Business & Finance

It is mid-April, a weekday. As is often the case, I am working in a mild panic. Papers from too many different projects are stacked in inelegant piles across my desk in my home office tucked against a ridge in Mānoa Valley.

New scientific knowledge combined with increasing demand for more responsible products and services are the main drivers of change in the field of sustainability, according to Tim Greiner, Managing Partner and Co-founder of sustainability consulting firm Pure Strategies.

Great conversation with Tim about Pure Strategy's work in building environmental and social integrity into products, brands, and businesses. And rich discussion on the past, present, and future world of corporate environmental sustainability! Listen to the podcast

New scientific knowledge combined with increasing demand for more responsible products and services are the main drivers of change in the field of sustainability, according to Tim Greiner, Managing Partner and Co-founder of sustainability consulting firm Pure Strategies. The firm marks its 15-year anniversary this month, and I spoke with Greiner about the practitioner’s evolving role as businesses move from a narrow focus on improving the processes within their four walls, to broader, industry-wide transformations.

Why do sustainability achievements come naturally for some companies, while others struggle to achieve even modest targets for impact reduction? I wish I could say the difference is some companies hire our sustainability consulting services and others don’t. But the truth is, despite abundant guidance and support, I’ve seen some clients take only faltering steps, while others take the ball and run. So when a company clearly has winning ways, it makes sense to take a closer look.

Overall, when taking all revenues and expenditures into account, we estimate that the total net impact of the coal industry on the Pennsylvania state budget in Fiscal Year 2010-11 amounted to a net cost to the Commonwealth of $164.9 million. Download the full report