Archive for 'Green Business'
Don’t Put Your Business at Risk
Posted on 22. Mar, 2010 by admin.
The concept behind sustainability is as simple as it is compelling: resources may only be used at a rate at which they can be replenished.
When most people see the word “resources,” they think immediately of natural resources. But in order to thrive businesses actually need three types of resources: environmental (e.g., natural resources), social (including employees, customers and general societal goodwill) and economic (money).
In fact, these three factors comprise a common definition of business sustainability: increasing short- and long-term profitability by holistically managing economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities.
This definition is relevant both in times of recession and economic growth because the main drivers of sustainability don’t change. The three factors have been the drivers of business success since mankind has been engaged in business endeavors. While sustainability may seem to run counter to the profit-maximizing doctrine of running a company, this concept of creating sustainable business processes is increasingly seen as a key to long-term success.
Organizations can work toward sustainability in many ways, but to be truly effective sustainability initiatives cannot stand alone. They must transform the organization as a whole. This takes individual and coordinated efforts from many segments of a company.
Read entire article at GreenBiz.com
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Has the Economy Helped or Hurt the Growth of Green?
Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by admin.
OAKLAND, CA — The Great Recession and the fledgling recovery from it have been the big stories in the business world for the last year, but a new report from GreenBiz.com shines a light on how the economy has shaped the environmental impact of business operations.
The third annual State of Green Business report, published today, explores in-depth the data behind the growth of green business, to find out whether and how companies are moving the needle toward sustainability.
“The good news is that green business didn’t go away during this recession,” GreenBiz.com executive editor Joel Makower said during a press conference this morning. “What makes this recession notable over recessions from the last 20 years, other than the scale of it, is that the green business professionals were not the first ones to be thrown overboard.”
This trend shows that business leaders are taking the environmental performance of their firms as seriously as the economic performance. In a survey of more than 2,700 members of the GreenBiz Intelligence Panel, about 80 percent of the respondents said that their companies would spend the same or more money on environment, health and safety as they did in the last year.
The report, launched today as a precursor to two State of Green Business Forums — one happening in San Francisco on Thursday, Feb. 4, and one happening in Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 9 — shows that environmental improvements and innovations became a means of surviving lean times, and being more competitive once things rebound.
Read the entire article at GreenBiz.com
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Boost for Green Products
Posted on 21. Dec, 2009 by admin.
Oakland, CA — A monthly index measuring consumer attitudes found that interest in green products improved modestly last month, although the uptick could be due more to purchases in the last six months, rather than those that are planned.
The Green Confidence Index (GCI) from GreenBiz.com, Earthsense and Survey Sampling International
The GCI is a monthly snapshot of American attitudes in three areas: purchasing, awareness and information, and how leaders and institutions are addressing green issues. In November it stood at 103.2, a 3.2 percent improvement since GCI’s launch in July. The Purchasing Index spanning past and planned green purchases grew 5 percent in November, compared to the month before.
The latest figures are a “tiptoe” in the right direction, according to Earthsense chief research officer Amy Hebrand.
“Pent-up demand remains stable, with more consumers intending to buy green products in the future than do so now across consumable products,” Hebard said in a statement today. “That pent-up demand is especially evident among ‘big ticket’ items, where green purchasing is more dependent on price parity with conventional products — a situation likely to change as credit markets loosen and consumers can take a longer view of expenditures.”
The release of the latest CGI figures comes at a time when world leaders are gathered in Copenhagen in an effort to draft a post 2012 climate change treaty. The results suggest Americans believe, by a 2-1 margin, that businesses should support regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even if prices increased as a result. Just 23 percent feel businesses should resist climate change regulations.
Read entire article at GreenBiz.com
