2020 Sustainability Goals Shed Little Light on Companies' Climate Change Progress

Jul 24, 2012 2:35 PM ET

Posted by Harry Stevens

"2020 sustainability goals" seem to be all the rage these days. Last week, Weyerhaeuser became the latest in a seemingly endless procession of companies to tout the "great strides" it's made toward 2020 sustainability goals.

In recent years legions of companies, including Campbell's SoupCokeDean FoodsIntelOwens CorningProcter & Gamble, and RockTenn, have announced progress on 2020 sustainability goals.

But what, specifically, are these goals? What kind of sustainability progress are these companies reporting?

Ultimately, while these companies ought to be lauded for committing to long-term sustainability goals, it is difficult to understand whether companies' progress toward their 2020 goals is doing much to slow or reverse anthropogenic climate change.

Click here to continue reading and comment

Harry Stevens is a Media Consultant for 3BL Media / Justmeans. After earning his Bachelors of Arts in international relations from the University of Puget Sound, Harry moved to Guatemala to do business development for Mercado Global, a fair trade fashion organization. Harry has written on social enterprise, sustainable finance, and fair trade for a number of popular blogs, including Justmeans and The Fair Trade Times. A serial road-tripper, Harry has been to forty-seven of the forty-eight contiguous states, and is actively seeking an excuse to visit Oklahoma. You can follow Harry on Twitter: @Harry_Stevens.