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It begins with an effort to communicate the business value of sustainability in terms investors already understand: the potential to drive revenue growth from sustainability-advantaged products, improve productivity (and margins) from sustainability initiatives and measurably reduce key sustainability-related risks to revenue and reputation.

Understanding how effectively a business is exploiting the new global force in business in simple terms may be a key indicator that every analyst needs to know.

n 2012, DuPont generated more than $10bn from environmentally advantaged products

“If it’s easy to remember, it’s easier to participate,” he said.

Oudghin showed examples of the remarkable transparency of some publicly traded companies, such as Nike, where anyone can check up on the details of pretty much every Nike supplier.

“How would we recognize a truly sustainable business if we saw one?”

New ideas come to me all the time. I always have a Google Doc up on the screen so that I can write whenever I’m inspired. I intend to get at least 500 words in a day to stay connected to the process.

I think Twitter is where it’s at! If you enjoy writing, use Twitter as a tool for expressing yourself in fun 140-character messages. Twitter is also a great way to engage with a larger audience and get feedback about your writing. If people are retweeting your posts, you can trust that the content is good. Follow other writers and people whose work you respect, interact with them, and get in the mix. You can learn a lot from Twitter if you want to! In addition, having a strong Twitter following will greatly benefit your book launch, since you have a built-in network of supporters who can help spread the word fast.

Gen X and Y readers want clear messages. They are used to reading cut-to-the-chase tweets and concise, 400-word blogs. The key is to get to the point, fast!

because the media marketplace is going to start wanting more messages of passion."

t rests on the recognition that attention to corporate social and environmental responsibilities is generally in the long-term economic interests of the firm.

Managers have a responsibility to consider those affected by company actions; equally, however, those stakeholders are often able to exert pressure on a company if it does not—even to the extent of shutting down the business, as Coca-Cola found in Kerala.  This is particularly true for large companies subject to intense media scrutiny.

When companies implement “strategic CSR” they can find there are many benefits, including strengthened corporate and brand reputations and enhanced trust with key stakeholders (customers, employees, regulatory agencies, suppliers, and investors), improved risk management, increased revenues from innovation to identify new business opportunities, and reduced costs from efficiency improvements. 

Collaboration is key," Polman said, "The issues are simply too big to go it alone.

about collaboration at new scales.

The secret is to begin, to move forward despite the uncertainty and to become comfortable with much greater transparency and collaboration, so that we can bravely lead for a new order of things,"

But the story in a lot of people’s minds is: “I know I’m supporting Monsanto and Raytheon, and I don’t like that, but I don’t know what else to do. The social index fund isn’t a great alternative. I think I’d like to really diversify, like going in on a local business.” When businesses that are values-based offer this kind of investor the chance to invest small amounts – $50?  $500?  $2,000? – plus a basis to believe they’ll get a return – they’ll go for it. I know I would.

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.

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.