marketing takes the long view and requires patience to realize long term strategies. Green companies do not wait for Green legislation, they have the foresight to proactively address issues.

Jacquelyn A. Ottman’s conception of a successful Green business projects the core values inherent in the Green ethic. She envisions a Green future created by visionaries who marry their competitive spirit to social activism. She sees new products and services creating new industries and more inclusive work and management styles. This new generation of Green visionaries will augment quality and profits through increasingly efficient processes, design and marketing.

Ottman's book Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation describes it this way: "The most successful green companies operate holistically...they don't risk disappointing their customers or shaking their confidence.”

How do you profit from Green? You profit by having a quality product with a solid demand that has the added advantage of being Green. Green must be sewn into the fabric of your business culture. Green branding adds value and taps into a revolutionary surge, but it should not stand on its own. Profiting from Green entails not only strategies and tactics but beliefs and values. Going Green means going deep, Green business is good for people, planet and profits.