Why It Pays to Become a Rule Maker

In the past, companies did the best they could to comply with environmental regulations. But some leading companies are finding that a more effective approach is to help develop better rules.

Andrew King

WINTER 2015

For two decades, business leaders have argued that corporations could promote sustainability effectively by pursuing win-win profit opportunities. But during that time, the health of the natural environment has worsened. In response, top managers in some leading companies have been pioneering a different approach to sustainability, one that radically alters businesses’ traditional economic role. It treats businesses as not simply players in a competition structured by governmental and societal rules; ...