A few months ago Boston Consulting Group and MIT Sloan Management Review published a report Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point. It�s the results of a survey completed by managers and executives from companies around the world, asking them how they�re developing and implementing sustainable business practices. There�s lots of interesting stuff here so definitely worth a read. What I found interesting was the insight into �Harvesters� � no not the buffet restaurant that always featured criss-cross chips in its adverts, but the report�s term for companies that say that their sustainability activities are contributing to their profits. The survey results show clear differences between the �Harvesters� and companies who are further behind in their responsible business/sustainability efforts. Harvesters are:

� Three times more likely to have a business case for sustainability
� 50% more likely to have a CEO commitment to sustainability
� Twice as likely to have a separate function for sustainability
� 50% more likely to have a person responsible for sustainability within each business unit
� More than 2.5 times more likely to have a Chief Sustainability Officer

None of these points particularly surprising apart from the middle one about having a separate function for sustainability � from our experience this is the last thing a company needs if it is aiming to fully integrate sustainability into its strategy and operations. In actual fact, the wording here is a bit misleading... Whilst there are specific roles and functions to manage responsible business activities on a day to day basis, these have strong backing from CEOs and are supported by senior management committees; not so separate after all.

The real differentiator seems to be the existence of a strong business case for sustainability; in some cases they�ve even changed their business models. As Mark Vachon from GE ecomagination puts it �the idea is not to put your pencil down and quit...it�s to go back and figure out what new level of innovation is required to get to the right answer�.

The burning question is how to get to this level of commitment and pro-activity? What comes first: the CEO who sees sustainability as an opportunity or the business case that shows that it�s a no-brainer? And what happens if there isn�t either; there�s no desire to find a way to make it work? Not easy questions to answer on a general level... However, one thing that can only be helpful is for �Harvesters� to vocalise the positive outcomes of the measures they�re taking, encouraging others to follow suit.

P.s can we drop the 'Harvester' label - it's not working for me!