Eco Advantage

By: David Miron-Wapner

Last month I was privileged to take spend five spectacular days hiking through wilderness trails in Zion and Bryce National Parks in the US Southwest with my son. Once part of the world’s deepest sand deserts, the majesty of the vast magical canyons of Zion and Bryce were formed by the pressures of time and the powerful forces of water, wind and ice.

Both of us are in processes of transition, so we took the opportunity to listen to one another’s visions of where we see ourselves moving in the next five years. Amidst the pristine, awesome vistas we were able to deeply share our hopes and dreams. One contemplates time on a different scale in the presence of nature. So I allowed dreams of the success of my personal mission of raising awareness towards a paradigm shift of sustainability. I could see the vast transition to a world of abundance without waste, where human productivity is intentionally designed to act in concert with the cyclic feedback loops of the biological world.

Green to Gold

It seemed appropriate that my dreams of a transition to a steady-state, sustainable economy be colored in terms of the actions advocated in a book I was currently reading: “Green to Gold”How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. What would the world look like when most companies embraced the Eco-Advantage practice – the competitive advantage a company builds by seeing its business through an environmental lens that sustains the company and provides a sustainable strategy for success through an ongoing search for opportunities to cut costs, reduce risks, drive revenues and enhance intangible values.

Imagine a business world where environmental concerns are fully integrated in corporate strategy, becoming a core consideration in building and nurturing mutually satisfactory relations and outcomes together with a broadly defined array of stakeholders. Without putting any spiritual spin on it, it would be a more harmonious world in greater balance, resting on the three pillars of economy, society and environment.

Companies have left behind their wasteful battle against environmental regulation, on the contrary having taken a seat at the table, they are increasingly out in front of government anticipating and initiating new market-based approaches that achieve more protection, less pollution and more profit. Moreover, being out in front means lowering operational costs and hastening time to market.

Production processes have been re-designed to minimize or eliminate waste completely, particularly hazardous and toxic substances. Companies do not just track environmental issues, but make changes to products, processes, their workplaces and facilities and even supply chains. Every element of operations is mined for potential savings, reduced risks and the intangible benefits of customer loyalty and stakeholder satisfaction. This process drives innovation which in turn generates ever greater efficiencies and value for the company.

Many companies, including giants like Walmart and Ikea, are moving boldly to create this brave new corporate world where doing the right thing means taking a long-term view of winning the competitive battle. As they lead the way in resolving environmental concerns through Eco-Advantage, they partner with NGOs and government with the intention of being competitive and sustainable for years to come.