BusinessGreen Charter unveiled to mark tonight’s inaugural Leaders Awards
All firms are not the same.
The business community has never been homogenous, despite attempts by politicians, the media and businesses themselves to ascribe a one-size-fits-all approach to corporate issues.
This is more true now than ever.
As the ecological and climate crisis escalates, the corporate response is diverging. Some firms cling to carbon-intensive business models that are destined to fail as environmental constraints become more severe. But others are seeking alternatives. Others are seeking to harness the innovation that is the hallmark of all good businesses to address the environmental challenges the world faces.
BusinessGreen is for this new breed of green businesses.
What is a green business?
There is no single answer. But all progressive green firms should recognize themselves in this charter:
•    We recognize that business-as-usual is unsustainable.
•    We will develop new business models that take account of environmental constraints.
•    We are attempting to manage the risks posed by climate change and ecological degradation.
•    We accept that we have environmental impacts and will strive to reduce them.
•    We acknowledge that good regulations and policies will play a crucial role in the development of the low carbon economy.
•    We understand that the short-term costs associated with green measures will deliver long-term benefits.
•    We know that the low carbon economy will deliver countless commercial opportunities.
•    We are striving to build a green economy by harnessing what businesses do best: investing and innovating on behalf of our stakeholders, customers and society as a whole.
It is these businesses that are the undisputed leaders of the low carbon economy. It is these businesses that are driving the green industrial revolution.
And ultimately it is these businesses that will determine whether mankind has the ingenuity and passion required to build a better and cleaner world.
(Source: www.businessgreen.com )