"To
add business value in the future, organizations must meet
national and international standards and agreements to
maintain the social licence-to-operate" World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD)
The International Network for Sustainable Management (IfSM) is a spin-off of the former Institute for Sustainable Management, established
by the University OAS Northwestern Switzerland in 2001 to work with
industry, government and the community to develop strategies and instruments
for sustainable management through research, consultancy and training.
Sustainable management means creating value for business, nature
and society. It follows the idea that organizations must meet national and
international standards and agreements as well as the expectations of their
stakeholders to maintain the social licence-to-operate. The Presidio School of Management e.g. defines Sustainable Management as "the ability to direct the course of a company, community or country in ways that restore and enhance all forms of capital – human, natural and financial – to generate stakeholder value and contribute to the well-being of current and future generations."
Companies today face three major challenges: compliance, eco-efficiency
and value maximising.
Compliance means...
engaging stakeholders to identify their concerns
developing and implementing suitable Codes of Conduct
developing and/or improving systems for managing and preventing
environmental and social liabilities
establishing performance indicators for ongoing transparent
measurement (Sustainability Reporting)
Eco-efficiency means...
identifying and managing environmental risks
achieving resource and cost efficiencies trough process improvement
seeking cleaner production techniques to minimise emissions
and impact
using environmental accounting practices to maintain cost
savings and effective payback on implementing environmental initiatives
Value maximising means...
promoting service delivery rather
than products – considering
the full life cycle impact and innovative ways of reducing the environmental
and social impact
increasing market share through eco-efficient product labelling
developing new markets for renewable and recyclable goods
meeting the expectation of consumers who are favoring companies
and products they perceive as socially and environmentally responsible
We believe that sustainable management is both
possible and necessary.We adopt an approach to our work which is inter-disciplinary
and participatory. We aim to engage with our partners, funding agencies and
clients in a co-operative process that emphasises strategic decision making.
The results are client-directed relevant solutions that work.
engaging stakeholders to identify their concerns