Placing sustainability at the heart of growth

Embracing sustainability is critical to future success. Companies need to transform now to unlock their growth potential as well as do good for the planet

Sustainability is arguably the most over-used concept in business. It is also the most important. Future growth, future profits, even future existence, depend on it.

For companies the cost of transitioning to an environmentally sustainable way of doing business may seem daunting. Yet the cost of standing still is even greater, says Dr. Sally Uren of Forum for the Future, a non-profit organization that advises businesses around the globe on how to survive and even thrive in a world that is increasingly demanding something more than lip-service to the idea of true sustainability.

“I think businesses need to understand that sustainability isn’t just a risk-mitigation agenda,” says Dr. Uren. “If you are ambitious, it’s actually an opportunity agenda. But the way companies make money today is not…