Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Appell für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften
pra. Man kann es nicht oft genug betonen: Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften lohnt sich. Der World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), dem 160 multinationale Konzerne angehören, hat aus Anlass des Weltgipfels in Johannesburg ein neues Buch zu dem von ihm seit zehn Jahren mit Engagement vertretenen Thema vorgelegt. Das Buch enthält Rückblick, Standortbestimmung und Ausblick auf die Debatte und konzentriert sich dabei auf die Rolle der Unternehmen. Der ziemlich zähflüssige, mit vielen Zitaten gespickte Text vermittelt eine optimistische Botschaft: Eine auf soziale und ökologische Belange Rücksicht nehmende Unternehmensführung geht nicht auf Kosten der Wirtschaftlichkeit, sondern wird diese langfristig gar erhöhen. Allerdings ist diese Überzeugung alles andere als neu, und so wiederholt das Buch leider allzu viele Gemeinplätze. Dass dabei wenig Profil entsteht, wird auch durch ein ausgeprägtes Harmoniebedürfnis hervorgerufen; Kritik wird nach allen Seiten tunlichst vermieden. So werden etwa die Argumente der Globalisierungsgegner verständnisvoll aufgenommen, aber schliesslich in väterlichem Ton als zwar wohlgemeint, aber leider nicht zielführend abgetan. Oder es wird das Engagement der EU gelobt, die mit Energiesteuern, Lenkungsabgaben und Emissions-Handelssystemen das Risiko einer Klimaerwärmung bekämpft. Handkehrum wird kein kritisches Wort über die Politik des weitaus grössten Emittenten von Treibhausgasen, der USA, verloren, deren Regierung solche marktwirtschaftlichen Massnahmen weit von sich weist. Das Buch enthält eine Auslegeordnung der Prinzipien liberaler Umwelt- und Entwicklungspolitik und moderner Unternehmensführung: Die wirtschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen müssen so gelegt werden, dass Unternehmen und Konsumenten sich an den vollen Kosten ihres Handelns orientieren. Die Politik soll den Grundsätzen der «Good Governance» folgen. Und die Manager sollen die langfristigen Interessen ihrer Unternehmen durch eine umfassende Berücksichtigung aller «Stakeholder» sowie durch ihr persönliches Vorbild wahren. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

As planetary anxieties about globalization, poverty and climate change grow, where does the international business community stand? Are they a barrier to change or an engine for it? One outcome of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 was Changing Course, the hugely influential book by Swiss industrialist Stephan Schmidheiny which argued that business needed to be part of the solution to global environmental degradation. Now, Schmidheiny has joined with fellow prime movers in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD--the key business organization focusing on policy research and development in this crucial area), Chad Holliday, Chairman and CEO of DuPont; and Philip Watts, Chairman of Shell; to spell out the real business case for addressing sustainable development as a key strategic issue. The results are ground-breaking. For the first time, leading industrialists are arguing that not only is sustainable development good for business, the solving of environmental and social problems is essential for future growth. Drawing on a wealth of specially written case studies and personal interviews from business leaders operating around the world, Walking the Talk clearly demonstrates that the vanguard who have operationalized leading-edge environmental and social initiatives are benefiting in a myriad of ways that benefit the bottom line--and the planet. The book argues that the time for rhetoric is over. The business of business has changed. Even more remarkably, the authors insist that a global partnership--between governments, business and civil society--is essential, if accelerating moves towards globalization are to maximize opportunities for all--especially the world's poor. As Chad Holliday recently stated in an address to the United Nations: 'Given existing technology and products, for all six billion people on the planet to live like the average American, we would require the equivalent of three planet Earths to provide the material, create the energy and dispose of the waste.' Such an option is evidently not available and the book argues that far more eco-efficient and socially equitable modes of development must be pursued in order to allow poorer nations to raise their standards of living. The solution provided by Walking the Talk is to mobilize markets in favour of sustainability, leveraging the power of innovation and global markets for the benefits of everyone--not just the developed world. This means a further liberalization of the market--a move that would be condemned by anti-globalization protestors. Yet, as the authors argue, business cannot succeed in failing societies. When the global market fails poor countries, where most of the world's people live, it will also eventually fail business. Subsidies for rich countries' products and tariffs against poor countries' products do not constitute a 'free' market, or one that best serves people or business. Similarly, governments cannot subsidize fossil fuels or water and expect businesses, or ordinary citizens, to use them efficiently. So, a new, fair and equitable market is needed. A market that can work for all. The authors therefore call on protestors against globalization to stop protesting against the market and instead to campaign instead against the perverse policies that impoverish people and their environment. Walking the Talk explores the opportunities and challenges inherent in eco-efficiency (producing more with less), corporate social responsibility, and a transparent, 'wired' world where reputations can be irreversibly damaged--or enhanced--in real time. It also devotes a chapter to ways in which corporations can and must 'learn to change'. It examines the new partnerships needed among companies, governments, and civil society to produce real change, and the ways in which these alliances can work for all concerned. And it argues that consumer choice and consumer information should be encouraged as a positive force for sustainable development. Only what is valued is carefully used and so creating markets for environmental goods and services may be the best way to protect scarce resources. This is especially true in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, where businesslike approaches, such as the development of carbon trading, offer workable solutions to policy-makers. Whether small, medium or large, all businesses must innovate and change to meet the social and environmental challenges of the coming years. Walking the Talk provides a broad set of proven roadmaps to success as well as real-life inspiration for business to embrace the real challenge--to build a global economy that works for all the world's people.