Sustainability book targets corporates
ALTHOUGH turning into a huge subject in the last two decades or so, writings on the environment have not had the desired impact owing to several reasons.
The first and possibly major one, of course, is that the major violators of environmental regulations and controls, especially on pollution and climate change, are the major economies and highly industrialised nations of the world.
Also, key writings to date targeted the victims of environmental violations and not the policy influencers, which are the company boards and chief executives officers (CEOs).
To fill that gap, global sustainability consultant and writer Tawanda Collins Muzamwese has released, “Sustainability Guidebook for Boards and CEOs: Leading From the Front”.
The book addresses company executives on the change they can make happen across the world of business.
He writes in the foreword of the 87-page book, “This book aims to assist board members and CEOs to understand how sustainability can enhance business strategy as well as strengthen their ability to mainstream it in their activities.” (p6)
The author cites the “emerging pressure on environmental resources”.
He pinpoints issues like climate change, energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, occupational safety and health, social accountability as well as corporate social responsibility, showing how these can have a bearing on the performance of an organisation.
“Pollution of the environment is a major setback to the sustainable development of the world. The world is currently confronted with air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution ... Some pollutants can have dire effects on environmental ecosystems whilst some pollutants can have serious effects on human health and safety.” (p11)
The major concerns of the writer are that a fish rots from the head and as such boards and CEOs drive the strategy of corporates.
Therefore, if they do not incorporate sustainability issues in their overall company strategy, at some point the same will come back to haunt them.
For instance, if the actions of an organisation impact human health and safety, the community may team up with civil society organisations interested in the environment and demonstrate against the company, action that will undoubtedly have an impact on their image.
A company’s operational level can only implement what the boards would have recommended.
For instance, integrated solid waste management is key for many organisations because waste has and will remain crucial the world over.
The author explores weaknesses in most boards, which end up affecting companies.
These include believing that sustainability challenges will disappear without action, dismissing stakeholder requests, covering up environmental and social problems, using bribery and corruption to silence regulators, and delegating everything to managers among other obvious pitfalls.
The book is short and easy to read. “Neighbouring communities can make life difficult for environmentally irresponsible corporates. As we have entered the decade of the 20s, it is very clear that ignoring these issues will come at a cost to the planet and at some time weigh heavily on the profitability of companies.” (p35)
Perhaps the most crucial is chapter 8 which details the role of boards in sustainability reporting in an organisation.
“Sustainability Guidebook for Boards and CEOs: Leading from the Front”, which is currently available on Amazon, should be an obvious inclusion on any organisation’s library bookshelf.
Muzamwese is the founder of Toxiconsol t/a African Sustainability Consultants and his experience spans over 12 years working with manufacturing, mining, construction, security and other industries.
He holds a BSc in Applied Environmental Science (University of Zimbabwe) and a Master’s of Environment and Energy Management (University of Twente, The Netherlands).
He is currently studying towards a PhD with the same European institution.