The growth of corporate sustainability in 2015 and what it means for the future

March 9th, 2016 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

Corporate sustainability continues to develop, grow and change as a discipline and in terms of how individual companies apply its principles to their daily operations. While still a new concept in the business world, it has rapidly advanced on a global level. Disclosure of environmental impacts - along with positive efforts to mitigate those impacts - is the norm in many industries and for a wide range of businesses. On a geographic level, the U.S. is starting to catch up with and follow global consensus and best practices related to corporate social responsibility and the influence of climate change.

What will change for corporate sustainability in 2016?
Growing voluntary cooperation regarding sustainable, environmentally conscious choices was a trend seen in 2015 and it could continue through 2016. The biggest example of this sort of inter-company agreement was the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, according to Forbes. More than 150 U.S. companies, including some giants of their respective industries such as Cargill, Goldman Sachs and Kellogg's, signed the pledge to push for a strong outcome at the end-of-year Paris climate summit and as a vow to take significant action on climate change the individual level. Forbes highlighted a few other major cooperative efforts, including the 114 companies - such as Proctor & Gamble and Sony - that signed a pledge to set greenhouse gas emissions limits and therefore limit temperature increases.

The participation of so many U.S.-based companies and international organizations with strong ties to the country in these voluntary, cooperative efforts is also an indication of the change in perception and positioning in America. As the view of climate change becomes more standardized in the U.S. and in line with the rest of the world, it will be harder for businesses that don't take that position to successfully operate. Companies that don't act responsibly in terms of the environment have seen harsh reactions in the court of public opinion when that information becomes public, and that feeling is likely only to increase.

To keep pace with the changing trends of corporate sustainability and to effectively monitor and report on environmental impacts and social responsibility initiatives, businesses must use sustainability software. Those that don't may find their social responsibility and sustainability efforts out of sync with the needs of their their industry, location and stakeholders.