In This Issue
Editor's Note
How to Lead—from Climate Policy to Green Technology
This week we look at leadership opportunities from across sustainable business:
Our feature offers an overview of climate policy developments in the United States and China, and insights to help you understand the emerging landscape, know where your company stands, and take informed action.
From the marketplace, the introduction of a new bio-plastic phone from Sprint, made with mostly recyclable material, represents an important step for this company, and possibly others, on product development.
Finally, the urgency for business to lead in areas like these is reinforced by a new survey that reported mostly "poor" sustainability performance for corporate leaders.
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In Depth
Navigating U.S.-China Relations: A Climate Policy Update
By Laura Ediger, Associate Director, Advisory Services, BSR; Ryan Schuchard, Manager, Climate and Energy, BSR
The United States and China are moving forward on climate policy—which is a critical step toward a global climate treaty in Copenhagen. But is it enough? Here's a look at the key developments to watch and actions to take to position your company for success on this rapidly changing issue.
Read more →
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Spotlight
Sprint’s Latest Phone Paves Way for Greener Products
By Marshall Chase, Associate Director, Advisory Services, BSR
Sprint's recently released Samsung Reclaim is the latest example of the company's efforts to improve the environmental impacts of its products and services. According to Sprint, this phone—made from 80 percent recyclable materials—is the first phone in the United States constructed from "eco-friendly bio-plastic materials."
As part of BSR's ongoing work with Sprint, we contributed to the external review of the phone. We believe this is an important step for the company and for sustainable product innovation as a whole—especially given the complex technical requirements and lack of common standards for green electronics. However, Sprint's progress is even more significant in that it represents a new path for future product development.
Improvements including greater recyclability, increased energy efficiency, and the elimination of harmful materials are a good start, but lasting large-scale impact will depend on the company’s ability to apply these improvements across its entire product portfolio and address the overall impacts of the infrastructure that supports these products.
We look forward to Sprint's future efforts, and we encourage Sprint—along with other companies pushing similar initiatives—to create and publish a green product road map to chart their future direction.
Read more about communicating the environmental impact of your products in our blog post "Avoid Greenwashing…but Speak Up!"
Quick Hit
Corporate Leaders Near Bottom in Survey of Sustainability Performance
According to a recent GlobeScan and SustainAbility poll of global sustainability experts, social entrepreneurs and NGOs are outperforming government and corporate leaders in moving the sustainability agenda forward. "The Sustainability Survey" targeted more than 1,600 sustainability experts—drawn from corporate, government, NGO, academic, research, and service organizations from more than 90 countries—on a range of sustainability topics.
On the bright side for business, the poll also revealed the emergence of a new generation of corporate leaders. Interface, GE, Toyota, and Wal-Mart received the most recognition from surveyed experts.
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*All figures in the charts are percentages.
Source: "The Sustainability Survey" (GlobeScan and SustainAbility 2009). View larger image.
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