MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Can We Afford Sustainable Business?

“How are we going to pay for this?”

In that question lies the conundrum faced by the growing ranks of corporate leaders who recognize that business must, at the very least, stop contributing to the most urgent problems facing humanity and ought to, at best, help solve them. In mission statements and strategic plans, many companies are making commitments to improving sustainability and reducing inequity — but when it comes to meeting those goals, they are tripped up by the financial implications.

In reality, we have no shortage of ideas on how to provide greater and more equitable access to goods and services, use them conscientiously and more effectively, and leave the least amount of waste behind.