Sustainability is an Economic Imperative: The 2012 CK Prahalad Award Winners (Video)

See how the 2012 winners of CK Prahalad award are weaving sustainability into their business models and flourishing in the process. Companies like Unilever and Sustainable Apparel Coalition are leading the way and showing that the business case for sustainability is undeniable. As explained in this video sustainability is an imperative for all companies. The questions that must be asked is how can you have a business model that continues to take away from future generations? Any company that does not pay attention to its environmental interface is doing so at its own peril. The companies in this video prove that commitments to sustainability initiatives pay off while the failure to engage sustainability poses a very serious risk.

Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics 2012

Each year Greenpeace publishes its guide to greener electronics just before the Thanksgiving holidays and the shopping event of the year known as Black Friday. This year is the 18th edition of Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, it profiles a number of new developments.

The Guide evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental criteria: Energy and Climate, Greener Products, and Sustainable Operations. Click here to download the Ranking Criteria Explained (pdf).

The Most Sustainable Companies in the World

We are seeing an ever growing number of companies address the issue of sustainability with sincerity and depth that go far beyond the public relations ploys of yesteryear. This preoccupation with efficiency is an important bottom line issue. As water, land, minerals, and fossil fuels get more scarce and costly, sustainability is an unavoidable imperitive. Here are some examples of companies that are leading the way towards this resource constrained future.

The 8 C's of Sustainability Branding by Marc Stoiber

In 2010, Marc Stoiber, creative director, writer, innovator and green brand specialist wrote a piece called the 5C’s of Sustainability Branding. In 2012 he has added some new C's. Here is his original 5C’s, followed by his new C's for 2012.

The 5C’s of Sustainability

1. Consumer-Facing - Not sure what to do first? Look at what the consumer is looking at. There are plenty of ways to improve corporate sustainability, but consumer-facing changes will have the most immediate impact on your brand’s public perception. Think of Method’s Omop, with its compostable / recyclable bamboo and paper packaging – it stands out like a beacon at shelf, where consumers can really notice the difference.

Green Consumer Trends Drive Profits (Video)

Green Consumers Can Save the World (Video)

The sound quality in this video is very poor, however, it nonetheless makes the point that going all the way back to the late 80s, pundits saw green consumerism as part of the picture to reduce our impacts on the Earth.

Green Consumers Really Can Save the World (Video)

In this video Annie Leonard is trying to help change the world by encouraging people to take action as citizens, not just as consumers. She posits that green consuming is necessary, but must be a starting, not an ending, point. Shopping can help to protect the planet but part of that effort involves putting down their credit cards and exercising their citizen muscles to build a more sustainable, just and fulfilling world.

Bridging the Gap: A Financial Approach to Sustainability (White Paper)

"Do good and you will do well!" pundits and companies often assert. While the tagline sounds great, the reality is that many companies struggle to connect sustainability with core business goals such as increasing sales, reducing costs, or reducing risks. As a result, sustainability departments are often seen as tangential to the core business, and annual CSR reports are mostly filled with anecdotal feel good stories. More often than not, environmental impacts, costs, and risks are mostly hidden and do not show up in companies' main accounting systems. As long as a CFO or Procurement Officer does not have visibility on such costs and risks in financial terms, the environment will at best remain a Chief Sustainability Officer issue.

Top Climate Innovators

GE, Alcoa, Johnson Controls, Ford, Intel and Hess are leaders in the innovation of clean-tech solutions and products, mitigation of climate change-related risks and management of carbon emissions, according to a rating by risk analysis company Maplecroft.

Market Forces and the UK's Green Deal

In 2012 the UK is launching the green deal, which will unleash the competitive forces in the energy efficiency market. The green deal will be the biggest home energy improvement programme of modern times. Due in part to the green deal the energy efficiency market in the UK could reach £800m by 2020.

Video: Sustainability...Your Competitive Advantage

Caterpillar Sustainable Development Manager John Disharoon presented "Sustainability...Your Competitive Advantage" daily from the stage in Generations Park at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Volt Wins Green Car of the Year Award

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric hybrid car, the centerpiece of a revitalized General Motors Co, was named 2011 Green Car of the Year. Volt received the industry's top environmental honor from Green Car Journal. The same day GM received the award, it launched the biggest US IPO ever.

The panel that selected the 2011 Green Car of the Year included Sierra Club Chairman Carl Pope and Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke.

To earn the award, the Volt beat out four finalists. The all electric Nissan Leaf, two hybrids, the Hyundai, Sonata, and Ford's Lincoln MKZ, along with Ford's new gasoline engine Fiesta. The Fiesta is the only car in the running that is powered exclusively by a gasoline engine, it has a 40 miles per gallon highway driving rating.

Both Motor Trend and Automobile magazines also named the Chevrolet Volt the 2011 car of the year.

Although GM has already decided to increase production from the 10,000 units originally planned for the first year, the vehicle's limited production and a waiting list of green car enthusiasts almost guarantees the Volt will be sold out.

According to the EPA, the Volt gets 93 miles per gallon equivalent when driving under electric power only. In the EPA's tests, the Volt traveled 35 miles on electric power only. Once the Volt's gasoline engine kicked in, its rating fell to 37 mpg. The EPA's combined mpg equivalent is 60. The Volt has been priced at $41,000 before federal and state tax incentives. The estimated annual charging cost for the car is $601.

Despite the hefty price tag for the Volt, GM is making a valiant attempt to produce vehicles that are relevant. The 102-year-old automaker has come a long way from its near death experience in 2008, a government bailout in 2009, and bankruptcy in 2010.


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