WNSF in China:

The CAWE-WNSF Sustainability Competition for Chinese Businesswomen

In Beijing, WNSF recently honored winners of a sustainability competition for Chinese businesswomen with our BeST (Business Sustainability Training) Workshop. Executive Director Ann Goodman thanked winners with the following remarks.

The CAWE-WNSF Sustainability Competition for Chinese Businesswomen: Why It Matters By Ann Goodman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future

Little did I suspect, when accepting an invitation to speak on sustainable development at the annual conference of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs (CAWE) in Beijing in 2006, that CAWE and the New York-based Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future (WSNF) would become fast friends and close partners.

But this alliance is based on a strong common understanding that businesswomen in both countries will be a growing force in implementing sustainability initiatives to solve some of the world’s biggest economic, environmental and social problems.

With shared values and mutual support, it was perhaps predictable that just two years later in 2008, a joint project would emerge linking businesswomen across the span of continents, cultures and oceans to help solve just such tough sustainability challenges. A year ago, I was again in Beijing, as WNSF joined CAWE in launching a nationwide sustainability competition for Chinese businesswomen to stimulate crucial joint work on business sustainability. The Alcoa Foundation and the McGraw-Hill Companies also saw the potential of this joint CAWE-WNSF effort and generously contributed to funding it.

Today in 2009, we are able to honor the top winners of this ambitious competition that attracted nearly 100 contestants from all over China: from companies small and large; in sectors ranging from water to chemicals, to construction and food production, to textiles and engineering; via initiatives focused on energy and emissions reduction, investment in human capital, cleaner supply chain management and intelligent high-technology management solutions.

It is particularly noteworthy in these current times of economic turbulence, environmental degradation and social upheaval, that so many women took the time to think about how sustainable development could improve their business, while simultaneously helping to stem environmental deterioration and improve the social conditions of greater numbers of people.

It is heartening to witness so many women all over China, determined not just to build successful companies but to ensure that they are truly sustainable over the long term. The competition contestants understand the vital importance of balancing the environmental and social factors of business success along with the financial ones.

Given how fast this ambitious international project between CAWE and WNSF sprang to life, it’s clear to me in hindsight that sustainable development is an ideal that can foster synergies and forge mutual trust across vast geographical, cultural and linguistic gulfs - almost overnight. This is an auspicious sign that China and the US, now the world’s top emitters of greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change, may be able to work together to solve the kinds of sustainability problems that affect everyone.

The winners of this competition are being awarded the opportunity to undergo WNSF’s Business Sustainability Training (BeST) Workshop, a highly participatory program designed to help business managers develop and implement even higher-impact sustainability initiatives to advance company business objectives. To better serve competition winners, WNSF and CAWE have been working with the Beijing-based Center for International Business Ethics (CIBE) at the University of International Business and Economics to adapt the workshop to the Chinese context.

Professors at CIBE have reminded us that historically China emphasizes continuity, memory, and a strong sense of filial responsibility. So the sustainability ideal of preserving the world for future generations is a deeply embedded cultural value that should resonate with the Chinese population quite naturally. This is a reminder that the US has much to learn from the Chinese, whose deep cultural wisdom has been cultivated over millennia and can translate to new situations through the ages–inspiring initiatives, like the competition for Chinese businesswomen, to help overcome the sustainability challenges that face us all.

The need for sustainable development is greater than ever. But through the joint efforts this need inspires, I’m optimistic that the CAWE-WNSF alliance is a first step providing a model for future joint projects that can rally women across countries to make hands-on sustainability improvements in business. If we can do that, there’s a real chance that the planet will have a brighter future.

Change Champions

By Ann Goodman, Ph.D, WNSF Executive Director October 2008

In this roller-coaster economy, does business have the luxury of thinking about high ideals, like ‘sustainable development?”

Yes, according to experts at the fifth annual Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit produced by the Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future (WNSF) in NYC on October 2.

Far from a luxury, these experts submit, sustainable development may soon become the cornerstone of a healthy company, as the current financial crisis erodes public trust in business. This, of course, will challenge companies to forge strategies for a new balance of economic, environmental and social progress. In fact, the consensus among over 150 women executives who exchanged ideas and wish lists at the Summit was that the global economic downturn could be a chance to rethink and rebuild business—from a more sustainable base.

Certainly WNSF’s Summit, “Leading Change: How to Champion Sustainability in Your Company,” was a chance to probe the possibility of a more sustainable future–showcasing women executives who’ve pioneered business change.

Change, Stress and Pollyana Not to be too Pollyanna-ish, but in this climate of uncertainty, champions for change–or at least those who can manage the discomfort that comes with it–may be all the more valuable to business, now thrown into what looks like ongoing flux. And in uncomfortable circumstances, some change leaders find comfort–even guidance–in sustainable development, not just the ideal but the reality of achieving it in their companies

A few guiding principles from the Summit’s change champions:

Uplift Employee Spirits Especially in times of stress, bolstering employees’ flagging morale can be key to a company’s survival, says Lybra Clemons, director of global diversity at American Express. As more next-generation employees are recruited, offering them ways to tie their work to higher goals like a healthy planet can help lift spirits, which in turn boosts productivity, raising revenue and profits.

Keep an Eye on Governance Some of Wall Street’s current problems may stem from taking eyes off the ‘governance’ ball (the ‘G’ in ESG, a financial sector term for sustainability, where E stands for environment, S for social factors). Good governance inside and outside companies can’t be taken for granted, stresses Marlys Appleton, vice president of sustainability at AIG Investments. Think risk management–from spreadsheets to executive suites and everything in between. A good reputation is hard to earn but all too easy to lose–and sometimes just about impossible to regain.

Think Long-term ‘Sustainable development’ can also help companies (and financial institutions) look ahead–to an economic future where ‘green’ is likely to become an increasingly essential element of a successful business or investment, points out Amy Davidsen, director of environmental affairs at JP Morgan Chase. When short-term earnings rule, certain longer-term risk factors, like a future of shifting energy sources, may come home to roost when companies don’t pay attention to what’s next.

Learn from the Dot Com Bust While Silicon Valley may still be (relatively) insulated compared to Wall Street, it wasn’t so long ago that the Dot Com Bust had its own disastrous consequences on the West Coast. The overarching values of sustainable development that focus management, employees and companies on long term goals–plus a CEO who really gets it–can help a company survive the tough times, stresses Shelly Esque, Intel’s director of global corporate citizenship.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Business Change may be the only the only constant, after all. It’s the new face of business, suggests Anat Lechner, professor of management at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Get comfortable with discomfort, uncertainty and whatever’s new.

And an increasingly important driver of what’s new in business is sustainable development. So clean out those drawers and make room for it, advises author Gail Blanke. Don’t be scared to change–be a champion.