Book Description

Corporate Sustainability: Does It Make A Difference? breaks new ground in exploring the actual steps companies take -- and fail to take -- in pursuing more sustainable operations. *Why hasn't Coca Cola ended child labor in its supply chain? *How does Shell plan to eliminate 50 times more greenhouse gases than Exxon? *How is reinventing capitalism central to greater corporate sustainability? *Which company has a $25/hr minimum wage for its employees? *Are Bayer's Roundup-ready seeds consistent with sustainability? Sustainability is not just about climate change. Biodiversity, worker dignity and safety, gender and racial equity all fall under the umbrella of corporate sustainability. The world's largest companies control a major portion of the global economy. If the Global 500 firms set their minds to it, they could rapidly make major advances towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the most part though, even the most well-meaning firms have only taken baby steps. Corporate Sustainability profiles activities at Walmart, Amazon, Freeport McMoran, HSBC Banking, China Construction, Archer Daniels Midland, Philip Morris (a sustainable tobacco company?), and many others. After 30 years of talking sustainability, companies are finally beginning to take concrete actions. But their efforts will need to expand significantly to address the challenges of meeting the UN's SDGs. Corporate Sustainability's final chapters lay out a strategy for reinventing capitalism itself so that sustainability is central to the mission of every large corporation and -- just as importantly -- to the suppliers and value chains that make big business possible. “A comprehensive and vital work. Corporate sustainability efforts and progress need consistent, constructive criticism, to avoid complacency and ensure that the point of such change is kept in mind – a sustainable and equitable future.” Joss Tantram, Partner, Terrafiniti, Author of Towards 9 Billion book series “I enjoyed reading this book. It shows the huge potential companies have to make the world a little better, and how challenging this is.” Dr Christy van Beek, Sustainability Lead, Bayer Crop Science, The Netherlands