I’ve recently joined Footprint Consulting after 7 years as executive director of the Centre for Human Ecology, a network for ecological and social transformation. Press release below.

I’ve been intimately involved with CHE for over twelve years: in the campaign to prevent its closure by the University of Edinburgh; in the heady days of setting CHE up as an independent organisation; developing and running work around business and sustainability; and for seven years as executive director. In this role I’ve helped manage and develop the MSc, first under Open University validation and then in partnership with the University of Strathclyde. Despite some difficult times along the way, I feel that with the support and hard work of many others, together we have achieved a great deal - and that there is a real opportunity to build on CHE’s achievements and potential in the years ahead.

It is now time for me to focus on practical business and sustainability projects with Footprint Consulting. I plan to continue my involvement in the MSc and the Ethical Enterprise course, remaining a Fellow of the CHE and taking an active role where there is synergy with my work at Footprint.

Press Release: Business ethics expert joins Highland consultancy

Highland based ecological consultants Footprint have just appointed an expert in ethical approaches to enterprise who is currently advising the Scottish Parliament on their purchasing policy and helping to ‘green’ award-winning broadband company Lumison.

Osbert Lancaster, who for the last seven years has been director of the Edinburgh based Centre for Human Ecology, has become a director of Footprint where he will offer the business community services geared towards raising awareness of the issues of ethical purchasing and sustainability and how to tackle them.

Mr Lancaster said: “Businesses that take their environmental and social responsibilities seriously are laying the foundations for long term success, as well as benefiting from immediate market opportunities. I believe the companies that will really thrive in this climate change era, have leaders personally committed to ‘doing the right thing’. Joining Footprint is a great opportunity to work with people who not only have the expertise, but are also passionate about helping organisations and their leaders do the right thing and make the transition to fair and sustainable future.”

Footprint director, Dave Key, said: “The private sector can respond extremely quickly and effectively to the challenges of sustainability, reducing costs and opening up new markets, once business leaders embrace sustainability as the heart of their strategy. Osbert’s new role is to support businesses and organisations in this realisation through strategic consultancy and training services and we’re delighted to have such an experienced, highly qualified and well-reputed person join us.”

About Footprint Consulting Limited
Footprint Consulting is an ethical enterprise established to promote ecological sustainability and social justice.

Their approach uses human ecology - which explores individual and cultural relationships with nature - as a framework for thinking about sustainable development and cultural change.

They offer support with strategic thinking, education & training, and the design and development of services and products that support, rather than exploit, the Earth’s life systems.

Footprint work on a very diverse range of projects for the commercial, social enterprise, NGO and public sectors.

Website: http://www.footprintconsulting.org

About Osbert
Osbert works at the interface between business, ecological sustainability and social justice. Working closely with his clients he develops and helps implement strategies for sustainability that improve environmental, social and economic performance. He combines a deep understanding of sustainability, experience of business and market realities, and a pragmatic approach to deliver concrete results.

Osbert worked in management and economic development consultancy, became disenchanted with the lack of interest at the time in the sustainability agenda, before joining the Centre for Human Ecology to develop projects in this area. In 2001 he became CHE’s executive director, supporting the development of the Centre’s renowned MSc in Human Ecology, leading the course in Ethical Enterprise and delivering sustainability consulting - including work with the Scottish Parliament to help develop its ethical purchasing policy.

He is particularly interested in the potential for positive change that arises when personal values and organisational strategies are aligned towards environmental and social responsibility.

Contacts

Footprint Consulting Limited
David Key, Director
phone: ++44 (0)1540 662424

Footprint Consulting Limited
Osbert Lancaster, Director
phone: ++44 (0) 131 243 2616

For years, like many others, I have been raising awareness of the fundamental fact that we all depend on a healthy, resilient ecosystem - often to be told that in the ‘real’ world of money, business and politics the ecosystem doesn’t count.

That’s now changed. In Scotland and across the globe it’s recognised that significant action by international institutions, governments, businesses, communities and individuals is essential. But for all the bullish pronouncements of opportunities, overcoming challenges, and reaching targets, many people I speak to doubt whether action is happening fast enough to prevent irreversible changes.

Coming out about climate change

So far, so trite. Where does this leave you and I? Practically - what should we do? Emotionally - how do we deal with this possibility? And what are the implications of ‘coming out’ - being honest that perhaps our forebears and our society have put the world on a track towards unknowable, potentially catastrophic, environmental change? Will being honest about our doubts undermine the growing acceptance that change is not only necessary but possible - for if it’s not possible, is it worth the effort?

I can only speak for myself. Lies, even in a good cause, have a way of backfiring - never mind the pain of living with lies. So I must be honest about my doubt, but this is doubt not conviction. Overall, I have hope: I do believe there is potential for real, positive change in the world - but I’m not so blinded to believe success inevitable.

It’s not just climate change

Public awareness and political action is focussed primarily on climate change. But even without climate change, the planet is so stressed that our life support systems are under threat. And while achieving CO2 reduction targets would reduce environmental stress, CO2 reduction alone will not be enough.

Significant changes to the way we live and organise our economies are essential to restore the health of the planet. Achieving reductions in CO2 will be difficult - and who knows where we are headed if we don’t succeed.

Going beyond boosterism

We need to deal with each and every one of our planet-stressing activities, not just CO2 emissions. We must go beyond technical solutions and boosterism talk which boils down to ‘business as usual with less carbon’.

We must find and apply ways of working and living that enhance social and environmental resilience - aiming to create a world worth living in.

Such action will simultaneously reduce CO2 emissions, reduce other environmental stresses, and strengthen human wellbeing. We can work to prevent climate change, and should we not succeed, we will already be preparing to live with that failure.

Laying down my fears

Preventing climate change alone was never going to be enough. Feeling comfortable saying all this gives me the strength to lay down my fears. The questions I asked above now seem irrelevant. They may well come back to haunt me, but for now there’s work I need to do.

Here’s my to do list:

1. Up my game - have the confidence to aim high.
2. Build on my skills and expertise - ethical enterprise; public procurement; supporting agents of change - to have maximum impact, direct and indirect.
3. Explore new ways of working with people in my real and virtual networks to scale up our work for maximum effect.

What’s on your list? Share your thoughts using the comments.

I recently asked people involved in corporate social responsibility to recommend some books. I wrote:

“Ray Anderson at Interface was famously influenced to address sustainability as a result of reading Paul Hawken’s ‘The Ecology of Commerce‘. (You can read Ray’s story here.)

“That was some years ago (1993) and general awareness of climate change and sustainability is much higher. And lots of new books have been written.

“What book would you now give to someone - especially in business - to inspire them to take action for people and planet?”

I wanted to find out if there were some great books out there that had passed me by. I particularly wanted to discover a book to give to people working in business who are concerned about environmental and social issues, but perhaps need inspiration and guidance to move from concern to action.

It was interesting to see some old favourites suggested:

• Small is beautiful: a study of economics as if people mattered by EF Schumacher (1973). Bob Ellis at the Centre for Sustainable Engineering wrote: “One of my all time favourites, and probably one of the most groundbreaking sustainability texts ever written. Light-years ahead of its time and still just as relevant in today’s world.”
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962). “45 years on, it’s as powerful as ever,” says Robin Cole-Hamilton of Massar, the Children’s Project in Syria.
• The Lorax by Dr Suess (1971) was suggested by John Pinkard of VIPRE: “I don’t know I’d give this to a business-person, but I might give it to them to read to their kids!”

More recent books suggested include:

• Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus (1999). “It’s enlightening, it’s written by a man which made a difference. It’s business related and it’s also interesting if your target audience is outside the social sector,” says Annalisa Picciolo of Merrill Lynch.
• The Growth Illusion by Richard Douthwaite (1999) - suggested by Jo Southall at Ethical Consumer.
• Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory B. Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins (1999) - a direct descendant of the The Ecology of Commerce.

And some recent books trying to show how capitalism could be tamed and redirected towards sustainability:

• Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity by Stuart L. Hart (2007) is recommended by Tom Ewart of the Research Network for Business Sustainability: “For a business audience or one that is reasonably academically mature… It is perhaps less visionary than Hawken, but more concrete and actionable.”
• Capitalism as if the world matters by Jonathon Porritt (2005/2007) is just out in a revised second edition. Strangely this was only recommended once - perhaps because it’s so well known already? In my experience this is the one current book on this side of the Atlantic that gets to grips with these issues from a business perspective.
• The New Capitalists: How Citizen Investors Are Reshaping the Corporate Agenda by Stephen M. Davis, Jon Lukomnik, David Pitt-Watson (2006) is a new book to me suggested by Camilo Terranova.
  

Most of these books are ‘big picture’ and it’s perhaps not also always obvious how one can take action unless you happen to be CEO of a major corporation or a powerful government minister. Sustainability consultant Penny Walker wrote:

“Here are two which are fun and engaging - some people from the world of business might find them so too, or not, depending on their personality and the context in which they receive them:

• I count - your step-by-step guide to climate bliss - Stop Climate Chaos Coalition / Penguin
• Change the world 9-5 - We Are What We Do / Short Books

“I suggest these because, frankly, I think most people in business and elsewhere know that there is a big looming problem out there, and know more or less what needs to be done about it, but they can’t see / don’t believe what they can personally do - the ostensibly powerful feel disempowered. Both these books are about helping people feel supported in doing a few small steps to get them on the way.”

It’s an interesting thought. I’ve not read them yet, and I’ll be interested to see how/whether they make the link between small, practical steps and the major, structural changes that are required.

I do have a worry that focusing on the small steps, without highlighting the need for bigger shifts, can lead to complacency. An interesting article at Tom Crompton’s Valuing Nature blog suggests that perhaps we need to fully understand the horror of what the modern world has unleashed if we are to address the problems with sufficient vigour. The piece ends with a profound quote from Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown’s classic Coming Back to Life (1998) “The problem, therefore, lies not with our pain for the world, but in our repression of it.”

We’re now moving away from books which explicitly address the potential role of business in addressing climate change etc, to books that inform a deeper perspective of the state of the world and may, one hopes, inspire compassion and action:

• Dancing at the Dead Sea: Tracking the World’s Environmental Hotspots by Alanna Mitchell (2005) suggested by Miriam Katz is a new book to me, and judging by the reviews, one I’d like to read.
• Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the World in the 20th Century by J.R. McNeill (2000) suggested by Charlie Knaggs of DLA Piper is a superb book that gave me one of those ohmigod moments: my perception of the scale of humans’ domination of the world shifted when I read that humankind accounts for 5% of the world’s animal biomass (p272). It’s interesting that this book contains no polemic, no blame, no calls to action - it just sets out, clearly and fully referenced, the changes to the environment over the last century and describes how these came about.

Here are two books that I’d like to share, though they weren’t suggested during this exercise. Echoing Penny’s point above, the context in which people are given, or discover, books is important and worth thinking about.

• Soil And Soul: People Versus Corporate Power by Alastair McIntosh (2001/2004) has often led people to get in touch with the Centre for Human Ecology - of which Alastair and I are both Fellows. Soil and Soul tells a powerful personal story, rooted in the places of Scotland, culminating in the successful campaign to prevent the development of a super-quarry on Harris. Several people have told me they bought the book while on holiday in Scotland, were blown away by it - and as direct result have come to study at the Centre for Human Ecology. Perhaps there’s something special about the combination of time to read (perhaps forced indoors by rain or midges!) and reading a book in the land, and among the people, that are at the heart of the story.
• A Moral Climate: The Ethics of Global Warming by Michael Northcott (2007). Michael is also a CHE fellow and Professor of Ethics at Edinburgh University, and in A Moral Climate he explores both the science of climate change and the ethical grounds for taking action - and taking action ethically. In a world where we too often hear only the dark side of major religions, the book is rooted in Christian traditions of compassion for others, stewardship of creation, and of challenging the powerful. But given the instinctive suspicion many, myself included, have of organised religion, it’s worth reflecting on the right time and place to recommend a book where each chapter starts with verses from Jeremiah. I found the rewards for overcoming my suspicions worth the effort!

Sometimes, when you ask a question you discover it perhaps wasn’t the right question - although I asked about books, Michael Ambjorn said “I’d actually start with a couple of presentations rather than a book - The excellent TED Talk by John Doerr is good for making that opening for follow-up reading.”

Adrian Henriques was modest enough not to plug his excellent new book Corporate Truth: the limits of transparency, and instead recommended the films: An Inconvenient Truth and Peace One Day.

If I’ve missed your favourite book, you want to give your thoughts on any of the suggestions, or to share your experience of recommending these to others, please leave a comment!

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question, and particularly to the CSR-Chicks, the CSR-Blokes and my network on LinkedIn.

I recently facilitated an ethical enterprise workshop for LTS International, a leading sustainable development consultancy.

The purpose was to explore how LTSI can build on its aspirations to be an ethical and profitable consulting company. Rob Wild, LTSI Associate Director, said “This workshop has given us a firm foundation from which to move forward as we develop our responsibility statement and actions. The event was well facilitated and we achieved a lot in a short time.”

If you’re interested in exploring ethics and values in your organisation, or other aspects of environmental, social and economic performance, contact me via Footprint Consulting.

Land confiscated from the mafia and now farmed by social enterprises is helping deliver over 1 million organic school meals a day in Italy. A consortium of social enterprises have won a contract to supply furniture to North Lanarkshire Council. Just two examples of how public procurement is already being used to deliver multiple environment, social and economic benefits.

Greener, more ethical and more local economies are a real possibility if public procurement — how governments spend our money on goods and services — can deliver its potential of contributing to sustainable development. There will be significant opportunities for social enterprises, fair trade and organic businesses, and for small and medium sized enterprises that can demonstrate excellent environmental and social performance.

But such ‘ethical enterprises’ should not think they will have this market to themselves. Retailers like Tesco and Marks & Spencer are appealing to mainstream ethical consumers with new environmental and social initiatives. The corporations supplying the public sector have the resources to invest in skills and systems to become ‘green giants’ if that is what the market demands.

To compete successfully in a sustainability-driven public procurement market, social and other ethical enterprises will need to keep innovating; deliver multiple benefits: social, environmental and economic; demonstrate performance; provide good and services that do the job to a high standard — and of course be profitable.

References & Links:

• School meals in Italy: see Roberta Sonnino’s presentation at the Soil Association’s Food for Life Conference 14 June 07. Transcripts and podcasts here
• Furniture in North Lanarkshire; conference Public Service Partnership: A Model for Social Enterprise Procurement 29 Aug 07. Details here
• The potential of public procurement: report Public spending for public benefit from New Economics Foundation. Report here
• My professional development course in Ethical Enterprise. Flyer here

A review of The Civil Corporation: The new economy of corporate citizenship by Simon Zadek

Simon Zadek hints at an answer to a question that has been nagging me for some time: is social enterprise in the vanguard of a real transformation of the economy, or are social enterprises no more – and no less – than islands of sanity in a mad world?

The Civil Corporation, as the name suggests is focused on large corporations. Despite this Zadek offers exciting insights into role of smaller, innovative, values-led businesses in the evolution civil corporations – corporations that are truly responsible, accountable and deliver real environmental and social benefits.

Zadek describes the current situation where a small, but growing, number of corporations (for example Marks & Spencer) are striving to seriously address environmental and social problems. Zadek argues that this trend can only continue if they develop strategies that not only deliver social and environmental benefits, but also competitive advantage; if other companies follow their lead; and if governments introduce policies that level up the competitive playing field to support responsible companies and penalise free-riders.

Much of the innovation that has spurred such change so far has come from NGOs and values-based businesses – such as the Body Shop, New Economics Foundation, the fair trade and organic movements.

Zadek suggests the innovations required include sharing new approaches and techniques; developing the competencies to implement them; sources of patient money; and a market that rewards values. If social enterprises embrace the opportunity, they can be part of a transformation to create world worth living in for our children and grandchildren.

The Civil Corporation: The new economy of corporate citizenship by Simon Zadek. (Second edition) Earthscan 2007

This review first published in Good Company magazine.