RealizingtheSustainable-DevelopmentPremium.pdfVIP

Realizing the Sustainable- Development Premium Gilbert S. Hedstrom, Jonathan B. Shopley, and Colin M. LeDuc In today’s complex Industry leaders continue to pay close attention to sus- marketplace, sustainable tainable development for a simple reason. In a complex, development offers turbulent marketplace, sustainable development offers business leaders a 21st a 21st century framework for success: integrating and century framework for balancing short-term and long-term economic, environ- success, by integrating mental, and social performance. This framework strikes economic, environmental, a chord with leaders who want to build long-term value and social performance. and powerful brands for their companies. In this article, the authors explore ways to set The late 1990s saw some dramatic moves in the direc- pragmatic, sustainability- tion of sustainable development: driven strategies that anticipate the trend • The growth of the World Business Council for toward fuller pricing Sustainable Development, with member companies of environmental and drawn from the ranks of the world’s biggest companies societal resources and to implement these • The public commitment of a growing number of firms strategies for near-, (BP Amoco, DuPont, Interface, Monsanto, Motorola, medium-, and long-term Procter and Gamble, and Royal Dutch/Shell, among business benefit. others) to the principles of sustainable development • The establishment of financially credible environ- mental rating firms and successful investment funds focused on companies that meet investor criteria for