Part 1
Part 1 provides an overview of sustainability from a business practitioner’s perspective. For those new to the subject, this part begins by answering the basic questions:
–What’s it all about? How does it really relate to businesses working to increase shareholder value?
–Why bother with this stuff at all? Is it required by law? Is it just the new version of corporate philanthropy and environment, health, and safety (EHS)?
–How do I make sense of all this terminology? Is sustainability the same as environmental, social, and governance (ESG)? What about carbon footprint—how does that fit in? Some companies talk about becoming “net positive”—what’s that about?
–What does it mean for my industry sector? I get that the coal industry is under the gun and that Nike and Apple have responsibility for working conditions in their supply chains. But this sustainability stuff must mean very different things for companies in the automotive, chemical, healthcare, and utility sectors—to name a few.
This part then gives an overview of each of the four main “buckets” of sustainability: governance and leadership; strategy and execution; environmental stewardship; and social responsibility. Part 1 ends with a brief overview of how to think about the new ESG requirements being imposed on businesses globally.