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Skills for a Greener Economy:

Skills for a Greener Economy:. Realising the Potential Cambridge 27 November 2012 Michael Townsend, Founder & CEO Earthshine. Interesting times…. Some progress, but…. A skills gap?. 1-in-3 environmental firms hampered by shortage of skills Conventional economy? Unemployment

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Skills for a Greener Economy:

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  1. Skills for a Greener Economy: Realising the Potential Cambridge 27 November 2012 Michael Townsend, Founder & CEO Earthshine

  2. Interesting times…

  3. Some progress, but…

  4. A skills gap? • 1-in-3 environmental firms hampered by shortage of skills • Conventional economy? • Unemployment • Role of business schools • Integrated agenda?

  5. Rising to the challenge • Strategic sectors • Howconfigure jobs & skills through the value chain? • From innovation to installation? • Political leadership, business leadership, management, & trade level skills • Worthy piece of work…

  6. Apollo: sustainability skills integrated • Integration of new technologies • Process change • Massive shift in ‘repair’ over ‘replace’ • Less money on resources & waste, more on people • Waste-to-wages • Mindset, as well as technical skills • Shifting the business model: • 42% waste reduction • 34% energy & carbon saving • Cost reduction • Profitability doubled • Saved 13% jobs www.sustainablebusinesslab.org

  7. Life Technologies: green chemistry in action • Augment approach to eco-design criteria • Beyond regulation & compliance • Chemistry as an environmental solution • Eliminate use of toxic feedstocks, by-products, solvents, etc. • More cost-effective • For Life Technologies & customers • Green chemistry principles: • e.g. NA-Fluor™ Influenza Neuraminidase Assay Kit • Substituted harmful sodium hydroxide with non-hazardous sodium bicarbonate • Eliminates 100 litres/year www.sustainablebusinesslab.org

  8. Triodos: sustainable financial innovation • One of largest investors in renewable energy in Europe • Make money work for positive social, environmental & cultural change • Mindfulness rather than economics? • Values-based investment • Market innovation: • Renewable energy investments • New sustainable financial products • Bristol together: ‘Social Impact Bond’ • Buy empty, sub-standard properties • Fully repair/refurbish • Create jobs • Scale up/replicate www.sustainablebusinesslab.org

  9. Gazeley: emotional intelligence • Leading provider of sustainable global logistics • Journey towards sustainable business since 2002 • Sustainability not so much about technical skills • Improve ‘culture’ through developing emotional intelligence • “People change, not organisations” • Eco-buildings at no extra cost • 40% carbon and operational savings • Developing emotional intelligence enables people to seek out most appropriate sustainable solutions on projects. www.sustainablebusinesslab.org

  10. Leadership skills: a new bread of CEO? • Evolutionary & revolutionary • A time for futurists • Systems thinking • Holistic, authentic & evolved • Humility • Integrity “A new generation of CEOs will emerge” Ray Anderson, founder and former Chairman, Interface Inc www.sustainablebusinesslab.org

  11. Re-purposing existing skills? Through visibility & granularity of cost, we can drive ‘waste’ out and add more value. Current 7% Profit Savings 10% Profit Realistic & fair profit Overhead Visibility of ‘Waste’ Overhead Realistic overhead Labour Sub Contractors Materials ? Labour • Visibility of • Labour • Sub Contractors • Materials Average of 40% ‘waste’! Sub Contractor Material ? ? Undeclared And/or spend more money on people, less on ‘stuff’ and ‘waste’: waste-to-wages 11

  12. Rethinking business • Assumptions • Externalities • Resource availability/cost • Waste/disposal • Stranded assets • Total cost of ownership/affordability • Value to society “No amount of orthodox strategy, innovation, or competition – all premised on economic harm – can help businesses, countries, economies, or the world reignite prosperity in the twenty-first century.” Umair Haque (New Capitalist Manifesto, 2011)

  13. Towards a new business paradigm? • Focus on the long-term • Sustainability integrated • Resilient business models • Sustainable consumption • Eco-efficient in delivery • Circular economy thinking • Shared/blended value • Higher purpose • Towards sustainable capitalism? • The upside… • Longevity & resilience • Green growth • Enhance profitability • Long-term shareholder value “High Sustainability companies significantly outperform their counterparts over the long-term, both in terms of stock market and accounting performance.” Harvard Business School, May 2012

  14. The prize? • Friends of the Earth: • 29,400 new recycling jobs if reach 70% recycling for domestic waste • +14,700 jobs in supply chain • +7,300 jobs • +18,800 jobs from commercial/industrial recycling • Defra: • British businesses could save £23 billion each year (low/zero cost initiatives) • Pot increases to £55 billion if include projects with payback > 1 year • Put another way… • If total money saved by business was reinvested, could create 1.4 million new jobs. • Improve flow of money circulating (multiplier effect) • Reality would be more profits; but what if…?

  15. So much to do, and so little time… “Greenhouse gases rise to record levels in atmosphere.” UN World Meteorological Organization, Nov 2012 “World headed for irreversible climate change by 2017.” IEA World Energy Outlook 2012 “Only 3% believe that companies are succeeding in fully integrating sustainability.” Sky Future Leaders Study 2011 “We will need the equivalent of two planets by 2030.” WWF Living Planet Report 2012 “We have only 5,0003,655 days to act!” Joel Makower, Founder of GreenBiz.com “I never did see the business case for being unsustainable.” Ray Anderson, Founder & Former Chairman of Interface Inc www.earthshinesolutions.com www.sustainablebusinesslab.org @mike_earthshine

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