Contact Information: Media Contact: Tracey Jones Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (925) 264-1838 tracey.jones@aberdeen.com
Sustainability Is the New "Green"
Research of 1,607 Executives From 36 Countries Identifies Sustainability as One of the Top 5 Priorities in 2009
| Source: Aberdeen Group
BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 24, 2009) - Aberdeen
Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE : HHS ), announced the release of its
The 2009 State
of the Market: Mid Year Insights Report which found that for more and
more companies, positive social and environmental performance is
inextricably tied to a vision of long-term viability and success, however,
sustainability is not synonymous with "green" or environmental initiatives.
Throughout the past year, Aberdeen's research shows that leading companies
have made a resoundingly strong business case for the adoption of genuine
sustainability strategies to drive demonstrable business results -- from
bottom line cost reductions and enhanced brand value, to optimized
performance and ability to attract and satisfy customers, partners and
employees.
The report finds that sustainability is an increasingly important aspect of
corporate strategy. Across a wide array of sectors, representing firms of
all sizes and from all geographies, sustainability and corporate
responsibility have grown in importance even as the economy has become more
challenging. The emergence of responsibility-framed strategies for business
sustainability underscores the increasing importance of social and
environmental stewardship to shareholders, customers, trading partners, and
regulators alike. The increasing integration of sustainability criteria
into organizational strategy marks a dramatic shift in the culture of the
business ecosystem worldwide. Indeed, this shift in vision and action has
decisively transformed the global market and the very nature of internal
and external processes, requirements, alliances, and opportunities.
Based upon findings from over 700 companies worldwide, results continue to
demonstrate that sustainability initiatives are increasingly championed by
C-level executives. A robust 84% of all respondents already have (65%), or
plan to have (19%), executive leadership for their company-wide
sustainability strategy. Further demonstrating the continued importance of
sustainability even in the current economic climate, for 71% of
respondents, dedicated sustainability budgets are either being maintained
at current levels (34%) or are being increased (37%). Only 3% of
respondents indicated that their sustainability budget will decrease.
Our research further reveals that top performing organizations with
responsibility-framed strategies have achieved dramatic competitive
advantages. In fact, sustainability-driven top performers have reaped
impressive rewards across the value chain -- from bottom line cost
reductions and enhanced brand value to optimized performance and an
improved ability to attract and satisfy customers, trading partners, and
talent. Results from Aberdeen research demonstrates that leading companies
have made a resoundingly strong business case for the adoption and
expansion of genuine, sustainability strategies and initiatives. However,
for too many companies sustainability is a focus for the benefits it
delivers according to metrics that are not measured at all, unevenly
measured, or not communicated. As a result, the positive impact of
sustainability initiatives on the efficiency, quality, and resilience of a
company is often only anecdotally understood while the work of making the
business case in quantitative as well as qualitative terms is unevenly
attended to.
A key takeaway of the report is that CEOs who don't have a sustainability
strategy in place should immediately benchmark current performance while
investigating opportunities to drive measurable linked to desirable
business, social and environmental outcomes.
About The 2009 Aberdeen Report State of the Market: Mid Year Insights:
Each section of the report is designed to serve two purposes: 1) educate
the CEO on key trends, initiatives and developments; and 2) provide
guidance to functional leaders as they encounter new challenges, embrace
new opportunities and adapt to the changing economic environment, providing
executive teams with a roadmap to navigate through uncertain times. A copy
of the report can be obtained at:
http://resources.aberdeen.com/2009AberdeenReport
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers
demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the
past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving
market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that
drive decisions. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to
learn more about Harte-Hanks,
call (800) 456-9748.