After tracking sustainability initiatives of 30 Fortune 500 companies (ref. InnovaStrat. US) , it seems that every company goes more or less trough seven similar steps…

1. From dark‐grey
to bright‐green
(In seven steps)
Stefaan Vandist | www.trinity-planning.be

2. Sustainability is all very
nice, but I’m trying to
run a business here
(the boss)
This is the story told from a business
execu:ve perspec:ve…

3. but with a geeks’ horizon…

4. The sustainability
ladder
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ABer tracking sustainability ini:a:ves of 30 Fortune 500 companies
(ref. InnovaStrat. US) , it seems that every company
goes more or less trough seven similar steps…

5. 1
DENIAL

6. 1 DENIAL
As an economist, you ‘manage’ environmental and social consequences as
externali:es. You keep your boNom‐line op:mized by denying responsibility. Why
should you care anyway? You’re running a business, not a charity. Especially now, you
don’t want to make anything erode your compe::veness

7. 1 DENIAL
You consider the green movement as ‘soixant‐huitards’, hippies and ac:vists.
Perverts even! They are annoying. You want to sew them if they show up again at
your doorstep. The public associates your company with some bad behaviours.
The reason? Ac:vism! It’s their fault. They harm the company.

8. 2
PRETENDING

9. 2 PRETENDING
On a bright morning you conclude sustainability is the next big thing. You have to.
It’s in your latest trend report, in smart magazines sold at airports, aBer several
mouse‐clicks and in newspapers. Even car manufacturers finally jump on the
bandwagon. Your marke:ng manager talks about promising, new,
young and high‐educated target audiences. You call the agency!

10. 2 PRETENDING
You come up with expensive campaigns with inspiring imaging and a sweet
soundtrack. Your messaging pimps your single best environmental aNribute, blurring
the aNen:on of the complete picture. You build awareness on TV, in newspapers, in
airports and interna:onal railway sta:ons. You see you’re not alone.

11. 2 PRETENDING
You travel to a poor na:on where your raw materials are grown. An air‐condi:oned
bus takes you to a reforesta:on project that collaborates with the local community.
A young boy gives you a spade. You plant a tree. You look good on the picture.
You feel a bit silly. You go home to pick up the serious stuff again.

12. 3
COMPLIANCE

13. VLAREM | REACH | ISO 9000 | ISO
14000 | EFQM | SA 8000 | GRI | GRI G3 |
AA 1000 FRAMEWORK |
AA 1000 AS | AA 1000 SES | SIGMA |
EMAS
3 COMPLIANCE
That brings you back to zero. Sustainability is s:ll and foremost a maNer of compliance
to industry standardiza:on and regula:on. Compliance costs money, but incompliance
costs more. Communica:on is repor:ng.

14. 3 COMPLIANCE
But there comes the nice surprise. When compliance meets the economies of scale, it
seems we lower costs reducing expensive inputs. And it seems that if we are the first
to comply with most stringent rules, our compe::veness goes up. Like HP who has set
the new industry standards being the first to ban toxic leads, and got ahead of its compe::on
with 5 years of advantage in the use of solders (amalgam of :n, silver and copper)

15. 3 COMPLIANCE
Imagine GM had embraced the emission standards for the automo:ve industry first
proposed in 2002, it would be two or three design cycles ahead of its rivals today.

16. 4
LCA

17. Recycle | Reduce | Re-use |
Reconsider | Rebuild |
Rethink | Re-feed | Reflect
React |
4 LCA (Lifecycle analysis)
You are completely obsessed wit R‐words. In an indebt lifecycle analysis you discover
opportuni:es to save raw materials, costs, energy, increase contacts points with clients
that result in business con:nuity and many other surprises that have a posi:ve impact
on the boNom‐line. You feel very comfortable. Sustainability jus:fies saving.
You’re in the land of efficiency. You feel home.

18. 4 LCA (Lifecycle analysis)
Like Unilever, who partnered with environmental organiza:ons to find out how to grow
palm oil, soy beans and cacao in a less pollu:ng way, with less pressure on biodiveristy.
This has resulted in techniques to improve crop yields and seed produc:on

19. 4 LCA (Lifecycle analysis)
Like Wal‐Mart’s CEO Leo ScoN (2008), who gave more than 1000 Chinese suppliers a
direc:ve: cut packaging cost with 5% by 2015 and increase energy‐efficiency with 25%
in three years.

20. 4 LCA (Lifecycle analysis)
Like Fedex who rolled out its Global Fuel Sense Program, op:mizing aircraB schedules
and logis:cs with high‐end soBware, replaced aircraBs, trucks and vans.
Result: reduc:on of 36% of energy consump:on, increase of 20% capacity

21. 5
Design

22. 5 Design
As you see that a sizable number of consumers prefer eco‐friendly offerings, you
believe your business can score over rivals by being the first to redesign exis:ng
products or develop new ones. So you bring in a club of ET’s and kickstart an eco‐
(re)design‐process

23. 5 Design
Eco‐design is exci:ng, also for large corpora:ons. P&G found out to make an
amazing difference if people would wash at lower temperatures (80 billion fewer
KWh/J). That’s why the company made the development of cold‐water detergents
a priority. In 2005 it launched Ariel Cool.
Result UK: 2002‐2% > 2008‐21% Result NL:2002‐5% > 2008:52%

24. 6
New business models

25. 6 new Business Models
You’ve read Blue Ocean Strategy, and you’ve seen the success of Itunes, Amazon
and other new stars and icons. You understand that successful models include
novel ways of capturing revenues and delivering services, likely in tandem with
other companies.

26. 6 new Business Models
Like Fedex, who partners with Kinko’s to come up with a print and deliver‐service.
They asks customers if they would like to electronically transfer the
master copy to one of the Kinko offices nearby the receiver

27. 6 new Business Models
Or like Sony who partners up with Green Squad to collect electronic waste via
schools, to recover useful raw materials.

28. 7
Next pracQce plaRorms

29. 7 Next pracQce plaRorms
By ques:oning the obvious, we invent the future and disrup:ve innova:on is
possible. Can we have a posi:ve effect on nature too? If threes produce oxygen
and purify water, can houses be trees? Can ci:es be forests? Can cleaning
products be good for the environment in stead of “less bad”?

30. 7 Next pracQce plaRorms
Can we cool our buildings without airco? If ants can do it in the hoNest places on
earth since millions of years, why can’t we? Biomimicry tries to understand the
design of nature and transports the design paNerns to engineering, architecture
and design.

31. 7 Next pracQce plaRorms
What if we remake the way we make things?
If we devide technical cycles from biological cycles, and redesign our fabrics and
materials on a molecular level to get rid of all toxics and design not products but
cycles, sell no goods but services? Then we close the loop just as in the natural
World. Zero waste. Zero emission. Big companies such as Nike, Aveda, Ford,
Timerland, Interface, Akzo Nobel and Herman Miller take cradle‐to‐cradle very
seriously

32. Thanks for your aSenQon!
Inspired by research of InnovaStrat - Santa Cruz.
Written, compiled, Arranged and visualized by
Stefaan Vandist – www.trinity-planning.be – stefaan@trinity-planning.be