Business ⁽²⁹⁾

Current ways of measuring sustainability either exaggerate achievement or utterly fail to capture real progress. We need a new kind of metric that connects businesses with the scientific context surrounding their actions, and gives them a clear and compelling destination. Almost 50 years ago we…

Nine months ago I had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion for Classic Business, the daily programme on South Africa’s Classic FM reporting on the stories that are shaping markets and driving investment decisions. Following the launch of our first public draft, host Michael Avery invited me…

This deceptively simple question is actually very difficult to answer. That’s because until now we’ve lacked a common definition of what “enough” means. To see why, let’s look at the three benchmarks by which sustainability performance is typically assessed: All three approaches assess performance relative…

Think of a company, any company. Got one? OK. Now ask yourself this: Is the company truly sustainable, in everything it does and sells? If not, then how must the company change before it is? If you’re struggling to answer these questions, you’re not alone:…

Today I took part in a panel discussion for Classic Business, the daily programme on South Africa’s Classic FM reporting on the stories that are shaping markets and driving investment decisions. Host Michael Avery led a wide-ranging discussion with Geoff and fellow panelists, Nerina Visser of Nedbank…

The World Health Organisation estimates that 30% of prescriptive drugs in circulation in emerging economies are counterfeit. Imagine you live in the developing world, and you depend upon regular medicine to keep you healthy enough to feed your family. There is roughly a one in three…

We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Steve Jobs Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56, having transformed the way we use and think about technology. Those of us working toward a more sustainable world would be wise to pay…

This morning’s New York Times quote of the day makes me want to throw furniture: “Corporations are people, my friend.” said Mitt Romney, responding to a heckler in Iowa who wants higher corporate taxes. If corporations are indeed people then let’s subject them to the…

At SustainAbility we are in the business of transforming business: helping companies to move to truly sustainable business models and supply chains. But for the leaders of the global corporations with whom we work, real transformation – as opposed to low-risk, step-by-step change – can seem daunting.