Purple Sheep Project - We are all Doomed!

"Sustainable" is the the new buzz-word . "Innovation" is also getting a fair bit of use by public speakers and business leaders.

These words have become part of modern business language, but unlike buzzwords of the past these words are relevant and essential parts of all our vocabularies.

The planet is stuffed, or soon will be if we don't stop using resources as if they can easily be replaced. But it is not just natural resources we are abusing. To have true sustainability we must protect our ecology, our society and our economies.

Sustianability for business means building systems that allow long term benefits to all stakeholders. Many business have contributed to the system failure we are currently living through with both the climate and economies. What we are seeing now are the consequences of short term planning with no regard to future proofing our industries.

We can not seperate business and the natural environment. Without natural resources we have no business, without business we have unhealthy societies.
When society fails we all need to look out!

As business leaders have failed to create sustainability into their models, governments are stepping in. Legisltaion is emerging that makes complience to social, environmental and even ecomomical responsability compulsory.

OK so its alway been illegal to commit fraud, but we now see governments stepping in to make frankly stupid banking practices illegal.

The EU is developing legislation to ensure all products sold in it's 27 states comply to strict sustainable guidlines. This will mean not using nasty pesticides to grow cotton, Not consuming masive amounts of electricity to produce (insert your product here). Not using seven year olds in India to sew beads on your clothes. Not hiding profits in foreign bank accounts.

Business isn't getting harder, it's just getting fair.

People, those things we refer to as consumers, are also getting fussy. People will not buy a product that shows no trace of where it has been. Pressure is coming from leglislation and from people to provide goods and services with integrity.

If anyone can tell me how it is still legal to sell guns and cigarettes please leave comments below. We will see the end of this stupidity soon enough. I'm not sure how many celebrities need to die of cancer, or how many school kids need to be executed, but it will end. People will not let evil exist in the form of gun lobbyists and tobacco companies much longer. But I am getting off topic...

It makes good business sense to lead.

If you are smart, which you must be to have read this far, then you know the path to business success is in getting ahead of your competitors. Stop worrying about sustainability and start innovating solutions.

When you have a sustainable story that is bullet-proof you will have an edge on the many companies that won't. You will have lower costs as you have found efficient value chains, you will have happy customers who trust your brand. You will have happy employess who are proud and who are confident that their jobs will be safe.

As a special bonus you might have a planet that your grandchildren can enjoy.

If we are going to save the planet, and our business' in the process we do have to actually begin now. Talking about it has got us this far, but now is the time for action.

There are countless things we can all do that don't have to cost the earth. Here is how to begin...

1. - Acknowledge that we all have to change

2. - Make a statement about sustainabilty - make it public, put your reputaion on the line.

3. - Change the culture of your company. Put incentives in place to drive innovations that will deliver sustainable outcomes

4. - Set Milestones. No Child labour by 2010, Only renewable energy by 2011, remember wifes birthday...etc..

5. - Start with the little things - reduce travel, or use trains. Swtich off lights, recycle. Only procure from like minded businesses.

6. - Brag about your progress, tell people what you are doing, help your competitors do the same.

On that note. The spriit of competition is to strive for a better result. Being competitive does not mean banging your oponent on the head. It means creating opportunities for your industry to thrive.

Price wars and mis-information campaigns are not Sustainable. These strategies are dumb, short-sighted and doomed.