Corporate environmental sustainability is not a cost center

By Alison Pepper, 4As EVP Government Relations & Sustainability

Far too often, organizations view corporate sustainability initiatives as necessary but unprofitable signposts, rather than real opportunities to drive meaningful change while protecting their bottom lines. Alison Pepper, executive vice-president of government relations at the 4As, outlines three straightforward ways that companies of all kinds can invest in both the environment and their own business success.

Of all the myths about environmental sustainability – and they are legion – perhaps the most damaging is the myth that corporate environmental sustainability efforts amount to little more than expensive virtue-signaling exercises.

If that’s your – or your procurement department’s – view of any and all environmental sustainability efforts, then let this upcoming Earth Day be a moment to pause and reflect on why this tired trope is no longer accurate and possibly even detrimental to real progress.

To be clear, it’s true that in many cases switching to more environmentally-friendly products and processes could introduce an increase in costs. For example, perhaps your company uses a cheap but harmful chemical in some stage of your manufacturing process, and the more environmentally-friendly alternative comes at a higher price point.

Read more on The Drum.