Creating Sustainable Enterprise

Creating Sustainable Enterprise - there is another way

Old thinking presents a choice - between generating profit and making the world a better place.

A sustainable enterprise is a company that defies this choice. It delivers long-term returns to stakeholders, whilst maximising value to society.

Sustainable enterprises are more focussed and more driven. Their people are more passionate, more collaborative, and have a greater sense of shared purpose.

Sustainable enterprises attract the best people and they retain them for longer.

Sustainable enterprises have strong, recognisable brands. Their customers are more loyal and buy the companies’ values as much as their products. They are trusted. They generate positive media and are less prone to reputation damage.

Sustainable enterprises innovate solutions to society’s greatest needs. Their products are leading edge and globally sought after. They break into new markets and define them. They see opportunities where others see insurmountable challenges. Their practices are ahead of government legislation.

Sustainable enterprises are proud of their profits. Financial success allows them to expand their contribution to society, and to reward their staff and investors.

Sustainable enterprises are more profitable. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index measures performance of the 10% of companies from the Dow Jones Global Index with the greatest social and environmental commitments. The DJSI has steadily outperformed the DJGI since 1994.

Sustainable enterprises help build strong societies in which their businesses can thrive. They manage natural resources to ensure long-term productivity. They are enterprises that see their financial sustainability as bound up with the sustainability of the society and planet around them.

Sustainable enterprises are organisations that are ‘doing well by doing good’.