Chief Sustainability Officers At Work


Book Description

Read over 20 exclusive, in-depth interviews with chief sustainability officers (CSOs) of Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble and globally recognized brands such as IKEA and Netflix. These CSOs reveal how they deliver positive environmental and social impact through their companies’ core products and services and generate revenue growth while tackling unique leadership, change management, regulatory and stakeholder challenges. Sustainability and environmental, social, governance (ESG) strategies are increasingly central to businesses’ growth strategy and risk management. As a result, the CSO has become more important as a driver of both revenue and strategy. Yet, no two CSOs are alike in their backgrounds, titles or even the scope of their roles. From former Peace Corps volunteers to supply chain experts, these C-suite leaders launch ambitious carbon emissions and net-zero goals, develop new products for a circular economy, target increasing the diversity of their company’s staff, align strategic projects to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and standardize reporting for the SEC, investors and more. What You Will Learn How global multibillion dollar businesses in the United States, Europe and Asia structure their sustainability strategy How top sustainability executives drive both business value and positive environmental and social impact How CSOs landed in their roles without climbing a traditional career ladder Who This Book Is For Executives and board members generally or those establishing a sustainability or ESG strategy; current and aspiring CSOs and ESG leaders; business leaders partnering with sustainability leaders and teams; and students studying the integration of sustainability and business. Advance praise for Chief Sustainability Officers At Work: "Chief sustainability officers play a critical role in supporting the broader business transition to a more just and sustainable global economy. Through dialogue with influential sustainability professionals, Chrissa brings to life the essential role in bridging gaps and helping to eliminate the divide between "traditional" business functions, senior leadership, and the sustainability teams to drive transformational change within their firms." - Mindy Lubber, CEO and President, Ceres "Chief Sustainability Officers at Work, is a fresh new book by seasoned business leader Chrissa Pagitsas that offers succinct ways anyone can implement and achieve ESG goals – whether they own the company or simply aspire to improve its impact on people and the planet. Chrissa roots this book in her own experience leading change within major companies that not only improved the businesses where she worked but improved the markets within which they needed to thrive. This is a must read for a seasoned ESG practitioner as much as it is for the young professional just getting started. Chrissa knows it is imperative we all just get started doing better and she opens up the otherwise dark box of how-tos for all of us to do our part." – Dana Bourland, SVP, The JPB Foundation and author of Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises.




Chief Sustainability Officers At Work


Book Description

Read over 20 exclusive, in-depth interviews with chief sustainability officers (CSOs) of Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble and globally recognized brands such as IKEA and Netflix. These CSOs reveal how they deliver positive environmental and social impact through their companies' core products and services and generate revenue growth while tackling unique leadership, change management, regulatory and stakeholder challenges. Sustainability and environmental, social, governance (ESG) strategies are increasingly central to businesses' growth strategy and risk management. As a result, the CSO has become more important as a driver of both revenue and strategy. Yet, no two CSOs are alike in their backgrounds, titles or even the scope of their roles. From former Peace Corps volunteers to supply chain experts, these C-suite leaders launch ambitious carbon emissions and net-zero goals, develop new products for a circular economy, target increasing the diversity of their company's staff, align strategic projects to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and standardize reporting for the SEC, investors and more.




Purpose and Profit


Book Description

Are purpose and profit in conflict, or can both be achieved simultaneously with the right mindset and tools? What are the forces that are reshaping the relationship between the two? What can we all do to strengthen the relationship between purpose and profit as entrepreneurs, managers, employees, consumers, and investors? Backed by cutting-edge research, Purpose and Profit provides answers to these fundamental questions that are increasingly defining the business landscape all around the world. Distinguished Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim takes readers on a research-driven journey to understand: How and why environmental and social issues are becoming increasingly relevant for organizations worldwide; The ways that companies can design and implement strategies that generate greater impact; The six archetypes of value creation enabled by these new trends; The role of investors in driving greater recognition of ESG issues; and How we can all look at the choices we make and careers we pursue in a way that maximizes purpose and profit in our own lives.




Values at Work


Book Description

Sustainable investing is a rapidly growing and evolving field. With investors expressing ever greater interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics and reporting, companies face a sustainability imperative and the need to remake their business models to respond to an array of pressing issues including climate change, air and water pollution, racial justice, workplace diversity, economic inequality, privacy, corporate integrity, and good governance. From equities to fixed income and from private equity to impact-investing, investors of all kinds now want to understand which companies will be marketplace leaders in a business future redefined by sustainability. Thus, investment strategies, risk models, financial vehicles, applications, data, metrics, standards, and regulations are all changing rapidly around the world. In an effort to better understand the current status and movement of this dynamic field and to provide a practical reference for the growing pool of investors, financial advisors, companies, and academics seeking information on sustainable investing and ESG reporting, this edited book covers the latest trends, tools, and thinking. It showcases the work of authors from leading companies and academic institutions across a range of vital topics such as financial disclosure, portfolio assessment, ESG metrics construction, and law as well as regulation. Readers of the book will be better able to identify and address the hurdles to moving mainstream capital toward more sustainable companies, investments, and projects.




Sustainability Performance and Reporting


Book Description

This book provides a step-by-step approach for organizations to reap benefits from a more sustainable approach. As organizations tackle global challenges, the faces of our businesses and our economic system are changing to consider the interests of all stakeholders rather than just shareholders. This book provides a step-by-step approach for organizations to reap benefits from a more sustainable approach. It begins with a brief history of the concept of sustainability as it applies to both performance and reporting. Implementing sustainability in an organization begins with the development of policies which are consistent with the expectations of its stakeholders. An organization’s active participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives helps to align the policies with societal trends. Once the policies are developed, a management system is crucial to ensure congruence of policies with actual performance. Then, periodic reporting of performance based on well-recognized standards aids stakeholders in assessing an organization’s performance–reporting also helps stakeholders to determine if performance aligns with their expectations. Both internal and external assurances build stakeholder trust in the organization’s performance and reporting. Finally, the book concludes with a reflection on key messages and potential future actions for continuous improvement.




The Sustainability Scorecard


Book Description

Using a rigorous, straightforward scorecard as a guide, this book shows business leaders and innovators how to create breakthrough sustainable products and processes that are good for the planet, human health, and profits. Natural resource inputs to business operations are getting scarcer and more expensive, while climate-change-related economic shocks pose a risk to seamless operations and, more importantly, threaten business continuity. How can organizations integrate sustainable design in their overarching operations and align it with profitability and corporate strategy? Based on Paul Anastas's foundational Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry, the Sustainability Scorecard is the first scientifically rooted, data-driven methodology for creating inherently sustainable and profitable products and processes. By redesigning with sustainability as a key design element, firms open themselves to unexpected solutions, leapfrog innovations, and sources of value that simply don't occur when sustainability is leveraged purely as a risk-avoidance and compliance measure. Urvashi Bhatnagar and Anastas offer dozens of examples of how sustainable operations can yield benefits such as expanding market share, creating new service lines, and transforming supply-chain and sourcing models to drive the most consistent and highest long-term value. With this comprehensive framework, your firm will be able to identify truly innovative, inherently sustainable products as opposed to less bad products and processes that don't provide the exponential value that only breakthrough products can.




Stewards of the Future


Book Description

Climate- and ESG-competent boards are in high demand by investors and other stakeholders. In fact, climate change and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have become some of the biggest challenges faced by 21st-century board directors. Today's boards must contend with a wide range of stakeholders who can affect the fortunes of a company--customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, politicians, activists, and social-media influencers, among others.This book demonstrates that for long-term profits and sustainability, boards need to not only define the purpose of their company in society but have the insight to ask the right questions of management on complex issues such as climate change, ESG, corruption, cybersecurity, human trafficking, supply-chain resilience, and much more.With insightful contributions from over one hundred world experts, this book provides board members and executives with a practical guide on what is required today to develop thriving, future-fit organizations. The insights shared in this book have one common message: the companies with the best chance of surviving and thriving will be guided by leaders with the foresight, knowledge, and determination to tackle the daunting challenges that confront all of humankind.




Sustainability Principles and Practice


Book Description

Sustainability Principles and Practice gives an accessible and comprehensive overview of the interdisciplinary field of sustainability. The focus is on furnishing solutions and equipping students with both conceptual understanding and technical skills. Each chapter explores one aspect of the field, first introducing concepts and presenting issues, then supplying tools for working toward solutions. Elements of sustainability are examined piece by piece, and coverage ranges over ecosystems, social equity, environmental justice, food, energy, product life cycles, cities, and more. Techniques for management and measurement as well as case studies from around the world are provided. The 3rd edition includes greater coverage of resilience and systems thinking, an update on the Anthropocene as a formal geological epoch, the latest research from the IPCC, and a greater focus on diversity and social equity, together with new details such as sustainable consumption, textiles recycling, microplastics, and net-zero concepts. The coverage in this edition has been expanded to include issues, solutions, and new case studies from around the world, including Europe, Asia, and the Global South. Chapters include further reading and discussion questions. The book is supported by a companion website with online links, annotated bibliography, glossary, white papers, and additional case studies, together with projects, research problems, and group activities, all of which focus on real-world problem-solving of sustainability issues. This textbook is designed to be used by undergraduate college and university students in sustainability degree programs and other programs in which sustainability is taught.




Transparency in ESG and the Circular Economy


Book Description

A holistic view of ESG goes beyond environmental issues, which are closely linked to social issues. Both come from the governance of an organization: the integrity with which decisions are made and implemented, ultimately defining corporate culture. ESG affects the daily lives of everyone in today’s connected world where organizations, companies, and individuals depend on each other at various levels. Lack of sustainability for any entity threatens its future existence, disrupting the entire ecosystem. The use of data to measure ESG outcomes is a young science that is increasingly critical to upholding our very lifestyle. Data clearly presents impact across the entire ESG spectrum, providing the necessary specificity for informed decision making, and ensuring the transparency and accountability, which uphold sustainability.




Grow the Pie


Book Description

Should companies be run for profit or purpose? This book shows how they can deliver both-based on rigorous evidence and an actionable framework. This edition, updated to include the pandemic and latest research, explains how managers, investors and citizens can put purpose into practice-and overcome the difficult trade-offs that hold them back.