The Green Executive: Corporate Leadership in a Low Carbon Economy

Description

Over the last five years, the corporate sustainability debate has shifted from one of compliance to one of strategic competitive advantage. Accordingly, responsibility for environmental and sustainability issues has risen from management functions to director level executives. The Green Executive provides everything you need to know to develop a winning sustainability strategy and the leadership skills you require to implement that strategy. The first part of the book explores the business case for action taking into consideration opportunities, threats of inaction, risks of action and the ethical dimension. This is followed by an overview of global environmental problems, including the big three: climate change, resource depletion and toxic materials, and global solutions -- including eco-efficiency and industrial ecology. The third part translates these large scale solutions into practical actions for a single business ranging from simple housekeeping measures through to innovative business models. The final, crucial part introduces the sustainability maturity model and provides an insight into how the highest level of that model can be achieved. A range of personal views is provided in the form of eighteen exclusive interviews with senior level executives from a wide range of sectors including retail, transport, manufacturing, logistics and the service sector, from small businesses through to international giants like Canon, BT, Marks & Spencer, National Express and GlaxoSmithKline.

Gareth Kane is the author of The Three Secrets of Green Business (Earthscan 2009). An environmental consultant, he has worked with hundreds of organizations to improve their environmental performance. He has appeared as a media pundit on sustainability issues on the BBC Six O'Clock News, Countryfile and The Politics Show. In 2008, The Journal newspaper named Gareth as a 'Rising Star, Future Leader' for his work on sustainability

'The Green Executive provides everything you need to know to develop a winning sustainability strategy and the leadership skills you require to implement that strategy.' - Elaine Cohen, CSR Wire 'A well written manual designed to help business leaders improve the environmental impact of their company' - Jessica Shankleman, businessGreen.com '[A] well-informed and public-spirited new book. Why not, instead of tinkering around the edges of sustainability, go the whole hog and make it a pillar of your corporate DNA? There are, as [the author] explains, sound commercial reasons for following this track.' - Nick Smith, Engineering & Technology Magazine '[An] outstanding book... what CEOs and business leaders need to know in terms of sustainability, is aptly summarized in The Green Executive' - Florian Kaefer, Sustainable Futures Blog