Clean (eBook)

PAUL C. GODFREY, PHD, is the William and Roceil Low Professor of Business Strategy in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He is the author of More Than Money and Strategic Risk Management. He is also the co-author of Ethics and Business and Strategic Management. EMILIO R. TENUTA is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that help protect people and the resources vital to life. Over the past decade, Tenuta has led Ecolab's sustainability journey and has been actively involved in helping customers advance their global sustainability and ESG practices, with a focus on water stewardship and climate action.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Foreword xvii

Chapter 1 The Call for a Sustainable World 1

Chapter 2 Perspective: The Foundation of Sustainability 23

Chapter 3 From Perspective to Purpose: eROI and the Three Phases of Sustainability 43

Chapter 4 The Tone at the Top: Executive Leadership and Management 67

Chapter 5 Leadership Throughout the Organization: 48,000 Strong and Counting 89

Chapter 6 Creating a Sustainable Product Pipeline 111

Chapter 7 Acquisitions: Sustainability Through Addition 135

Chapter 8 Divestiture: Sustainability Through Subtraction 155

Chapter 9 Catalyzing Sustainability Through Multi- Stakeholder Partnerships 175

Chapter 10 Looking Forward to Ecolab's Second Century 199

Notes 217

About the Authors 231

Index 233

"In a world struggling to use natural resources wisely, and water in particular, few companies can claim a century of doing exactly that. In Clean, Tenuta and Godfrey tell the story of how Ecolab integrated business and sustainability long before it was popular to do so. And along the way, they demonstrate how the company has aligned environmental stewardship with financial outperformance, an enviable combination of values and value. It is a story that is as inspiring as it is instructional, a case study of what it takes to lead in today's warming and wobbly world."
--Joel Makower, Chairman and Co-founder, GreenBiz Group

"This book presents a powerful framework and case for a 'shift in mindset' when tackling today's sustainability challenges. Under Emilio's leadership, Ecolab is addressing the root cause of issues with nature-based interventions and a systems-thinking approach to improve and positively impact people and planet."
--Mary Jane Melendez, Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer, General Mills

"The world is waking up to what Ecolab already knows: that business success and sustainability are two sides of the same coin. As a result of climate change and other threats, sustainability has become essential to the survival of every business. And society depends on the private sector achieving sustainability because of its global reach and scale.
Fortunately, Clean provides concrete strategies for building a sustainable corporation. Offered in the form of hard-fought lessons from a corporate leader, Clean moves beyond simple accounting to address the root cause of problems and build solutions based on solid science.
For those already on the sustainability path and those now turning to it, Clean is a critical resource for corporate change-makers. The health of our planet, the just cause of vulnerable people and places, and the success of the economy turns on their efforts."
--Dr. Jessica Hellmann, Executive Director & Ecolab Chair for Environmental Leadership, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota