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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Pushing the Sustainability Agenda in Europe
Last month, BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer shared five key trends that will shape our world in 2011. Now, we take a closer look at the state of sustainability in Europe, a region known for its strong leadership in corporate sustainability.
In today's feature, BSR Managing Director Peder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen shares why 2011 will be a patchy year for European sustainability: As the EU struggles to deal with economic woes, we will see individual member states take a more aggressive approach and major European corporations push ahead with strong agendas influenced by a global perspective.
Continuing our big-picture overview of sustainability trends, we highlight GreenBiz's 2011 "State of Green Business" report, which was released last week at the State of Green Business Forum in San Francisco.
And finally, BSR's Research & Innovation Manager Linda Hwang reports back from Washington, D.C., where BSR co-hosted a forum with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development on corporate water strategies. Speakers focused on making the business case for investing in water infrastructure, particularly for those at the "bottom of the pyramid."
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In Depth
Will Old Europe Become the New World of Sustainability in 2011?
Despite strong leadership in corporate sustainability from European companies, 2011 will be a patchy year for "European sustainability." Climate change, disclosure, and human rights will see strong support from governments, but sustainable consumption and production initiatives will still need strong support from other sectors.
Read more →
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Toolbox
State of Green Business 2011
GreenBiz's fourth annual "State of Green Business" report presents the top 10 trends and 20 indices for measuring how well companies are improving their environmental performance. According to the report, green business did not die during the recession; rather, companies are diving deeper and investing in longer-term sustainability initiatives.
Some of the top sustainable business trends of 2010 include:
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Large consumer products companies—once reluctant to enter the green world—are now setting bold sustainability goals.
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Sustainable agriculture has gone mainstream.
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Existing green business standards and certifications are limited in scope, and companies are stepping in to fill the gaps by creating their own.
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Large companies are pushing for "zero waste"—and some, like General Motors, are achieving it.
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Toxic concerns are spurring the growing field of green chemistry, which seeks to transform the way products are made.
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With the goal of creating a closed-loop society, companies are finding innovative ways to turn old products into new ones.
BSR members can still save US$400 off the US$975 admission cost for the State of Green Business Forum in Chicago on February 9 and 10 and in Washington, D.C. on February 16 and 17 by using the code "stateBSR" when registering.
On the Record
The Business Case for Water
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Last week, BSR and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development co-hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. on corporate water strategies. JPMorgan Chase's James Fuschetti delivered the event's keynote address on the business case for investing time and resources into activities linked to water stewardship. He noted that having a clear understanding of the physical water risks for global facilities and meeting local stakeholders' expectations for water use are just two benefits of a proactive water strategy.
Following the panel discussion, ITT Corporation's Bjorn Von Euler responded to an audience question regarding the difficulty in making the business case for investing in water infrastructure for those at the "bottom of the pyramid:"
"The business case there is all about innovation. All of the development going forward in the world will happen there, and we need to understand that and seek the opportunities now. If they have clean water and sanitation, they can take advantage of all of that development."
—Bjorn Von Euler, Director of Corporate Philanthropy, ITT Corporation (February 3, 2011)
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Like many people, I've been watching the scenes of democratic protests in Egypt unfold with a mixture of awe and fascination, fear and hope. I've also been reflecting on the implications of these events for the relationship between business and human rights.