Corporate sustainability approaches : an online study

The global survey presented in this report provides valuable insights into whether organizations are really putting sustainability first. The empirical data presented in the paper provides evidence on whether corporations are developing and managing ethics and sustainability as part of their competitive advantage and corporate strategy. The paper also identifies stark differences in global sustainability practice, with the US, in particular, falling behind in terms of sustainability leadership, compared to similar organisations in both the European Union and Asia Pacific Region. There are particular challenges for US multi nationals to improve their sustainability approach and really think in terms of triple bottom line management, ethical standards and governance. The relative good performance of the EU is not surprising, and what is particularly encouraging is some of the positive development emerging from business practice in the Asian Pacific Region. Making of ethical and sustainable corporate strategy is not just an 'add on' for good community relationships and publicity, rather the challenge is to assist organisations to really become moral and ethical corporate citizens in a context of global outsourcing, offshoring, and economic globalisation.