Tom Schueneman of the indispensable TriplePundit blog on corporate social responsibility has a great review today of AT&T's holistic approach to sustainability. The lede is the phone giant's new $500 million commitment to put 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles on the road in the next decade. It's a great example of how big companies can aim to do good and do well at the same time. The program should save the company money in the long run while winning useful public plaudits, and, as important, make a real impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, provide clean energy jobs, and support the expansion of the alternative fuel infrastructure.
The clean car initiative represents a big splash in sustainability, but it also reflects a much broader and more comprehensive approach at AT&T. Schueneman's interview with Beth Shiroshi, AT&T's assistant vice president for Citizenship and Corporate Responsibility, tells the larger story, and it provides some useful lessons for any company looking to strengthen its sustainability approach:
- Look comprehensively across the company: Even thought AT&T had a long history of environmental and corporate social responsibility initiatives, the company brought in an outside agency, the nonprofit Business for Social Responsibility, to conduct a systematic review of the issues most important to employees and stakeholders.
- Demonstrate commitment at the executive level: Following the new review, AT&T elevated oversight and management of sustainability efforts to the officer level.
- Balance strategic focus with multiple entry points: AT&T now highlights six priority initiatives while allowing a great deal of flexibility for divisions, local offices, and employees to contribute in different ways. You can see details of the initiatives and program examples in AT&T's recent report, Connecting for a Sustainable Future.
"AT&T isn't in the business of sustainability," as Schueneman notes, "but to the degree that they and other corporate 'giants' make it a part of their (triple) bottom line, the business of sustainability fights the natural resistance to change, moves forward, and creates ripples of transformation." Not to mention positive movement on the reputation needle, stronger employee interest and loyalty, and important new business opportunities.
Nokia, meanwhile, is similarly making sustainability waves, most recently at the
World Mobile Congress in Barcelona last month. As
Lucas Daniel recounted in
Sustainable Life Media the other day, Nokia is now embedding a set of applications and services in some of its mobile phones to bring users green tools, community, and information.
Working with several large environmental organizations, Nokia is rolling out:
- we:offset: an online tool that helps travelers calculate their carbon emissions on the road and buy offsets right from the phone
- Green Explorer: a web-enabled widget that highlights green travel options, including restaurants and hotels, with room for users to provide their own recommendations
- Eco Zone: a phone app that provides information and video from WWF
- Mobiledu: a mobile app available in China that promotes environmental awareness and education
As with AT&T, Nokia's recent splash is just part of a larger sustainability story. As Daniel explains, Nokia's larger environmental effort,
"the power of we," includes efforts to build mobile devices with healthier materials and packaging, a push for new sources of energy, support for recycling old phones, and partnerships with groups like WWF.
It's a smart strategy, and Nokia's comprehensive approach to greening its products, supply chain, communications, and customer experience provides another useful template for companies looking toward sustainability as an opportunity to strengthen the entire reputation-to-revenue cycle.
What do you think?
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