by Thane Ritchie | Apr 11, 2016 | Green, Innovation, Sustainability
The shift towards conscientious business practices has affected not just work culture but sustainability and philanthropic initiatives. On a global scale, large corporate powerhouses are disclosing greenhouse gas emissions and 71 percent of those companies are opting for external audits. Last year, the Obama Administration enacted the Clean Power Plan, a landmark action to reduce energy bills for households and businesses, protect the future of the nation, and create jobs in the energy sectors. The U.S. isn’t the only advocate of sustainability. In the EU, the Directive 2014/95/EU required large companies with over 500 employees to report environmental and sustainability issues by the end of this year. While the debate has been years in the making, a Newsweek article reported that companies with lower greenhouse gas emissions performed better which sounds attractive to modern shareholders. Large companies that want to stay competitive must keep up with the ‘millennial Joneses’ who have chosen social responsibility as a place to put their faith according to a recent Crain’s article by Andrew Swinand, “ If you want to understand the magnitude of opportunities available to organizations that align with charities, consider this: For millennials — who, at 86 million strong, make up the largest population group the U.S. has ever seen — social responsibility is the new religion.” Most importantly, there are benefits to a company’s bottom line if they take the environmental route, so even if a corporation follows the trend as a PR exercise, profiting from it may be an added bonus. In the United States, solar panels are becoming the new normal and though expensive to install, the move...