Unlocking the Energy of Business to Effect Change

Abstract

Your paper coffee cup from Starbucks tells you it is made from 10 % recycled postconsumer content. The care tag on your Levi’s 501 jeans urges you to save energy by washing your jeans in cold water and to avoid the landfill by donating your unwanted clothing. When you do get around to washing those jeans, your Tide laundry detergent is 2–3 times more concentrated than it used to be, to help cut down on the amount of energy needed (in the form of heating the water) to clean your clothes. Clearly, companies – like Starbucks, Levi Strauss, or Procter & Gamble – are increasingly marketing to customers and stakeholders their “sustainability” credentials. Sustainability seems to mean “good” or “less bad” for the environment, or the world, and to encourage customers and the public to have a positive opinion about the product or company.