Knowledge Resource Centre

Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts

Marc J. Epstein

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer an optional string in the corporate bow, it has morphed and grown.  Whatever the motivation for implementing CSR initiatives - be it human concern, government regulation, stakeholder pressures or economic profit - multinationals and new start-ups alike are changing.  They are realising they must effectively manage their social and ecological impacts in order not just to excel, but to survive.  With stakes so high, the question on every corporate leader’s mind is how to make CSR a reality.

In Making Sustainability Work, Marc Epstein firstly acknowledges somewhat reassuringly the difficult nature of putting these step changes in place.  This book spells out the plan to make sustainability happen, with practical day-to-day, results-oriented sense.  This is not just a ‘how to do’ guide but very much a ‘how to get it done’ bible. Epstein crucially includes instructions on how to measure the results of CSR initiatives, which is notably lacking in previous texts.  Drawing on research into best practices of 100 companies worldwide including Starbucks, Dell and Coca-Cola, the book puts forward a model for implementing sustainability initiatives. Although vast, the topics covered revolve around the following critical areas:
 

• The role of executive management in leading sustainability activities
• How organisational design can improve sustainability
• Integration of social risk factors into investment, costing and risk
• Improving sustainability performance through incentives and rewards
• Measuring corporate social, environmental and economic impacts

Making Sustainability Work successfully translates the strategic rhetoric of CSR initiatives into practical, real-life use.  Epstein provides and explains tools, processes and metrics to produce and monitor true corporate sustainability. This insightful guide will appeal to corporate leaders, strategists, academics, sustainability consultants, and anyone else with an interest in actively practicing sustainability.