Ep. 27 The Business Case
I have an exciting announcement in this episode! After studying Business Sustainability Management at Cambridge University online, I’m becoming a Sustainability Consultant.
The course was intense and thorough. We learned about the challenges we face, but also about the big corporations and small businesses who are doing amazing things for society and the environment.
I’ve known personally that being more sustainable is less expensive, feels better, and is actually fun, and now I can make the business case for it so that will be the topic of this episode.
The focus of my work will be hotels and coworking spaces because they have so much potential to make a big impact, and it will be fun!
Listen now
Fact
The term “greenwashing” actually originated with the hotel industry! The term was coined by Jay Westerveld when he accused hotels of doing too little by requesting guests reuse towels. He claimed it was only to save money, not because they care about the environment.
My new website is in the works. In the meantime, here are the sources for today’s episode:
EY (2020): Why it’s important to measure and report long-term value
Harvard Business Review (2016): The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability
Deloitte (2020): Measuring the business value of corporate social impact (the 6 areas)
World Economic Forum (2018): Sustainability is now mission critical for businesses. Here's why
SSRN (2015): From the Stockholder to the Stakeholder: How Sustainability Can Drive Financial Outperformance
Investors’ Corner (2019): Is sustainability profitable?
Inc. (nd): 73 Percent of Millennials Are Willing to Spend More Money on This 1 Type of Product
Fast Company (2021): People are more likely to trust—and buy—purpose-driven brands
Wharton (2016): How Companies Can Tap Sustainability to Motivate Staff
Bloomberg (2022): Five Key Takeaways From SEC’s Proposal for Climate Disclosures
Impact Reporting (2021): A handy list of social value statistics
Is Terra optimistic?
Still half and half, but I’ve seen big companies making meaningful changes so I think we’re moving in the right direction. Policymakers are still not impressing me, and I think businesses have an opportunity to get ahead of potentially intrusive policies by being proactive.
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