How did Forest Green Rovers become what FIFA has called ‘the greenest football club in the world’?

Evidence shows that companies that focus on material issues in their strategies perform better and create more value than those who do not. Are you sure you are getting it right?

Besides reviewing a company’s technologies and processes, investors should adopt stronger consideration of People in their investment strategies and decisions

As the effects of climate change take hold, droughts, floods and other water-related events are getting more common. This has prompted investors and companies to better understand the potential impacts of water risks on their portfolio and activities.

To drive large scale solutions to social and environmental challenges, it’s critical that we engage the resources and innovation capacity of the world’s largest companies.

Too many companies fall in a vicious cycle of short-term pressures taking action that destroy long-term value and further increase short-term pressures. Perhaps the best way to resist such short-term pressures and stay on the course to business excellence is a strong corporate purpose that is widely understood and shared by employees of an organization.

Many companies are now seeking a way to signal their purpose – their reason for being beyond profit. Yet a key barrier that companies face is the dominant rhetoric of shareholder value maximization, which urges managers to focus on short term profits, often at the expense of society and the environment. We ask if new 'purpose-driven' solutions are a response to corporate law being seen as too restrictive, or a response to certain cultural factors that drive behaviour. Our statistical analysis suggests that law and culture both play an important role. 

What is the role of senior leaders in corporate sustainability? To not only create a clear vision but also communicate it appropriately. It is time for corporate leaders to question traditional practices and start talking about what really is important: how they will ensure long-term shared value creation.