If you think the global debt crisis is sobering, what would happen if businesses were asked to pay for the estimated $72 trillion in natural resources that the United Nations figures they use for free?
A group of 24 powerful companies that collectively generate more than $500 billion in annual revenue isn't waiting around for the answer. Building on a challenge issued last October at the Clinton Global Initiative, they are taking proactive steps to repay their debt to the planet.
These actions are part of an overall business strategy. One example of this mindset comes from General Motors, which disclosed Tuesday that 100 of its facilities are now landfill-free. In 2011, the company recycled or reused about 2.6 million metric tons, or about 38 million trash bags full of garbage.
"Our landfill-free program continues to strengthen our business by creating efficiencies, generating revenues and inspiring innovation with products made from recycled content," said Mike Robinson, GM's vice president of Sustainability and Global regulatory affairs.
Another illustration comes from paper goods company Kimberly-Clark, which Monday pledged to reduce the amount of wood fiber it sources from natural forests by 50 percent by 2025. Kimberly-Clark points to two big reasons for its commitment: to address the issue of deforestation and to mitigate pricing risks.
"This broad, new initiative will help protect biodiversity and reduce the impacts of fiber that the company uses while ensuring the fiber is sourced in an environmentally and socially responsible way," the company said in a statement. "Equally importantly, the initiative will also help insulate the company from continuing volatile price fluctuations in the world fiber market."
Photo of dollar symbol in ocean provided by jörg röse-oberreich via Shutterstock
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For the author: "If you think
For the author:
"If you think the global debt crisis is sobering, what would happen if businesses were asked to pay for the estimated $72 trillion in natural resources that the United Nations figures they use for free?"
Is this $72 trillion a year or total since the dawn of time?
Thanks!
Natalie
Seriously, do you really
Seriously, do you really think it is a good idea to place commercial value on natural systems, assign monetary credits to them, and then allow the same financial institutions that crashed the global economy (that we still haven't recovered from) to develop the economic transaction systems?
I will celebrate when society
I will celebrate when society values nature for what we can learn from it rather than what we extract. Biomimicry 3.8's Innovation for Conservation program "funds are generated from nature-inspired technologies, and used to protect and maintain the diversity of life on earth."
What value do we place on protecting biodiversity as a source of inspiration and model for the regenerative abundance we seek to emulate?
http://innovationforconservation.org/
I will celebrate when society
I will celebrate when society values nature for what we can learn from it rather than what we extract. Biomimicry 3.8's Innovation for Conservation program "funds are generated from nature-inspired technologies, and used to protect and maintain the diversity of life on earth... our idea bank!
http://innovationforconservation.org/
Hoy más que nunca las
Hoy más que nunca las empresas necesitan de encuestas remuneradas para tener información de sus consumidores, y saber que estrategias de mercadeo, producción, cambios en sus productos o servicios necesitan implementar.
Encuestas remuneradas, que esas empresas te paguen por hacerlo es real, ya que como te mencione anteriormente las empresas necesitan una retroalimentación con sus consumidores, quieren saber si sus productos tienen aceptación, si son bien recibidos, agradables, desagradables para el consumidor. http://encuestaspagadasporinternet.org/encuestas-remuneradas/