As companies cut costs to get through the current global economic slowdown, there is often a temptation to abandon recent forays into sustainability.

Yet a new A.T. Kearney analysis finds that companies committed to corporate sustainability practices during this slowdown are achieving above-average performance in the financial markets during this slowdown.

So before tossing out those sustainability practices and initiatives, it might be wise to first determine the real value of the efforts -- especially the possible rewards for staying the course.