Improving Sustainability in the 21st Century Corporation

Ceres, a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups, has issued a new plan for creating a sustainable economy. The plan, Ceres 20·20, calls for honest accounting, acceleration of “green” innovation, new policies to reward sustainability performance, and new expectations and standards for business leadership. Focusing on this last item at a meeting of ORC’s Occupational Safety & Health Group in May, Ceres’ Director of Corporate Programs, Roseann Casey, suggested four areas companies could address:

Governance
•Establish a Board committee charged with developing and implementing sustainable business practices.
•Hold managers accountable—and reward them—for achieving sustainable goals.
•Align the company’s public policy advocacy with its sustainable commitment.

Stakeholder Engagement
•Recognize that stakeholders are involved whether you want them to be or not; the question is whether you are participating in the conversation in a way that is productive for the company.
•Bring senior leaders into the discussion.
•Involve investors (who, by their presence, will get senior leaders interested).
 

Disclosure
•Measure not just for the sake of disclosure, but in a way that is useful to the company and drives performance.
•Use the framework and guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative which are the basis of reporting for 1,500 companies worldwide.
 

Performance
•Set ambitious public goals.
•Consider the entire supply chain; examine the procurement process and help suppliers meet expectations.
Ceres’ report, The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability, includes detailed recommendations in each of these four areas as well as hundreds of case studies and resources. It is available for free download at http://www.ceres.org/Page.aspx?pid=592.

ORC’s Environmental, Health, & Safety practice area and its networks of corporate EH&S leaders help companies around the world manage their programs more effectively, meet compliance obligations in global operations, and control workplace risks.

For more information on sustainability or other EH&S issues, contact Cord Jones, cord.jones@orcww.com, 202-293-2980            .