Stoking the Sustainability Megatrend

Industry analysts predict that sustainable business spending will only grow in the next decade, driven by:


• Strict environmental regulation. Governments are interceding with unprecedented levels of new regulation, such as the 2010 SEC ruling that climate risk is material to investors, the EPA’s mandate that greenhouse gases be regulated as a pollutant, and state-level greenhouse gas regulations and renewable energy policies.

• Competitive dynamics, Competition will drive growth in sustainability spending even faster than compliance; sustainability has become a key factor in enhancing and differentiating brands.

• Changing consumer attitudes/demand. Public and governmental concern about such issues as high oil prices, climate change, pollution, food safety, and natural resource depletion is escalating. Consumers are seeking out sustainable products and services or leaning on companies to improve the sustainability of conventional ones.

• Risk management. Externalities such as carbon dioxide emissions and water use have become material to a firm’s performance; investors and stakeholders expect companies to manage them and share information.

Read more:

http://greenbusinessmatters.com/2012/10/11/stoking-the-megatrend/