Changing Your Mind About Sustainability Often Begins with a Change of Heart.

Put simply, we are too free with nature. Across industrial history, environmental concerns have usually been external to the daily dealings of business. And where nature seemed ‘free’, more ethical options looked like a hit to the bottom line.

In turn, it seemed like planet-friendly products often came with a “green premium.” Higher prices can repel all but the most ethically minded customers. The public thought their lifestyles might suffer and governments were slow to adopt sensible policies. And yet, like global warming itself, a different view has begun to envelope the world. Evidence shows that the underlying assumption is a crock. Progressive sustainable policies aren’t a cost to business – a lack of them is. In fact, smart policies are an opportunity to do better business.

It’s all a matter of perspective. Nobody considers it economically advantageous nowadays to push small children up chimneys. But, for around 200 years in England and the US, that’s what we did. As in William Blake’s poem, The Chimney Sweeper, the literal cry of children – Weep! Weep! – echoed through London’s streets.

Yet, by the time Parliament banned the use of ‘climbing boys’ in the 1870s, the technology to clean chimneys in a more sustainable way had existed for about 50 years. So, was the chimney brush really a more costly way to do business? Not if you place any value on human life. But too many people were invested in the old system to see the true cost or the new opportunity. A similar realization is dawning today.

“What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy.

And joy is, after all, the end of life. “

– George Mallory, Mountaineer – on climbing Mt. Everest.

Sustainability isn’t just a way to protect life. It’s a way to do better in business. In 2015, Oxford University published a breakthrough report showing that good sustainability performance is strongly correlated to better stock price performance, better operational performance and lower cost of capital.

That’s amazing if you previously saw sustainability as just a cost. But, more likely, you’re wondering “what do you mean by sustainability?” and “how can it help build business?” Our short book gives you a quick overview of key concepts – such as ESG – with practical hints on how your business can do better, in both senses of the word. If you dare to care, join us on the journey.

To get your free copy of our new book on best practices for sustainability in business“Dare to Care. How doing good helps business do better” please drop us a line at [email protected]