Sticks and Stones…but Sustainability Risk?

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Mar 2, 2011 10:18 AM ET

Taiga Company blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Compa…

"You generally hear that what a man doesn't know doesn't hurt him, but in business what a man doesn't know does hurt." -Gerald Brenan 

With countless examples making headlines every day, there is less and less debate over the benefits of integrating sustainability concepts into business.  Largely driven by cost savings opportunities or risk mitigation, the business world is gradually making the ‘sustainability shift’.  Simultaneously, universally around the world and across most industries, business leaders recognize the bottom line as the primarily measure of business success.  The survival of a company is ultimately determined by whether there is a red or black number at the bottom of the page.   For each organization, the factors that determine the size and color of this bottom line number may vary.  However, there is a common and growing factor creeping into the calculation.   According to Ernst & Young’s 2010 Business Risk Report, corporate social responsibility and the need for social acceptance both appeared on the top ten risks facing businesses.  "Regarding corporate social responsibility or "radical greening", the report finds that in order to maintain the corporate image and reduce environmental impact, companies must take proactive measures, including more complex decisions regarding capital spending, production procedures, and installed technologies." ~ Environmental Leader   While many organizations falsely subscribe to the belief that business sustainability is only for larger organizations, there is the recognition that risk doesn't discriminate.  To unprepared organizations, the business risks of carbon, water, and climate change disclosure takes many forms:  click here to continue reading.  

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".

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