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BSR Annual Report, ‘Redefining Leadership,’ Outlines Path for Sustainable Business Success

June 7, 2011

San Francisco—To excel as a corporate leader in sustainable business today requires flexibility, transparency, and an inclusive approach to management, according to the BSR Report 2010, “Redefining Leadership.”

“Business can deliver creative solutions needed for low-carbon prosperity for a world of 9 billion inhabitants by 2050,” said BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer. “But business as usual—or leadership as usual—won’t make it happen.”

The Report includes BSR’s annual assessment of “The State of Sustainable Business,” focusing on four dimensions of leadership that are essential for sustainable business:

1 Set ambitious targets: For many years, business leaders were reluctant to commit to ambitious sustainability targets, but today, that’s changed. More and more companies are setting ambitious goals as a way to define the future and catalyze transformative change.

2 Learn from the margins: Traditionally, leaders were expected to have all the answers. Today, the most successful leaders are adept at asking the right questions of the right people, wherever they are found, and searching out solutions from unlikely and nontraditional sources.

3 Invest in infrastructure of all kinds: A sustainable economy depends on the right infrastructure—not just roads and bridges, but the shared social, financial, and policy infrastructures that help all institutions reach their full potential. Today’s leaders commit to building healthy frameworks that enable their institutions—and others—to thrive.

4 Sail fearlessly toward the future: Given today’s pace of change, we rely on leaders to anticipate the future. To prepare, leaders should question assumptions and pay more attention to long-term trends than short-term market gyrations.

Ultimately, the true test of a leader is how he or she enables others, Cramer added. “Each of us has the tools to create, inspire, and collaborate in ways that previous generations could not have imagined. This gives us all immense power to build the kind of world we want—if we use that power wisely.”

BSR welcomes public comments and feedback on its “State of Sustainable Business” assessment online at www.bsr.org/report.

The Report also features case studies and videos illustrating BSR’s global activities in 2010. The case studies cover BSR’s commitment to address a diverse range of sustainability challenges, from “conflict minerals” in the supply chain, to helping private equity firms boost ESG performance of their portfolio companies, to the creation of winning sustainability strategies. Cases in the Report highlight BSR’s work with companies including Best Buy, Hyatt Hotels, Maersk Line, and Sumitomo Trust and Banking.

BSR will continue to explore the notion of “Redefining Leadership” in the coming months. This is also the theme of the BSR Conference 2011, which takes place November 1 through 4 in San Francisco.

To download a copy of the full BSR Report 2010, visit www.bsr.org/report. To register for the BSR Conference 2011, visit www.bsr.org/conference.

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