“Essential reading for any business aiming to understand how they can turn sustainability into opportunity.”
“A smart, readable, and provocative book that argues that business success in the long run will be earned by companies that ‘integrate consideration of society and the environment into their DNA”
PRESS & PRAISE
“Sustainable Excellence provides an insightful window into the intersection of business and environment. Companies that take to heart the lessons Aron Cramer and Zach Karabell provide will be well positioned as natural resource constraints reshape the business landscape.”
— Mark Tercek, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy
“Essential reading for any business aiming to understand how they can turn sustainability into opportunity.”
— Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail and Free
“The Must-Read Book...makes the case that it’s in shareholders’ interests for companies to address social and environmental challenges in their business strategies. [...] The authors lead us to the conclusion that sustainable excellence is simply excellence.”
— Alice Korngold, Fast Company.com | read full review >
“A smart, readable, and provocative book that argues that business success in the long run will be earned by companies that ‘integrate consideration of society and the environment into their DNA.’ ... This book gives us a reason for optimism, as well as a framework to understand the dramatic changes reshaping the corporate world.”
— Marc Gunther, contributing writer to Fortune magazine and author of Faith and Fortune | read full review >
“A compelling case for why a focus on sustainability ... is now a form of enlightened self-interest for businesses. ... An increasing vigilance by the business and investor community could play a big role in striking a new balance. Sustainable Excellence represents a major—and much needed—step in that direction.”
— AOL’s Daily Finance
Read the Publisher's Weekly review of the book and an interview with Zachary.
SYNOPSIS
HOW THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL COMPANIES ARE BUILDING BUSINESS STRATEGIES THAT TACKLE THE BIGGEST GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Today’s business landscape is changing in fundamental ways: Natural resources are growing ever more scarce and expensive. Technology and changing consumer expectations are making transparency a fact of life. The rise of emerging economies creates vast market opportunities for companies—and better living standards for hundreds of millions. In Sustainable Excellence, Aron Cramer and Zachary Karabell tell the stories of the companies who are transforming themselves by responding to these paradigm shifts and in the process shaping the future.
From their work with these Global 1000 companies, Cramer and Karabell know firsthand how business can successfully grapple with big-picture issues like resource scarcity, supply chain complexities, and the diverse expectations of government and the public.
In Sustainable Excellence, they tell the story of how Coca-Cola and Greenpeace collaborated on a refrigerator that fights climate change. They show how companies like Best Buy and Nike are transforming the very products they sell to deliver more value to consumers with less waste. They recount how GE and Google created an innovative partnership that is developing “smart grids” that radically reduce energy use. And they show how business leaders like Starbucks’ founder and CEO Howard Schultz put sustainable excellence at the center of his company’s business strategy.
Through these and other fascinating stories, Sustainable Excellence makes the case for a different way of doing business—one that will define both business success and economic vitality in the 21st century.