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Book Release: The NEXT Sustainability Wave by Bob Willard

Book Release: The NEXT Sustainability Wave by Bob Willard

Published 07-12-05

Submitted by New Society Publishers

The NEXT
Sustainability Wave

BUILDING BOARDROOM BUY-IN

by Bob Willard
Foreword by Hunter Lovins

"Bob Willard has done a great service for all of us with an interest in the future of business by synthesizing a vast literature into a strategic roadmap that lights the way ahead for those who pull the levers of power. The Next Sustainability Wave bridges the gap that has too long separated strategic management and sustainability -- this is a book that both sharpens the mind and catalyzes action."

-- Robert M. Abbott, CMC, Founder & Chief Strategist, Abbott Stragegies, author of Uncommon Cents

"Thoroughly researched and packed with lots of great come backs for all the "yeah-but" responses you're likely to encounter, The Next Sustainability Wave offers great insights on why sustainability makes good, practical, and strategic business sense."

-- Ronald Nielsen, Director, Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships, Alcan Inc.

The idea of sustainability has been embraced enthusiastically by some businesses and rejected by others. The first wave of corporate converts to sustainability was driven by a PR crisis, regulatory pressures, or the founder's personal passion. The next wave, however, requires different drivers if it is to build a critical mass for corporate responsibility in the business community.

The Next Sustainability Wave assesses why companies have resisted sustainability strategies and focuses on two emerging drivers that promise to spur corporate commitment to sustainability strategies:

  • a compelling quantification of potential business opportunities, and
  • a 'perfect storm' of threatening market force risks on the horizon that range from climate change to the rising demands of stakeholders.

    An effective carrot-and-stick duo, these two drivers are both triggering the need for change and providing a vision of business success if the transition to sustainable operations, products, and services is smartly managed.

    Emphasizing the importance of how sustainability is presented to corporate leaders - using the right language, and avoiding threats to the status quo that provoke habitual corporate defense mechanisms -- the book applies effective selling techniques to reposition sustainability strategies as a means to achieving existing corporate ends, rather than as a separate priority to worry about.

    It sells sustainability as a solution, a business strategy, and a catalyst for business transformation. An appendix gives a version of the sustainability business case for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

    Designed for quick reading and reference -- right pages furthering the argument, while left pages provide supporting side-bar materials -- the book is especially useful for those wanting to convince busy executives and board members of the business benefits of sustainability strategies.

    About the Author

    Bob Willard is a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. Since his first book, The Sustainability Advantage, was published in 2002, he has given over 130 keynote presentations to corporations, consultants, academics, and non-governmental organizations around the world.

    For more information about Bob and a complete listing of his past and upcoming speaking engagements, please visit his web site: www.sustainabilityadvantage.com

    368 pages 6 x 9"
    Business & Economics /
    Environmental Studies
    Pb ISBN 0-86571-532-7
    US$22.95 / Can$29.95

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    New Society Publishers

    New Society Publishers

    New Society Publishers' mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.

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