Corporate Sustainability

E. Bruce Harrison‘Corporate Greening 2.0’

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EnviroComm Study PurposeInsights on corporate positioning, communication content and style:Climate change/carbon/GHG reductionSustainability

Rationales for supporting climate change programs and the strategies or positioning attributes

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Methodology• Scan, qualitative analysis of 200 company websites – July ‘07-June ‘08– Fortune 500 list– Filtered by keywords

• (climate change, sustainability, energy efficiency, carbon reduction, 4 others)

– Filtered by government recognition, proactive affiliations, recognitions• Government (e.g., EPA, CARB)• Private sector (e.g., BRT, NAM, USCAP)

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Executive commitment

• DuPont ceo: explains 2015 sustainability goals

• Deere, Navistar ceos: sustainability and...advanced technology

• Wal-Mart ceo: keynote at London conference…on ‘sustainability 360’

• ExxonMobil ceo: London…’mitigate risks’… ‘advanced technologies…’

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Accept scientific validity• ‘Activities of people and companies

are causing (GHG emissions) which are contributing to climate change. So we realize we must play our part…’ Rio Tinto

• ‘The scientific debate is over. Business … should turn CO2 management into a business

opportunity…’ Shell• ‘Growing scientific evidence…action is

justified…’ Procter & GambleAWMA June 2009 6

Assert public policy position‘a federal approach …integrated into

a harmonized global system to…reduction’ Caterpillar (member, US Climate Action Partnership)

‘Congress needs to establish a national, economy-

wide GHG mandatory program’ Duke Energy

‘We will focus…on influencing policy,

regulation and innovation…a level playing field’

BP

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Make the business caseCoca-Cola: linking to the company’s

water stewardship and packaging programs

GE: Ecomagination—bundling energy efficient and clean technology into sustainable products & services

Honeywell: ‘green’ diesel fuel as new business

Ford: ‘we see…business opportunities…’

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TransparencyPG&E: third-party certification by

California’s Climate Action Registry

Hewlett-Packard: verifying via World Economic Forum’s Global GHG Registry

UPS: chart that outlines 2002 baseline data, 2006 status and 2007 goals (at the time of our survey) for each business area.

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RecognitionsFedEx: EPA Green Power Leadership

Award; Harvard recognition for ‘Environmental Partnership’ with Eaton and Environmental Defense Fund…

Abbott: First to commit to going carbon neutral…Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index…

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Influence othersWal-Mart: ‘The company is so big, so

powerful, it could force an army of suppliers to clean up their acts ’

• Monsanto: No-till agriculture—minimal plowing of farmland to sequester carbon in the soil

• Shell: ‘our customers emit far more CO2 using its carbon products than the company does…’

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Acknowledge shortfallJ&J: GOOD – going beyond goal to

cut CO2 emissions BAD – shortfall in reducing fleet total CO2 emissions/mile

HP: GHG increases of 3% in 2006…Protocol factors changed…Changes in electricity conversion factors accounted for increases in emissions/unit of floor space

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CollaborationIntel: Google, Dell, EDS, EPA, IBM, World

Wildlife Fund…to form Climate Savers Computing Initiative

Siemens: Clinton Climate Initiative

PG&E: 46 international organizations in ‘Combat Climate Change’ for 2007 UN climate negotiations

USCAP: Leading companies plus Environmental Defense, NRDC, others

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"If you don't have a seat at the table, you'll wind up on the menu.“- Jim Rogers, CEO, Duke Energy

Strategic ImplicationsAccept the inevitable: science/OBE

Get into the policy gameCollaborateInfluence othersValidate, use recognitionsMake it a business strategy

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CS=E+S+P T

Economic + Social + Political

Corporate Sustainability

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