Environmental leaders say we haven't a hope of living within our means, but the key to living sustainably relies on small steps as well as great leaps

In February, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched the Vision 2050 Report, a blueprint for a global population of 9bn living well, and within the resource limits of the planet. But according to Jonathon Porritt, founder of Forum for the Future, we haven’t got a “hope in hell” of reaching that target because the current pace of change among “all sectors” is so slow. This is why the dirty ‘regulation’ word crops up so often, he suggested. “If we can’t up the pace, we default to legislation.” 

Porritt was hosting a discussion at base, a two-day business and sustainability conference in London, where earlier, energy and climate secretary Ed Miliband suggested the government was sympathetic to calls for a “green bank” to help drive investment in low-carbon industries. The government, he said, has a central role to play in helping to stimulate investment. But companies also have to step up. “Business has a critical role,” said Nick Herbert, shadow secretary of state for the environment “in aiding the consumer, leading by example, encouraging good business practices and ultimately providing a service that is competitive and sustainable.”

Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, used the conference to announce that the supermarket will invest some of the £1bn it spends each year on business sustainability with Imperial College London in a bid to identify ways to accelerate carbon emission reductions across its stores. While up in Scotland, the government announced a £4bn project to build 10 wave and tidal power sites around Orkney and the Pentland Firth, with the potential to power up to 750,000 homes. Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, described it as a major milestone in the journey towards a low-carbon future.

If the business opportunities of a low carbon economy are manifold—Base’s chairman Tom Burke points to reduced cost, increased markets and profits, new products and services, streamlined supply chains, avoidance of punitive legislation and tax—there are also stumbling blocks. Which is why a presentation by Gareth Kane, author of The Three Secrets of Green Business proved so useful. Kane set up consultancy firm Terra Infirma three years ago to help companies and public sector organisations embed sustainability into their core activities. Get it right, he said, and the business case is clear: cost savings, cutting edge advantage, improved staff morale. But, he warned, green business is not a panacea. “It can be difficult, and it can be done wrong”.

Take the Philips Earth Light. “Nothing says hair shirt more than this,” he said, holding up a bulky, cumbersome extended-life fluorescent bulb that was intended to replace incandescent bulbs. “It didn’t sell.” The company came back, having designed and branded the bulb differently, with the Philips Marathon Super Long Life. “It had third party accreditation, it looked good, and it started selling. Don’t forget you’re running a business,” advised Kane.

Lesson two: know what you’re aiming for (eco-efficiency) and be better at it. And lesson three: know how you’re going to get there. “Most businesses just make incremental improvements. You’ve got to take some huge leaps, and lots of smaller steps. And make sure that one change doesn’t block you in. You have to have a business model underneath it.” That includes staff engagement, enlightened management, eco design (designing out environmental problems), green procurement, change management and clear leadership. All of these, said Kane, decide who wins, and who loses.