Sustainable Business

Blog Spot 3/3 Innovation is often the result when different parties collaborate. It's the responsibility of business leaders, like me, to acknowledge that the societal and environmental challenges are bigger than all of us and to facilitate collaboration with other organisations to make a change. It's becoming common practice for companies to work with NGOs, academics and customers as a way of connecting skills and knowledge. For example, we are currently working with a crowd sourcing platform to develop innovative new recycling solutions. And while a third of businesses now work with competitors to generate sustainability innovation, the same proportion also believes that a key benefit of sustainability is the differentiation it gives them from competitors. So is there a way to achieve both? The key is to understand which components are core to competitive advantage, and which challenges affect all companies. For example, recycling is an untapped opportunity to reframe what people consider waste. Packaging has value and by getting it back into the value stream through improved recycling rates, we can extract that value and contribute towards better use of natural resources. Technology will also continue to be important in driving sustainability plans forward. 58% of businesses we surveyed said they are already using technology to develop more sustainable business models, 54% are using social or mobile technologies to engage with their customers, and 41% say they've successfully harnessed technology to improve their environmental impact. Above all however, I strongly believe progress must come through the buy- in and drive of business leaders. When that happens, companies can align profitability and sustainability and improve stakeholder engagement, cascading its importance throughout the organisation and its broader value chain. We can't get there on our own. It will be the leaders that recognise this and use it to their competitive advantage that will be leading the way over the next 20 years. John F. Brock is Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) I know that sustainability is the second biggest driver of employee engagement at CCE, so communicating our vision and explaining the role everyone can play is part and parcel of our everyday operations. In my opinion, leaders must advocate for the sustainability business case, and lead cultural change within their organisations – not only to address social and environmental issues but also to influence the wider business community. * CCE's research, Sustainability Insights: Learning from Business Leaders, surveyed more than 300 European business executives, drawn from a range of industries.

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