The request on managers to base eco-investments on solid grounds has never been so vital. They need to know what they should do first, and why. Should they focus on generating carbon credits via eco-efficiencies? Enhance corporate reputation by joining Green Clubs? Subscribe to eco-label programs? Explore emerging cleantech markets? Within the overwhelming possibilities, many spend precious resources without sound criteria.
By analyzing the rationales for sustainability strategies, this book addresses a timely question for managers, academics and MBAs: when does it pay to be green? Based on solid theoretical foundations and empirical research, it clarifies the elements involved in the formation and evaluation of sustainability strategies in firms, helping managers to prioritize eco-investments and transform them into sources of competitive advantage and new market spaces.
Sustainability Strategies delves particularly deep into the troublesome global auto industry. By identifying the roots of economic and environmental problems of the sector, the book shows how to develop Sustainable Value Innovation: the creation of differential value for customers and contribution to society at both, reduced costs and environmental impacts.
“Very useful for managers and investors looking to prioritise environmental projects based on solid management principles.” – Ethical Corporation Magazine”I have been working and publishing on the topic of sustainability since the 1960s and it is always a pleasant surprise to learn something new. Orsato’s book is such a surprise. It not only provides a well-grounded analysis of the rationale for more sustainable business models, but also provides fascinating stories about people and firms that have made the attempt, some successfully, some not.” – Robert Ayres, Emeritus Professor, INSEAD
Sustainability has become a hot topic in the corporate strategy realm. But it is not enough for executives to know that the whole world is going “green”. Figuring out when and how and where to bring a green focus to business is critical. Sustainability Strategies helps clarify the opportunities and challenges in this regard with systematic analysis, carefully explained corporate examples, and thoughtful discussion about the limits of efforts to green business.” – Dan Esty, Professor, Yale University and Director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale, as well as author of Green to Gold
“Orsato’s global background provides a sweeping view of the many types of successful sustainability strategies firms have employed around the world. Each chapter focuses on one of Orsato’s sustainability strategies, and each strategy comes with a useful checklist of questions managers need to address before pursuing it.”- Charles J. Corbett, Professor of Operations Management and Environmental Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles
“Does it pay to invest in IT? Yes, but only if one combines the investment with upgrading people and organizational capabilities and if one links the investment to innovation. Does it pay to be green? Yes, but again, only if this investment is linked to upgrading capabilities and to innovative business models. That is what this long overdue book shows through a set of convincing case examples put in the framework of value innovation. Being green pays and this book tells the reader how to go about making green investments profitable.”- Luk Van Wassenhove, Henry Ford Professor of Manufacturing, and Academic Director of the INSEAD Social Innovation Centre
“As we confront climate change and move toward the low-carbon economy, this book will be an invaluable guide for executives who seek to align environmental and social investments with the strategy of the enterprise. Orsato has taken a highly strategic approach and created a systematic, theoretically based but practical guide as to where to make investments for sustainability strategy which will both benefit the planet and enhance competitiveness. The argument is clearly laid out, logically developed and presented in clear, accessible English. I recommend it highly for reading by both executives and students in MBA strategy courses.” – Dexter Dunphy, Visiting Professor, University of Technology, Sydney
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