Strategy for Sustainability vs Sustainability Strategy

I’m careful to use the phrase “Strategy for Sustainability” instead of “Sustainability Strategy” when I talk about a corporation’s efforts to ensure that it will be around for the long-haul.  A company has a strategy for sustainability when it:

• examines the coming opportunities and threats caused by changes in society, technology and natural and human resources
• sets an optimistic and aspirational North Star goal that connects to the core of the business, solves a great human challenge, and is actionable by everyone in the company
• applies the tools of transparency, engagement and networks to its organization.

You’ll notice that I don’t mention “protect the environment” anywhere in my list.  Sustainability has four co-equal pillars – social, economic, environmental and cultural.  And too often, a “sustainability strategy” is simply an environmental strategy with a new name.  Yes, it’s important to reduce waste and toxins in a company to protect our diminishing natural resources.

But an environmental strategy is not enough to sustain most businesses for the long haul. That’s why I take great pains to encourage people to adopt a broader view of sustainability – and to see sustainability as a core aspect of business strategy, not simply an extension of a company’s philanthropic ideals.