Business Sustainability: Following the Green Brick Road

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Nov 26, 2010 2:21 PM ET

Taiga Company blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Compa…

Given two footpaths leading home (one riddled with lions, tigers and bears or another with butterflies, bunnies, and deer), which path would you choose?  We contend most people would choose the obviously less dangerous route. 

In the business sustainability conversation, the discussion of risk plays out the same way.  Most companies will knowingly avoid a business direction that has the most obvious and significant downside.  More often the choice is an equal balance of risk and reward.  The key component of that decision is ‘knowing’ where that pivot point lies.
 
Business sustainability risk affects every aspect of a company, from its internal processes to its external relationships. While some of the risks may be obvious, some hidden and intangible threats may prove to have the greatest impacts.  Digging into the detail, these threats to unprepared organizations or traditional business models present themselves in a number of forms.
 
The Lions:

  • Potential increase in operating cost from unanticipated change.

  • Potential loss of revenue or market share from shift market and consumer expectations.

 
The Tigers:

  • Potential disruptions to supply or loss of supplier relationships as a result of business sustainability pressures

  • Potential increase in supply costs as the company is forced to revamp the supply chain.

 
The Bears:

  • Potential negative impact to business reputation from current practices or inactivity.

  • Potential negative affect to stock price as investment flows to the more sustainable competition.

  • Potential inability to secure capital as perceived investment risk increases.

 
In contrast, companies that understand the business sustainability risks associated with both their direct and indirect exposure and take proactive measures to address their exposure find themselves on a different path.  Click here to continue reading.
 

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".

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