Non-Profit Report Details Innovative Low-Carbon Strategies

The global recession and other recent economic changes “reinforce the importance of innovative, sustainable business practices that lead the transition to a low-carbon economy, promote economic development, and rebuild trust in business," according to the second annual report of Business for Social Responsibility, a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of socially and environmentally beneficial corporations.

"Business is facing a trio of crises: the sharp global recession; increasing evidence of natural resource constraints, especially related to accelerating climate change; and the loss of trust in the private sector,” BSR president and CEO Aron Cramer writes in the introduction to the report. Established in 1992, San Francisco-based BSR has a global network of more than 250 member companies.

The BSR report lays out five key strategies to overcome such obstacles: Develop business strategies based on long-term trends; innovate for sustainability and value; develop “big” system answers; refocus on partnerships with governments; and rebuild trust.

The report also provides several case histories of companies that are achieving results using those strategies. One such company, says the report, is Archer Daniels Midland, which analyzes the sustainability impacts and growing practices for corn, palm oil and soy in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United States. Based on this approach, ADM has begun hiring local people who have expertise in sustainability in each region, in an effort to reduce deforestation, improve working conditions, and advance growing practices.

Another company pursuing these strategies, Shell Wind Energy, is developing “a stakeholder engagement plan to identify the various community stakeholder concerns throughout its development process,” the report says. “One of the most important anticipated outcomes is the development of awareness and capacity at the community level to support effective planning and management of local emergency, housing, water supply, and education services.”

The report is available at www.bsr.org

Contact Alan Field at afield@joc.com.