By William D. Green, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Accenture
May 2008
In 30 years, I have never seen anything that has captured the attention of business leaders as quickly or profoundly as the sustainability agenda, particularly as it relates to environmental responsibility and climate change. CEOs and boards of directors around the globe are tackling the tough challenge of how to drive profitable growth and, at the same time, have a positive impact on our communities and the broader world.
Climate change, as an issue, is as complex as it gets, and the implications have perplexed even the best minds in science and academia. Yet the urgent need for organizations to adopt more eco-friendly business practices will only grow, and any company that competes globally has an obligation—and an economic incentive—to be part of the answer.
There is no shortage of ideas about how an organization should approach sustainability. But the increasing clutter of information on the topic makes it difficult to find solutions that really matter in terms of their ability to deliver measurable value.
At Accenture, we are committed to helping our clients achieve and sustain high performance. We also believe that high performers of the future will be defined, at least in part, by how well they have responded to the opportunities as well as the challenges presented by climate change. Therefore, we are working closely with our clients to anticipate and understand the specific issues that affect their industries and processes—and respond in a way that drives long-term economic and brand value, while at the same time approaching the broader sustainability agenda in positive, meaningful ways.
In this issue of Outlook, an article on "green IT" encourages CIOs and their organizations to view sustainability not only as an obligation to society but also as a business opportunity. Specifically, the authors describe how CIOs can be proactive in addressing climate change issues—both in IT operations and across their organizations—while at the same time improving process efficiency and achieving better performance.
Accenture's focus on sustainability speaks to our strong belief that high-performance businesses should be good corporate citizens. It is part of our character to make a positive difference when it comes to issues that affect the world around us. We are also being very thoughtful in our actions, both in serving our clients and operating our company, to ensure that we are making investments that will create demonstrable value and better outcomes—for our clients, our company, our stakeholders and the communities in which we live and work.
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