{"id":4255,"date":"2009-03-04T09:36:27","date_gmt":"2009-03-04T15:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=4255"},"modified":"2009-03-04T09:36:27","modified_gmt":"2009-03-04T15:36:27","slug":"sustainability-focused-companies-out-perform-competitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainability-focused-companies-out-perform-competitors\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability-Focused Companies Out-Perform Competitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Growing<\/a><\/p>\n

According to research by consulting firm A.T. Kearny, compiled in their \u201cGreen\u201d Winners Report<\/a>, \u201ccompanies committed to corporate sustainability practices are achieving above average performance in the financial markets during this slowdown.\u201d The key is that the commitment to sustainability be authentic.<\/h3>\n

In cases where it is integrated into a company to deal with human and natural resources in a sustainable manner and sell products that have low environmental impact, those companies are outperforming their industry piers in the financial markets by as much as 15%. According to the report, \u201cin 16 of the 18 industries examined, companies recognized as sustainability-focused outperformed their industry peers over both a three and six-month period, and were well protected from value erosion.\u201d Not insignificant in these difficult economic times.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

These companies share certain traits, which investors have rewarded, according to the research:<\/p>\n

  • A Focus on long-term health rather than short term gains.<\/strong> These companies don\u2019t just focus on maximizing quarterly returns, but look at strategies of at least 5 years that take into account changing regulatory, demographic and environmental conditions. They are also prone to invest in increased efficiency, reducing their operating costs and their environmental impact. The returns on such thinking may not be immediate, but the right investors will see the long-term value of such a strategy.<\/li>\n
  • Strong Corporate Governance.<\/strong> Companies that have implemented ethics, transparency and oversight policies that extend to their supply chain earn the respect and trust of investors. As the report explains, \u201cFor one leading media company, strong corporate governance has been fundamental to its business success. The company adopted principles from the United Nations Global Compact\u2014 a strategic policy initiative through which businesses align with universally accepted principles in human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The Compact is embedded into daily business practices and is applied to supplier codes of conduct, company policies, and compliance procedures for confidential reporting and auditing, among other areas.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Sound Risk Management Practices.<\/strong> This is part of taking a long-term strategic view; identifying potential risks and liabilities down the road and addressing them preemptively. Identifying potential risks, whether economic, environmental or political, can also help a company identify future needs and opportunities to meet them.<\/li>\n
  • A History of Investing in Green Innovations.<\/strong> \u201cGreen innovations\u2014such as reducing waste and emissions, using alternate energy sources, and producing natural products\u2014have become something of a \u201cme too\u201d cause in recent years. Yet companies with a history in green innovations have reaped the most benefits.\u201d This is in part true because those companies tend to stay on the cutting edge of new technology and integrate that into their products and processes, saving money and fostering innovation. The report uses as an example an auto company that looks to make each subsequent model more energy efficient than prior models.<\/li>\n

    Sustainability focused companies in media and automobiles did particularly well, exceeding the industry average by 20% and 28%, respectively. Retail products and financial services that integrated sustainable strategy beat their competitors by 17% and insurance companies did 15% better than the average.<\/p>\n

    The bottom line? A company shouldn\u2019t scrap its sustainability initiatives during difficult economic times. If anything, it should increase and better integrate them to see a competitive edge and to exceed market expectations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    According to research by consulting firm A.T. Kearny, compiled in their \u201cGreen\u201d Winners Report, \u201ccompanies committed to corporate sustainability practices are achieving above average performance in the financial markets during [ … ]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":3655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSustainability-Focused Companies Out-Perform Competitors • Sustainablog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/sustainability-focused-companies-out-perform-competitors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sustainability-Focused Companies Out-Perform Competitors • Sustainablog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to research by consulting firm A.T. 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