2Sustain

A new report from Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction shows that corporations across the U.S. are continuing to accelerate sustainability efforts and increase efficiencies as part of their overall business plans.

In fact, the percentage of firms at the highest levels of engagement has doubled over the past three years –rising from 18 percent to 37 percent.

The new report, titled “2009 Greening of Corporate America; The pathway to sustainability—from strategy to action,” offers comparative statistics, trend analysis, and thought-leader interviews with corporate sustainability officers at Microsoft, AT&T, and Owens Corning. Plus, it confirms what I have been seeing for quite some time now: leaders of our country’s largest and most influential organizations are firmly committed to sustainability as a strategic imperative.

In particular, the report found that:

• Companies have remained committed to sustainability, despite the recession. 57 percent of those polled believe sustainability practices are either unaffected or aided by the down economy.

• Three out of four firms view sustainability as consistent with their profit missions. They expect that green practices tied to core business strategies will reduce energy costs (75%), retain and attract customers (70%), provide market differentiation (64%), and serve the financial performance of the company (58%).  (These results echo findings I reported on in earlier posts.)

• Energy savings remains the most important driver toward sustainability.

• 29 percent of those polled consider government regulation as motivation for their sustainability efforts –that’s down from 40 percent in 2006. Even so,  a large majority (72 percent) say they expect  government requirements for sustainability –up from 47 percent in 2006.

Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction added an interesting “extra” feature to this report.  By visiting this site, you can assess your own organization’s level of Corporate Sustainability Commitment. You choose which stage (from 1 through 5) best fits your company, and then you can see how your firm stacks up against the broader market of corporations from both the 2006 and 2009 Greening of Corporate America research studies. Why not take advantage of this self-assessment tool? It’s a great way to help keep the sustainability conversation moving (or get it started) in your board room.

You can download the complete 44-page report here. (Registration required.)