Does Sustainability Make Business Sense?

Sustainability has to do with meeting the objectives of businesses and their customers today without compromising the ability of future generations to achieve their own objectives. But is sustainability good business?

Barbara Kux, a Royal Philips Electronics exec, says "we try to position the whole sustainability issue as a business opportunity. Our energy-efficient lighting, for example: this is the kind of technology that is key for developing markets, because it cuts the CO2 factor." Her answer in an INSEAD interview, in other words, is that sustainability makes good business sense.

More companies are publishing sustainability progress reports and more research is being done in this area. Take a look at The Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire for the latest.

The answer is "yes" for mighty Wal-Mart, which believes that "efficient and profitable business and being a good steward of the environment are goals that can work together." Here's its sustainability home page.