Ideal Type of Sustainable Corporation

|CASE STUDY ON CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY:                                                                 |2010                                                                                                                                   |2010             |

We have learned that Sustainability is a core part of business strategy. It is about the way we do business –using natural resources efficiently to make products that improve the environmental performance of our customers’ products and processes.

But Sustainability extends beyond this. It’s also about the health, safety and wellbeing of the people who work for us, our customers and our communities. It means using resources efficiently, innovatively and effectively, striving to achieve the highest environmental standards in our own operations. At the same time sustainability is about delivering value to our shareholders and our customers in the most responsible way, making sustainable long term decisions to build a company and plan its third century of business.
Sustainability is about making the right decisions for our people, our communities, our shareholders and, most significant of all, for the planet.

The basic five elements of a sustaining corporation are:

  1) Social: Employee development, wellbeing, recruitment, safeguard & reputation.

  2) Environment: Responsible operations, beneficial products

  3) Health and Safety: Employees, customers, communities beneficial products

  4) Governance: well run businesses with transparent reporting

  5) Financials: Must be profitable to be sustainable. Align financial and sustainability target

What are the characteristics of a sustainable business and what value do they add to the business?

Business sustainability is proactive business management. The characteristics of a sustainable business are:
• A strong ethical framework
• Long-term investment in intangible drivers of growth (people, networks, know-how)
• Established... [continues]

Read full essay