2. “ There is no end to the amount of money to be made by
doing the right thing.”
Bill Clinton, 2007
3. today
o Companies do ‘sustainability’ for competitive advantage
o Blue Ocean Strategy….Green Ocean
o 2 Green Ocean examples
4. CEOs and sustainability
Top two reasons for sustainability strategy
Not compliance, risk or cost
◦ Improve Brand (54%)
◦ Differentiate Products (50%)
AT Kearny &
Institute for Supply Chain Management
5. 5
Sustainability delivers value
o >70% of executives said sustainability contributes to
shareholder value
o >70% rank sustainability as very or extremely important to
corporate reputation and brand
McKinsey & Company, 2010
6. Competitive strategy?
>70% CEOs say sustainability should be STRATEGIC
<20% are doing it
The math looks good!
8. Red vs. Blue Oceans…
• Focus on core market Create uncontested
• Beat the competition market space
• Combat ‘commoditization’ Make the competition
• Keep your customers irrelevant
• Choose low cost or
Find ‘non-customers’
differentiation
• Set realistic goals and micro- Pursue differentiation
manage AND low cost
• Death by a thousand cuts! Set outrageous goals
and set your people
loose!
9. Set outrageous goals
“…do all this, and do it right, and do it first
before this decade is out.”
J.F.K. 1962
20. Herman Miller a Green Ocean Winner?
In the past year….
23rd year most admired company in its industry
Fortune Magazine poll of industry executives and analysts
One of world’s 50 Most Innovative Companies
Fast Company
One of 50 Best Manufacturing Companies
Industry Week
"SAM Sector Leader" and "SAM Sector Mover”
SAM Social Investing global ranking
21. Green Ocean
2nd largest office furniture company
in the world; $1.92B sales
A few crazy ideas
Red Ocean
26. Chairman’s Task Force on Sustainability -2008
o Cut energy 20% in 5 years
o Empower branch managers
27. Fleet Alternatives
o World’s largest fleet of fuel efficient vehicles
o Thousands of hybrids and electric vehicles
o Fleet as 'petri dish' for fuel and engine technology
32. Enterprise Institute for Renewable Fuels
o $100 M fund
o Algae biofuels PHDs
o Goal – large scale supply of biofuel
33. Green Ocean ahead?
Last 12 months
o Business Traveler Innovation Award for outstanding
and original environmental efforts in the travel
industry;
National Business Travel Ass./Wall Street Journal
o Readers’ Choice Award as their favourite rental car
brand
Budget Travel Magazine
34.
35. Think Green Ocean
o Irrational, right brain thinking
o unachievable goals
o non-customers
o create uncontested green ocean markets
36. Susan Sheehan
Leapfrog Sustainability Hub
416-598-7585
susansheehan@leapfroghub.com