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“Universities live and die on their rankings,” he said. “If you’re a university, attracting the faculty and students you want may mean you need to be more green.” “If you’re an non-government organization (NGO), your donors are your drivers. If you have a green mission you need to demonstrate that in your own building.” Genzyme, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass., built a LEED Platinum corporate headquarters and documented they had reduced staff turnover by 5 percent. “That value to them of not having to replace key staff on an annual basis was twice their energy cost,” said Yudelson. “In a place like Cambridge, you can change jobs easily if you’re a knowledge worker in certain industries.”

VF Corporation — one of the world’s largest single purchasers of cotton, whose brands include Lee, Wrangler and The North Face — says much of the world’s cotton comes from areas that are expected to be impacted most by water scarcity and extreme weather  such as the Western US, China, Pakistan and India. The IPCC report makes firms’ risks associated with climate change even more clear, says Letitia Webster, VF’s director of global corporate sustainability.

“Whether in mountains or the ocean, our brands and our consumers are feeling the impacts of climate change,” which means less ski-related business for The North Face.  The company today signed Ceres’ Climate Declaration, calling on US policymakers to enact climate and clean energy policies that will benefit the economy.

hazardous waste that is not always reported,

The mounting hazardous waste has raised concerns within the industry, which worries the problem could undermine its green image,

amount of fossil fuels used to transport the waste also hasn’t been calculated in lifecycle analysis of solar panels,

Shaw Industries, an early adopter of cradle-to-cradle principles, is committed to making only C2C certified products by 2030. Currently more than 60% of its $4bn in total annual sales comes from certified carpet and hardwood flooring.

Numerous benefits accrue from values-first leadership. It clarifies and broadens, in the best way, how a company views itself. It changes how others view it. The products the company sells, its way of doing things and, indeed, its very existence, can be a living testimony to its support for a world of prosperity, social equity and environmental health.

most successful companies embrace good design by loudly and clearly stating their positive intentions.

The Home Depot reported to CDP that it has sold $6 billion worth of energy-efficient products, and estimates that a 5 percent shift in customer buying habits could account for some $300 million in energy efficiency-related sales.

"Since economic growth resumed, the old notion of emissions reductions and increasing GDP being mutually exclusive has appeared less valid," the report says.

Global warming, or climate change, is occurring and is primarily caused by human activity,” with 58 percent (compared to 48 percent in 2010) agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement.

ow products are made and about the content of the products they buy

only 44 percent trust companies’ green claims,