Books published by Do Sustainability

Sustainability for SMEs offers a comprehensive introduction to sustainable business for small and medium-sized enterprises. It offers: the first ever guide to sustainability reporting for SMEs, including tips for using sustainability reporting to gain customer loyalty and build a brand; a collection of airtight arguments and business cases for putting sustainability at the heart of an SME; and a practical guide to lowering environmental impact through improved energy usage, sourcing or generation.

Better Corporate Reporting outlines the latest frameworks for enhancing non-financial and sustainability reporting. It includes guides to: the International Integrated Reporting Council's new framework; the Global Reporting Initiative's G4 framework; and a detailed look at the concept at the heart of both of these new frameworks, materiality.

There are more - and less - effective ways for businesses, NGOs and governments to promote and encourage sustainable behaviour, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Behaviour Change for Sustainability offers a variety of techniques for creating a lasting shift to pro-environmental behaviours, including: - the definitive guide to building a sustainable behaviour campaign that works - engaging employees and embedding sustainability into the culture of an organisation - using gamification as part of a sustainability strategy.

The First 100 Days on the Job is for sustainability leaders ΓÇô in organizations of any size or sector ΓÇô who want to make an impact in their first one hundred days on the job, and set themselves up for long-term success. In the absence of complete and perfect information you will be expected to lead and to act, often in partnership with other businesses, government and civil society, and almost certainly by building relationships across functions, departments and geographies within your own organization. It is the timing of your decision making that will set you apart.This short guide offers: 1) A process to make the most of your first 10, 60, 90 and 100 days 2) Some practical tools you can use to set priorities and manage your programme 3) Sources of research and information for measuring the impacts of your organization 4) A heavy dose of realism about what can be done, to keep you sane ΓÇô and links to some practical support and inspiration.

Providing food, clean water and energy for a growing population is one of the greatest challenges facing public and private sector professionals. While there is widespread recognition of the complex feedback loops between energy, water and food, there has been less focus on viable solutions. This guide by Will Sarni - an internationally recognized thought leader on corporate water stewardship and water tech innovation - frames the key issues and challenges for business professionals, and then outlines emerging solutions which include both "soft path" and technology innovation approaches. The book includes case examples of multinational companies who are abandoning business as usual and moving beyond traditional thinking. It also highlights crucial new partnerships or 'collective action initiatives' where NGOs, multinationals and the public sector come together to forge practical solutions to meet the needs of their stakeholders. Solutions to the energy-water-food nexus will need to be disruptive, not incremental, and will require technology innovation, new public-private partnerships, and changes in public policy. Beyond the Energy-Water-Food Nexus shows organizations how they can play their part in improving the quality of life for an urbanized global population while preserving the ecosystems that sustain us all.

Is certification the solution? Can it deliver urgently needed improvements to complex problems like deforestation and the exploitation of people? In this controversial new book, Scott Poynton, founder of The Forest Trust, makes a compelling case for a new approach to social and environmental problems that goes 'beyond certification'. Certification emerged from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit amidst great hope. Since then, despite a proliferation of certification schemes in twenty-five industry sectors, the destructive and irresponsible exploitation of natural and human resources has grown still worse. Beyond Certification reviews the positive aspects of certification, of which there are many, but argues that we can no longer afford to gloss over its failures. The book offers an alternative model, VT-TV, based on Values, Transparency, Transformation and Verification, which the author has been exploring and implementing with over 70 companies and industries around the world. These companies are transforming the story of the raw materials they use -- wood, palm oil, pulp and paper, stone, charcoal, soy, beef, sugar, dairy, rubber, coffee, cocoa and coconut. Mining companies are also exploring this approach, and making decisions aligned with fundamental values and what they know to be right. The results? Trust is emerging as former combatants awake to the importance of working together. Guns have been removed from forests, land set aside for protection, worker rights and conditions improved and long-standing conflicts have been resolved as people confront their legacies. Beyond Certification does not claim that this VT-TV model is the only solution. Rather, it shows how new and seemingly radical thinking can catalyze positive change. Included: The limits of roundtable certification illustrated with real, practical examples The intricacies of the change process - how companies move from destructive to more responsible practices How to implement more holistic, economically effective, durable systems to better protect people and the environment.

Storytelling is an ancient practice and a priceless skill. For sustainability practitioners who want to be more strategic and have more influence in shaping a better world, it is a crucial skill to master. In this DoShort, veteran sustainability strategist and storyteller Jeff Leinaweaver shows you which ways of storytelling 'transmit resonance' and lead to success and which lead to failure. You will learn techniques for using storytelling to attract attention and get better results, whether you are communicating statistics and priorities, advocating for change, organizing stakeholders, or building an authentic brand and community. Storytelling for Sustainability offers a comprehensive primer on storytelling and a range of insights and practical exercises, including: . The failure of the sustainability story . Discovering your passionate fact . Your convenience story . Reverse storyboarding . What's my storyline?

If sustainability is central to your business strategy, then 21st century trends in corporate communications apply to you, doubly. From addressing the growing skepticism of traditional corporate messages to finding ways to engage an increasingly participatory and digital-savvy workforce and consumer base, there are new ways to effectively connect with your stakeholders. Use this book to: . Understand how transparency in corporate responsibility and the increasing importance of digital media have updated the way effective organizations communicate. . Develop a communications plan for your organization that reaches -- and engages -- the right stakeholders, using the most appropriate tools and channels. . Get practical advice on how to 'sell' the use of digital media to skeptical internal stakeholders, including in the c-suite, as part of your mission-advancing communications plan. An effective engagement plan will require the powerful combination of living your values and telling an authentic story -- while leveraging the true value of social and digital media. This book will help you make the most of the irrevocable changes in the way people create, share, receive, judge and interact with information.

If your company has an ambitious set of sustainability goals, you'll already know that they can't be achieved from the safety of global headquarters. What you need is a network: a small army of people from across the business who know their department, country or brand inside out, and who can find the right way to embed sustainability. Change, when it happens, is usually driven locally, taking into account the priorities, environment and culture of each business area. If you've spent a long time persuading senior management that the sustainability agenda is business-critical, it's difficult to place the delivery of your precious goals in the hands of others. But you can't be everywhere at once! Networks for Sustainability gives you the tools to review and improve your sustainability network, whether you're revitalising a group of champions or setting up your network from scratch.

Integrated Reporting is the big new development in corporate reporting that everyone is talking about. Why? Quite simply, marks a paradigm shift in the way companies and other organisations think about business models and the creation of value. promotes long term thinking about value-creation and stewardship across a broad base of interdependent capitals -- financial, manufactured, human, intellectual, natural, and social and relationship. This book provides a practical and expert distillation of for professionals. Internationally renowned sustainability reporting expert and accountant Dr Carol Adams explains in simple terms what is and how to do it; how it links with other reporting frameworks and what it means in terms of thinking and processes. You'll also get a clear business case for and insights and best practice examples from leading integrated reporters. is not just for companies. This book demonstrates how integrated thinking and can benefit many other organisations whose success and influence depends on relationships and partnerships.

To deliver on your sustainability ambitions, you need an effective management system. Delivery and results, after all, are what set leading sustainable businesses apart. Supplementing your existing management arrangements with a management systems approach can play a crucial part in helping to implement more sustainable ways of working. It will help your colleagues understand what sustainability means and how it applies to their role. It will strengthen the link between strategy and action and provide the framework for the various elements of your sustainability strategy to happen. In his short guide, Phil Cumming introduces you to management systems thinking and concepts and sets out clear and practical steps to help you be more formalised and systematic about how and when you do things. This book will help you deliver on your sustainability ambitions -- without needing to follow a single management system standard!

This DoShort offers practical insights for companies or foundations who want to run their business in India in a sustainable way. In this concise, expert guide, Caroline Twigg draws on her experience of setting up the India office for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She starts with a brief overview of India's history, culture and relationship with the environment, presents an overview of doing business in India in general, and then covers: Policy and regulations that influence sustainability actions in India; How sustainability is interpreted in India and how that may impact a company's engagement; How companies already work on sustainability and what might come in the future; A valuable list of the organisations and resources that will help you deliver on your business and sustainability goals. If you work for an international company based outside of India, if you run a foundation with projects in India, if you have products or services with a sustainability focus and are hoping to expand your business in India, or if you are tasked with communicating your company's sustainability work in India, this book will help you engage with your partners respectfully, effectively and easily.

Businesses that thrive in the 21st century will be those that are smart about 'engagement'. These businesses are the best at adapting to changing societal concerns, expectations, risks and opportunities and they know how to generate sustainable outcomes. However, while many companies talk a lot about stakeholder engagement, very few do it in a way that genuinely contributes to business success. In many cases companies engage the wrong people on the wrong issues at the wrong time; they plan too much and do too little; they slide into PR-mode or they undermine relationships by creating expectations that can't be met. Smart Engagement can help you plan an engagement programme that is integrated into your core business. John Aston and Alan Knight draw on nearly 50 years of practical expertise in the field of natural resources, energy and infrastructure, chemicals, aeronautics, the financial sector, environmental management, social responsibility and capacity building. They distil the best from current research and offer a robust guide to best practice. This is not abstract process guidelines; it is a straightforward, no-nonsense and practical approach to engagement, focused on results and value creation. After reading this book you will know: . why to engage -- the business case for engagement . what is worth engaging on . who you need to engage with . how to engage and how to integrate engagement into core business practice.

Are your sustainability efforts making as much impact as they could be? With our collective way of life rubbing up against the natural limits of the planet, it does not take a genius to see that it is time to scrape the mud off our boots and find a shorter, smarter path towards sustainability -- a way to maximise our effectiveness and inspire leaps forward in sustainability, rather than incremental steps. The 80/20 rule says that, in many situations, a small number of inputs determine the vast majority of our desired results. If we identify these 'vital few' inputs in our sustainability efforts, and focus on them, we can maximise our effectiveness and accelerate progress rapidly. This book will help you to think about sustainability from an 80/20 perspective with practical applications for: * product and service development; * supply chains; * materiality, indicators and quantitative analysis; * waste, energy efficiency, water conservation and transport; * employee engagement, and; * sustainability strategy. If you want to focus on what works, deliver better results, waste less time on 'switch it off' stickers and ineffective 'standard practice' and start making a real difference, then this book is for you!

Why do award-winning 'green' buildings so often have higher energy bills than ordinary buildings? Why do expensive refurbishments deliver outcomes that are far from the promises of improved sustainability? Why does your building have high running costs and still the occupants complain about being too cold or too hot and are otherwise dissatisfied? The failure of many countries to produce buildings that are comfortable with excellent energy performance is a scandal. Achieving low energy buildings does not involve learning rocket science: just some basic building physics, a clear language for talking meaningfully about energy-efficient outcomes with all those in the buildings cycle, and an outlook that casts a new low energy perspective on old problems. This book provides that common language. It outlines a path towards understanding what makes for a good quality low energy building, the stakeholders that need to be engaged, and encourages new ways of thinking about how to reduce energy use and costs.

Where should you start if you are faced with massive systemic challenges or want to cultivate a shift towards sustainability in global systems? Where are the leverage points for systemic change? This book provides examples of what organisations and companies like the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, WWF and Nike are doing, along with practical strategies and an overview of system change theory. Section one outlines systems thinking, especially how we can use a 'living systems' perspective as a tool to understanding sustainability and change. Section two pulls out practical strategies for action from theoretical models and 'must-read' literature. Section three illustrates how organisations are implementing these strategies -- including examples from the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, Nike, Sustainable Food Lab, Finance Innovation Lab, Shell Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Section four provides tips for you as a practitioner navigating this territory. Many of the ideas behind cultivating system change can be difficult to understand until they are put into practice. This 'practitioner's companion' ends with questions that will prompt reflections and spur you to action. Keep it to hand as you change the system!

Procurement is playing an increasingly strategic role as a lever for sustainable development and social and environmental responsibility. Greater regulation on sustainable procurement in the public sector, including significant changes to the EU Directive in April 2014, are driving this change. This comprehensive guide to sustainable procurement by practising legal experts Colleen Theron and Malcolm Dowden distils key developments in EU and UK public sustainable procurement legislation, government guidance and policy; provides an introduction to sustainable procurement more broadly; provides case studies and practical examples on contractual aspects of procurement; shows you how to set up a sustainable procurement strategy; and contributes to the development of sustainable procurement policy. There is also increased emphasis on 'clean' supply chains in the private sector, as best practice seeks to mesh with public sector requirements and reduce the risk that bids for public contracts might be undermined by adverse environmental impacts or social misconduct along the supply chain. Private sector companies should act now to establish best practice sustainable procurement principles to minimise the risk of litigation; several international standards are embedding the principles of sustainable procurement into their requirements. The book also offers practical examples of what sustainable procurement entails, whether the organisation is bidding for public sector contracts, in need of meeting tender requirements, looking to obtain certification for a standard, or is simply seeking to improve its supply chain management and implement best practice.

Should you or your clients report using the new G4 sustainability reporting framework? What's the significance of the changes and how do they affect you? What is the right reporting level for your company? What should you do next...? Sustainability reporting is here to stay and expanding its influence. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting Framework was launched in May 2013, with the publication of two manuals, adding up to 300 pages of technical guidance. Since then thousands of reporters have been hoping for a short and definitive guide to this new reporting paradigm. This is it! In this expert guide to G4, Elaine Cohen cuts to the chase, presenting an easy-to-follow review of everything any company needs to know in order to decide whether to use the G4 Framework and if so, how. If you want to know what G4 means for corporate reporters, whether they are first-timers, SMEs, experienced global companies or existing GRI reporters at any level, this book is for you. It will give you the answers you need to make decisions, in a user-friendly format, and help you deliver greater value to your own company or your client companies. This book will also help users of reports know what to expect from the new generation of G4 sustainability reports and reporting consultants, as they advise clients on reporting process, content and disclosure.

The really big sustainability challenges for your business can't be solved by your business. But they can be solved by your business working in collaboration with others. Working Collaboratively provides tools to help you understand and manage successful collaborations: identify potential collaborators, e.g. key players from other parts of the system spot internal 'ways of working' that support or get in the way of collaboration use a range of techniques to explore win-wins with potential collaborators. Collaboration means sharing decisions, resources, risks... and control. It means trusting others, sharing your weaknesses as well as your strengths and taking the time to find win-wins (or compromises). It requires a leap of faith, because you never know what will emerge from the chaotic early steps. Drawing on examples of collaboration between strange bedfellows, this practical guide will help you take the first steps towards building sustainable solutions together.

Sustainable brands may have started as 'doing less harm' and shaving costs off the bottom line. But brands today, supported by over a decade of phenomenal changes in sustainability, are looking for the holy grail of sustainable business -- a fusion of products and branding that can actually drive sustainability and grow the business top line. Consumers have already joined the party. Just look at TOMS, Patagonia, Method, Seventh Generation, Dove and many more. What is missing isn't the consumer but a better understanding of what fully-rounded consumers really want in their quest for a healthy, fulfilling life. This guide by sustainable brand expert Henk Campher is the model for creating a sustainable brand that people can trust, buy and above all, advocate for. Campher cuts through the myths and noise to offer an experienced expert's 101 for creating an irresistible brand, clearly setting out: what makes a product or service sustainable; the basic elements of sustainable branding strategy and a deep understanding of how consumers connect with a brand; an original model for assessing the sustainability of your brand, and; a host of examples of sustainable brands, drawing on the author's firsthand experience as part of the team at Edelman and Oxfam and founder of the Nelson Mandela initiated Proudly South African campaign.

Disengaged employees cost companies billions in lost productivity and high turnover rates. Integrating sustainability into the soul of your business can unleash an "upward spiral" of engagement, and turn your employees into sustainability champions.Making business sustainability part of the job description drives employees towards collaboration, community and commitment. It transforms employees into authentic brand ambassadors and companies into movements. In addition, companies that embed sustainability are better positioned to anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions.Creating Employee Champions offers a three-step method for sustainability engagement training, and a paradigm shift in employee engagement and business sustainability. Use it to transplant NGO DNA into business DNA, so you can inspire hearts and minds, engage employees, foster dynamic commitment to meet sustainability goals and equip employees to engage with external stakeholders.

Many companies internalize the current stalemate over global climate policy into a perception that climate risk is no longer a critical issue. Business climate risks, however, include: *operational and supply chain (physical) risk * brand risk * market-driven structural risk * liability risk This DoShort will help business executives to: *Rethink their perceptions of climate risk* *Evaluate whether their company is effectively positioned* *Make informed and prudent business decisions about climate change risk in an environment rife with policy uncertainty* This book is for anyone who needs to assess and respond to climate risk, including business executives, risk managers, business lawyers, electric utilities, state utility regulators, and facilities and supply chain managers. The book has also been used as course material on a leading executive education course on business climate risk.

We live in challenging times. New leaders are enhancing their "inner game" to maximize their organizational impact, and using the principles of sustainability to help their organizations thrive and innovate in response to 21st century challenges. Leadership for Sustainability and Change is a concise and practical distillation of what is working for today's most successful sustainability leaders. It provides a clear set of actions you can take to generate transformation, with results yielding market advantage, eco-efficiency, product or service innovation, personal resilience and engaged communities. Learn from the experience of successful sustainability leaders how to: - Build personal resilience and agility to lead change for the long-run - Sustain innovation that is released in bursts of focused 'energy for good' - Draw attention to what is working by focusing on the power of small differences - Decrease resistance and increase motivation with a change acceleration model - Identify stages of individual and organizational readiness for change - Use rapid prototyping to increase group engagement - Tell compelling stories to encourage teams to initiate action Leadership for Sustainability and Change offers guidance for leaders who are shaping the future of sustainability within their organizations. The book includes a simple framework for assessing your progress, so that you can revisit the tools and processes you need most.

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was not caused by BP, but by a contractor, yet BP got the blame. The toxic waste from the production of Apple products dumped in China in 2011 was not dumped by Apple, but by a supplier, yet Apple got the blame. The horsemeat found in beef burgers in 2013 was not added by Tesco, but by a supplier, yet Tesco got the blame. In all three cases, blame for the damage caused by suppliers floated up through the supply chain until it lodged with the big brand at the top. No longer can companies constrain their corporate responsibility within the factory fence, as that boundary is not recognised by outside observers. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of most organisations' environmental footprint lies in their supply chain. This means that, to address the sustainability agenda in a meaningful way, they must tackle the impacts of their suppliers. Unfortunately this is a huge challenge as visibility and influence diminishes quickly as you start to work your way down through the layers of suppliers. This book gives a quick but comprehensive guide to the most effective techniques to help you proactively address environmental risks in the supply chain. It covers the following: The business case for a sustainable supply chain; Supply chains and sustainability: the big picture; Making supply chains sustainable: the fundamentals; Basic techniques: the 'hard yards' of green procurement; Intermediate techniques: those requiring changes to operations and products/services; Advanced techniques: changes to the business model and corporate philosophy. The book draws upon exclusive interviews with top sustainability practitioners along with the practical experiences of the author to provide real world examples at the cutting edge.

The value chain is the tried and true foundation of any profitable business. Sustainability Decoded is a no-nonsense business book that shows you how to increase profits by integrating sustainability into your company's value chain. This practical guide provides innovative tools and approaches for adding value at each station, including: . Sustainability Matrix Decision Tool for Codes of Conduct . Triple Bottom Line Short Form . Eco-Label Graphic Matrix . Sustainability Ratio Guide . Life Cycle Analysis Grid . Local-Global Scorecard . The Redesign Card . The Green IT Checklist . The Balanced Scorecard for Life . The Biomimicry Backwards Forwards Tool Sustainability Decoded provides a profitable means to practice sustainability. It is as useful to the non-business person who needs a quick guide to the practicalities and principles of adding value right across business processes as it is to the seasoned business professional looking for practical and profitable inspiration from sustainability. Includes case studies on Patagonia and One PacificCoast Bank.

Sustainability will play an increasingly key role in the innovation process within businesses. Leading companies are already integrating these agendas, and preparing their sustainability executives to take the lead. This book: . demonstrates why sustainability requires innovation . explains how this opportunity can be grasped by sustainability executives . outlines the skills they will need to learn to lead on sustainable innovation . outlines key trends in sustainable innovation and in managing innovation Coad and Pritchard provide an overview of mainstream innovation, and draw out common characteristics of successful programmes, such as a corporate culture whose systems promote innovation. They highlight developments such as mobile technology, social media and collaborative consumption which transform the way consumers interact with companies. Viewed alongside emerging ideas on sustainability, such as the circular economy, this points to a clear need for a new set of innovation skills. Companies will face challenges in realizing these opportunities, in particular the development requirements for sustainability executives and broader organisational learning. This book is for companies who want to take advantage, and the sustainability executives who will be leading the way.

In many businesses sustainability is one person's passion and responsibility. A large part of their job becomes selling sustainability to other people in the business. Strategic Sustainability offers arguments, information and tactics will help that person get the buy-in they need to move sustainability forward in their business. Strategic Sustainability: . Sets out why sustainability matters to businesses - the benefits to you and your stakeholders . Shows how to identify the biggest issues, impacts and wins for your business . Helps you identify the resources you will need to put sustainability at the heart of your business . Outlines key reasons why businesses that are not multinationals should take action on sustainability, and how to do it . Looks in detail at how to integrate sustainability with business strategy and mission. Sustainability is of strategic importance to a business. This book makes an airtight case for why action is essential and how sustainability can help a business not only survive but thrive in competitive marketplaces.

The business case for Sustainability or Corporate Responsibility will never be strong enough to support an isolated business in its competition against the unscrupulous. The progressive vanguard reaches a point where it can advance no further without rendering itself uncompetitive. That is, unless advocacy and public policy intervention change the rules and shift the bar for the allowable lowest common denominator. With the base reset, so is the bar of aspiration. New rules enable new behaviours, with players competing on a fairer, more sustainable footing. This groundbreaking book, Lobbying for Good, describes how far-sighted businesses are rebooting the game, throwing off cultural inhibitions and sticking their head above the parapet to advocate progressive legislative change. The authors describe a strategic opportunity to get on board the next wave of CSR - the most radical and impactful yet -- and explain how finely-tuned and well-delivered Lobbying for Good can be an extremely cost-effective brand-enhancement tool. Against a backdrop of general mistrust in business lobbying, learn how leaders are making it work and Lobbying for Good.

The vast majority of invested assets (approximately US$150T) do not consider environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors. Socially responsible investing (SRI) emerged to address these challenges, but it remains largely deployed in 'negative strategies' such as sector screening, and continues to be a small investment niche, largely due to perceptions about potential underperformance. Sustainable investing is a new, more positive investment construct, described as "an investment discipline that explicitly considers future social and environmental trends in financial decision making, in order to provide the best risk-adjusted and opportunity-directed returns for investors. By anticipating these trends ahead of the market, sustainable investing seeks to identify 'predictable surprises' that can help maximize value over the long term." This concise guide by one of the sector's leading experts: . Disentangles the terminology around SRI and describes a new, positive, opportunities -oriented paradigm for sustainable investing . Showcases funds and strategies that are delivering outperformance within ecological limits . Sets out the key megatrends and scenarios which investors need to consider, and . Offers a practical guide to constructing a sustainable portfolio. This is absolutely essential reading for investors, fund managers and analysts who need to get up to speed on sustainable investing.

Young people can bring significant value to corporate sustainability efforts, in their multiple roles as social customers, future intrapreneurs, and impact partners. How to Engage Youth to Drive Corporate Sustainability raises awareness among business professionals of the specific roles that young people could play in their projects or more widely in their organizations. It provides practical steps that professionals can take to engage young people and drive forward - with more effectiveness and legitimacy - their corporate sustainability efforts. The book focuses on the three key roles that young people can play (social customers, future intrapreneurs, and impact partners). For each of these roles, there is a case study illustrating how successful companies or youth organizations have harnessed the energy and talent of young people in that role. Finally, some considerations are outlined on the future of youth engagement in CSR, taking into account the changing nature of the sustainability space.