Two experts from Yale tackle the business wake-up-call du jour-environmental responsibility-from every angle in this thorough, earnest guidebook: pragmatically, passionately, financially and historically. Though "no company the authors know of is on a truly long-term sustainable course," Esty and Winston label the forward-thinking, green-friendly (or at least green-acquainted) companies WaveMakers and set out to assess honestly their path toward environmental responsibility, and its impact on a company's bottom line, customers, suppliers and reputation. Following the evolution of business attitudes toward environmental concerns, Esty and Winston offer a series of fascinating plays by corporations such as WalMart, GE and Chiquita (Banana), the bad guys who made good, and the good guys-watchdogs and industry associations, mostly-working behind the scenes. A vast number of topics huddle beneath the umbrella of threats to the earth, and many get a thorough analysis here: from global warming to electronic waste "take-back" legislation to subsidizing sustainable seafood. For the responsible business leader, this volume provides plenty of (organic) food for thought.



This book explains what every executive should know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and the business world. Based on the authors' rich experience with forward-thinking companies around the world, Green to Gold demonstrates how corporations create value by building environmental thinking into their overall business strategies. Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston provide clear, how-to advice for making sense of environmental challenges, and they offer detailed case examples of how companies achieve both environmental and business success?establishing an "eco-advantage" in the marketplace.

Green to Gold is written for executives at all levels and in businesses of all kinds. It guides the business leader through issues of pollution and natural resource management and the growing pressure from outside stakeholders to strive for ?sustainability.? While highlighting successful strategies, Esty and Winston also examine why environmental initiatives may fail despite best intentions.

With practical suggestions for incorporating environmental thinking into core business strategy, and with a clear focus on execution?not legalisms, platitudes, and abstractions?Esty and Winston present a thoughtful, pragmatic roadmap that shows how companies can use environmental pressures and responsibilities to spark innovation and drive growth.



Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction: The Environmental Lens

Part One.

Preparing for a New World

1

Eco-Advantage

Issues and opportunities for business in an environmentally sensitive world

2

Natural Drivers of the Green Wave

Environmental problems and how they shape markets

3

Who?s Behind the Green Wave?

Stakeholders and the power they wield

Part Two.

Strategies for Building Eco-Advantage

4

Managing the Downside

Green-to-Gold Plays to reduce cost and risk

5

Building the Upside

Green-to-Gold Plays to drive revenues and create intangible value

Part Three.

What WaveRiders Do

6

The Eco-Advantage Mindset

Looking through an environmental lens

7

Eco-Tracking

Understanding your company?s environmental ?footprint?

8

Redesigning Your World

Designing for the environment and ?greening? the supply chain

9

Inspiring an Eco-Advantage Culture

Creating an organizational focus on environmental stewardship

Part Four.

Putting It All Together

10

Why Environmental Initiatives Fail

Pitfalls to avoid on the way to Eco-Advantage

11

Taking Action

Execution for sustained competitive advantage

12

Eco-Advantage Strategy

Key Eco-Advantage plays, tools, and plans

Appendix 1: Additional Resources

Appendix 2: Methodological Overview

Appendix 3: Most Relevant Principles and Tools for Each Green-to-Gold Play

Notes

Index







About the Author



Daniel C. Esty is the Hillhouse Professor at Yale University and Director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale (www.yale.edu/CBEY). Author or editor of nine books and dozens of articles, Dan is one of the world's leading corporate environmental strategy experts with twenty years of experience working with companies of all sizes and across many industries worldwide. He served as a senior official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the early 1990s and is presently Chairman of Esty Environmental Partners (www.EstyEP.com).



Andrew S. Winston advises some of the world's leading companies on how to profit from environmental thinking. He is also a highly respected and dynamic speaker, exploring the business benefits of going green with audiences around the world. Andrew's earlier career included corporate strategy at Boston Consulting Group and management positions in marketing and business development at Time Warner and MTV. See www.andrewwinston.com for more information.