Sustainable Companies Survive Tough Times

Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers from around the world are writing about a single them. This year, it’s global climate change. Interestingly, companies that have made an effort to be sustainable have actually fared quite well during the financial crisis — at least that what’s a report from A.T. Kearney claims. Environmental Leader reports on some of the findings in the report:

Over the six months from May through November 2008, the study found that in 16 of the 18 industries studied, companies committed to sustainability averaged $650 million more than the industry average in protected market capitalization per company.

I found this quite interesting. I also wonder if, since financial sector companies are well-known for not taking measures to be environmentally sustainable, they managed to drag down the averages. It was also interesting that the report noted that companies that made sustainability a focus also had three characteristics that helped them in areas beyond the realm of environmental friendliness:

1. Long-term strategy that goes beyond short-term gains.
2. Strong (and competent) corporate governance.
3. Risk management practices that have a certain soundness.

Apparently, sustainability is a mind-set, and not just motions a company goes through in order to greenwash its image. It might be worth it to learn from sustainable companies, and find out what makes them successful. Click here to find a list of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world.

Image source: NASA via Wikimedia Commons