Time for Businesses to Get Green or Else

Whether you believe that climate change is man-made or not, it’s happening. It’s no longer a matter of if, it’s when. While obviously, we think the evidence is staggering that humans have done great harm to the planet, let’s put that aside temporarily so we can all agree: businesses need to catch up with the ‘green’ movement or suffer the consequences. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in global warming. What matters is whether you want to be successful in the future of business.

Andrew Winston, co-author of the book Green to Gold, a guide for businesses going green, writes on his blog:

First, rising prices for nearly everything mean we’re entering the big leagues. Whether you call it “green” or “eco-efficiency” doesn’t matter; either way, all the efficiency tools we have - such as total quality, lean manufacturing, six sigma - are going to be put to the test. If your company has a knack for cutting out waste and reducing resource use, it will survive and thrive. If you can’t reduce your reliance on fossil fuels in your whole value chain - from sourcing to manufacturing to distribution - you may be in trouble.

Second, if you can offer a new “supply” to help bolster that side of the Econ 101 curves, you will have a giant market to satisfy (those billions of consumers). And I’m talking about smart supply growth, not the corn ethanol kind that actually exacerbates all of our problems. I’m talking new low-carbon energy, water saving technologies and processes, good design principles, building efficiency, and on and on.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. Some big companies helmed by people who don’t see a need to change may go belly-up despite their current confidence. The ones that are too slow to move will be left behind, and the ones who move quickly will survive and get richer.

You can read more of Andrew’s tips for businesses looking to go green on his blog.

Link [Andrew Winston]
Photo credit: Flickr user Gaetan Lee

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