Sustainability is a Catalyst for Innovation

The companies participating in Sustainable Brands 2010 are functioning models of the evolving relationship between sustainability and innovation.

A 2008 report titled “A New Mindset for Corporate Sustainability” was co-sponsored by BT and Cisco, and was written by six academic experts from the United States, China, United Kingdom, Singapore and Spain. According to the report, sustainable innovation is creating new business models, opening up new markets, and providing a competitive advantage. Sustainable innovation is also improving profitability.

This report is more than a theoretical summary or academic exercise, it includes case studies that demonstrate how companies are employing innovative sustainable practices to better the environment and their bottom line.

Organisations that wish to grow profitably in the future must focus their efforts to benefit shareholders, society and the environment simultaneously. Concentrating on any one of these areas at the expense of the other two may compromise a business’s long-term success. A focus on sustainability provides the best means to implement this triple-pronged strategy simultaneously, enabling organisations to innovate, differentiate themselves and succeed.”

Although sustainable practices were once dismissed for being too costly, as evidenced by Sustainable Brands 2010, more and more companies are coming to the realization that sustainable innovations are a gateway to growth.

Sustainability affords new opportunities for innovation and for profit.
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