The Sustainability Imperative, Harvard Business Review, May 2010 (http://hbr.org/2010/05/the-sustainability-imperative/ar/1)

At some point in the last 10 years, the concept of sustainability moved from being an element of a nice-to-have marketing strategy to a critical component of differentiated corporate strategy.  Sustainability has become more than positioning products and services in light of the three pillars of social, environmental and economic benefits.  For many companies, sustainability is integrated into the very core of the business.  Doing more with less is not only possible, but has become a clear imperative.  As the article above references in its first two steps of  value creation, the corporation must find ways to 1) do old things in new ways and 2) do new things in new ways.  This takes clear leadership, focus and dedication from not only company management, but from all levels of the organization.

On Friday, May 28, 2010 at noon EDT, Harvard Business School’s Green Business Alumni Association (GBAA) will conduct a webinar on the topic of “Sustainability and the Corporation — Achieving Success in Profits and Impact”  The GBAA is pleased to have Beth Springer (EVP and Officer of The Clorox Company), John Replogle (CEO of Burt’s Bees, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company),  and Andrew Winston (Bestselling author and environmental consultant) provide their valuable insights into corporate sustainability, how to make it work, and the challenges of business transformation.  The three panelists will provide their perspectives on achieving a successful sustainability strategy and also take questions from attendees.

The cost for the webinar will be $5.00 for HBS GBAA members and $10.00 for non-members.  Payment can be made through the HBS GBAA website (Members: HBS GBAA Member Registration) or Non-Members HBS GBAA Non-Member Registration Upon payment receipt, an email will be sent providing specific instructions for the webinar as to logins and phone numbers.