In light of the major changes needed in business and society to create a more sustainable world, Business for Social Responsibility opens its latest annual report with a call for new leadership.

"We chose the theme 'Redefining Leadership' for the BSR Report 2010 because the fundamental challenges in our world require nothing less," writes BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer (left). "At its best, business can deliver the creative solutions that the world needs: low-carbon prosperity for a planet that will have 9 billion inhabitants by 2050. But business as usual — or leadership as usual — won’t make it happen."

BSR, a membership organization providing consulting, research and collaboration for businesses, reviews its work in 2010 in the report along with looking forward to what pressing issues it will focus on in 2011 and beyond.

A handful of case studies show the work BSR has done with the likes of Best Buy, Hyatt Hotels and ExxonMobile on e-waste, connecting corporate responsibility to business goals, economic development and other sustainability strategies.

One particular area of focus for 2011 will be sustainable consumption, an issue BSR started highlighting in 2010 with research and workshops. Based on that work and feedback, BSR will narrow that issue down to the problem of rapid obsolescence in products and the solutions for it.

BSR will expand its Energy Efficiency Partnership program, which matches member companies in BSR with suppliers to improve energy management by sharing investments, provide training to suppliers and collect energy information to share with companies. Other plans for this year:

Also in 2011, we will focus on a new initiative related to sustainability futures—identifying the key trends that shape business success in the industries with which we work. We will also explore the business opportunities in making sustainable consumption a reality, and we will build on our previous work looking at how the world is responding to sustainability challenges and the implications for the future of business.

BSR, like the companies it works with, isn't without challenges. While BSR has grown over the years, that has added more demands, pulling its work in different directions.

Its research team, for instance, put off completing some research in order to work on consulting projects. The team will now focus on sustainability futures and receive additional resources to stay on target. 

_{Aron Cramer - CC license by World Economic Forum/Flickr}