The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line

Corporations are under increasing pressure from customers, investors, employees, legislators, banks, and insurance companies to embrace social and environmental responsibility. But Wall Street demands quarterly results, a stringent return on investment, and a short payback period. Up until now, there’s been very little evidence expressed in business language showing the benefits of the "triple bottom line" relevant to the short- and long-term priorities of senior executives. So how can these seemingly incompatible goals be accomplished at the same time?Written in the pragmatic language of business leaders by a senior executive at Big Blue, The Sustainability Advantage shows that the business benefits of sustainable development strategies are quantifiable and real—and executives do not have to be tree-hugging environmental activists to reap these benefits.Each of the seven sustainability strategies presented in this practical guide are easy to grasp, yet powerful enough to lead to significant business opportunities, from reducing hiring and retention costs and improving productivity, to decreasing expenses and increasing revenue and shareholder value. Executives will especially appreciate a unique spreadsheet into which they can insert their own data to see for themselves whether the business case for sustainable initiatives is a profitable one for their company.Marketing Plans: • Ads in GreenMoney Journal, LOHAS Journal, Business Ethics • National print review campaign • National radio interviews • Web publicity on greenbiz.com and others • Direct mail to members of The World Business Council on Sustainable Development • Course adoption campaignBob Willard recently retired from his senior executive position at IBM to pursue his commitment to sustainable development full-time. Over his 35 years at IBM, Willard was recognized with numerous awards for outstanding leadership, HR development, marketing and sales. He lives in Ontario, Canada.Also AvailableCannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business TP $21.95, 0-86571-392-8 • USA