Can Multinational Corporations Be Sustainability Leaders?
- 2015-07-09
- Forbes
How can international corporations like Unilever, Ikea and Nestlé place highly on a list of the most sustainable companies in the world? Could a study that champions the environmental merits of business behemoths like Patagonia, Marks & Spencer, GE, BASF, Nike, Coca-Cola and Walmart really be credible?
The list in question, the "Sustainability Leaders Report," is prepared annually by the US-British think tank, SustainAbility, and Canadian research company, GlobeScan. It’s based on a survey of experts from the World Wildlife Foundation, Greenpeace, United Nations, Oxfam and Carbon Disclosure Project; who are asked to evaluate the progress various institutions have made since Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, while ranking NGOs, governments and multilateral organizations and corporations.
The aim is also to indicate which companies are leading the world in implementing sustainable development in business strategy. What does that mean? Ideally, producing products with the least damage to the environment, consuming as little resources as possible and recycling—all without harming local communities.