The results of the study indicated that North American FiT programs except for Ontario’s FiT program rank significantly lower than the European FiT programs, which were seen as being the gold standard.  The US FiT programs were hampered by low program caps, no inflation indexing, and only relatively no differentiation within types of technology.  Ontario's sophisticated FiT program, which was modeled after the European programs, lead the way receiving full points for program cap, tariff differentiation between technologies, and tariff differentiation within each technology.  

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• The Corporation’s Role in Sustainability
• Collaboration and Consortia
• Leading Practices in Procurement and Supply Chain, Operations, and Product Innovation
• Goal Setting and Reporting
• A Company’s Journey: Hewlett-Packard
• Strategies for Sustainability
  

Key Findings:

• CHT companies are facing a critical moment for sustainability as consumers begin more attention to sustainability.
• Global businesses and governments are responding with worldwide renewable energy investment totaling $100 million in 2007, up from $71 billion in 2006.
• CHT companies are moving beyond only improving internal operations as they begin to integrate sustainability strategies further throughout their value chain and focus on improving the green attributes of existing products and offerings.
• All companies interviewed had created internal processes to track energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Leading companies including – including Xerox, HP and Sun – have set GHG emissions reduction targets between 15-25%.
• Return on investment was the most important decision criteria for investments in sustainable operations and practices. New product innovation and brand image building were the second and third most important criteria.
• There are 5 distinct "leadership stages” for sustainable businesses:

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1. Improved business profitability
2. Greater efficiency
3. Reduced waste
4. Lower liability exposure
5. Employee retention
   
6. Improved community relations
7. Attainment of sustainability goals

December 2009

This report from the Sustainable Investment Research Analyst Network (SIRAN), a working group of the Social Investment Forum (SIF) analyzes the number of S&P corporate 100 companies producing sustainability reports. In 2009, companies reporting on sustainability increased by 33% and 93 of the S&P 100 provided at least some sustainability information on their website. Despite the increase in sustainability reporting, however, only six companies published sustainability reports which met the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI)’s highest "A” reporting level.

1. The link between 'climate change concern' and 'propensity to fly'
2. The importance of segmentation to telepresence companies, specifically amongst 'business flyers' and 'heavy business flyers'
3. Profiling those who are resistant to telepresence
   

• What proportion of people fly? What proportion for longer trips versus shorter trips? What proportion for business versus leisure?
• Given their particular concern about climate change, do Climate Citizens fly less? Do they fly less for ‘more discretionary’ shorter leisure trips?
• What proportion of all flights can be attributed to ‘heavy flyers’?
• What is the level of awareness of telepresence solutions? What is the level of usage?
• What proportion of people like the idea of using a high-quality video-communication system at home or at work ‘a great deal’?
• What is the flying substitution potential of telepresence? How are differences in this potential between countries explained?
• What is the profile of those who are keen to use telepresence?
  

September 2009, 84 pages

This report by the MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group explores how sustainability is changing the competitive landscape in the business world and how companies are capitalizing on sustainability-driven changes.   The report surveyed more than 1,500 corporate executives and managers about their prospective on sustainability and business strategy. 

Sustainability has becoming an increasingly important issue facing businesses in the past few years with new government regulations, demand from consumers, and interest from employees.   While the majority of businesses have begun to address sustainability issues in some way, many respondents felt that their company had failed to make a business case for sustainability and to act decisively enough to mitigate risks.  However, companies that are acting aggressively to address sustainability issues are noticing an increased competitive advantage.

The complexities of sustainability has proven challenging to novice managers and executives who fail to interpret the full range of sustainability concerns.  The report found that self-described experts in the field were more likely to expand their sustainability efforts throughout the value chain. 

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Source: The Hitachi Foundation and Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship September 2009, 48 pages

Despite the recent economic recession, American companies continue to place corporate citizenship as a high priority.  54% of the executives surveyed said that corporate citizenship was even more important during a recession.  In 2009, companies have increased their internal and external communications about corporate citizenship by 54% with employees and by 39% with stakeholders.  Additionally, environmental sustainability efforts continue to grow as 52% of businesses design and offer sustainable products or services.

The study by the Hitachi Foundation and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship of American companies of all sizes explores the current state of corporate citizenship, companies’ motivation for these efforts, and how these efforts have changed since the recession.  The paper finds that corporations place a high value on corporate citizenship as a way to increase brand loyalty and business value.  The paper also concludes that businesses have begun taking a more active role in the shaping of public policy.

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_{Source: Arthur D Little                                                            September 2009,  12 pages}

_{The low-carbon future is becoming a reality as governments across the world begin to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and support low-carbon products and technologies.  In the future the price of carbon will have a real impact that businesses must start to address.  This report details the need for businesses to reshape and refocus their organizations to deal with the coming low-carbon world.  The report concludes that now is the time for businesses to act or risk failing behind their competitors in the near future.}  

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Source: Siemens’ Building Technology Inc. and McGraw Hill Construction            September 2009, 44 pages

Corporate Sustainability has moved into the mainstream as more America’s largest corporations have begun engaging in sustainable activity and shifting sustainability to a core part of their business strategy.  This report by Siemens’ Building Technology and McGraw Hill Construction details how companies view sustainable initiatives and the expected benefits from these initiatives.  The report finds there has been a doubling of companies that see sustainability as consistent with their profit mission.  Additionally, these companies expect strong business benefits from sustainable initiatives including increased customer attraction, lower costs, greater productivity, and employee retention.  The report goes on to conclude that the movement towards corporate sustainability is only likely to grow with companies expanding sustainable practices, the expectation of increased regulation, and the demand for public reporting and transparency. 

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This informative report showcases over twenty recent examples of business innovations resulting in more environmentally sustainable operations and products. Innovations are grouped across seven different functions familiar to most companies, and industry-specific solutions are outlined in selected industries.

Solutions presented were selected based on four key criteria – good for business, good for the environment, ready to be implemented, and innovative. Solutions range from smaller, incremental improvements with a quick payback, to longer term, more involved ‘game changers’.   Information is presented in a summarized, easily digestible fashion. The report contains a link to additional information and tools for applying these innovations in your company.