reducing environmental footprint
and increasing social impact by 2020.
Three years after its launch, Paul
Polman, the CEO triumphantly
declared, ‘… we are proving that
there is no contradiction between
sustainable and profitable growth.’
Woolworths, a Johannesburg Stock
Exchange ( JSE) listed company,
boasts of The Good Business Journey
sustainability program. Again it seeks
to double the size of its business. The
leadership comprising of the Chairman
and CEO is well at the forefront in
spear heading this program … a key
pre-requisite for the successful delivery
of a well-heeled sustainability program.
The ‘90s presented a turbulent time
for Nike. It was a Hobson’s Choice
moment for the company. Amidst
colossal global pressure, Nike was
forced to rethink and rework its
business model. As it turned out, this
was a guised blessing as Nike had a
head start on sustainability.
Currently, Nike’s business model is
anchored on Sustainable Innovation.
As Mark Parker, the CEO sees it, ‘…
to achieve the impossible, we have
to rethink the fundamentals.’ Nike
believes this approach will accelerate
unprecedented change, as it will
require continuously pushing the
limits of their business.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘ The
mind, once equipped by a new idea,
never returns to its original dimensions.’
And so does an organization. It is
worth repeating here that sustainability
is about adjusting, strengthening and
securing business fundamentals.
Great sustainability programs have
super ambitious targets. They are
therefore intense and are fraught
with missteps, setbacks and blunders.
Sustainability programs for each
business are unique due to the bespoke
nature of the concept. Like parenting,
there is no blue print. You create your
own. The issue of competition is muted
as each company creates its own playing
field. This is a powerful property of
sustainability.
However, given that one is going
through uncharted waters, some
sustainability driven companies have
taken hard hits for taking their eyes off
the road, albeit momentarily.
BP’s Deep Water Horizon oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico generated
a global backlash. There was no
question about BP’s sustainability
commitment. No. That was not a
factor at play here. The backlash arose
due to what was perceived as a poor
crisis communications strategy. Curt,
precise, cold, no nonsense statements
were issued by the company
spokesman. Dudes! Chics! There were
deaths and injuries!
The bet is that these communications
were scripted by a USD 10,000 per
hour lawyer. The figure is fictional
and has been picked for effect. Those
corporate lawyers do charge a tidy
sum though. The legal brief in these
circumstances is usually to shield
the client from financial ruin by
minimizing penalties.
The leadership was invisible. Probably
heeding the advice of the lawyers for
purposes of information management
and control. The global community felt
cheated, hence the outcry. Six years
later, the business is struggling to get
back on its feet with a registered 80%
profit dip in the first quarter of 2016.
A 13-year all low oil price drop was
identified as the culprit for this sorry
performance. The CEO Bob Dudley
wildly lurched and latched onto market
fundamentals, and hoped for a positive
change by year-end.
Brethren, we do not need Einstein
to crack this one for us. The oil spill
was an unfortunate accident and calls
for empathy. An ill-conceived crisis
communications strategy drove in the
last nail. To say here that sustainability
went awry is an understatement. It
went deeply south.
Hyundai sustainability communication
blunder still reeks three years later.
The controversy was sparked by its
advertisement on ix35 Crossover, a
hydrogen powered SUV. It showed
a man attempting to commit suicide
through asphyxiation from the tail pipe
exhaust. He failed because the car was
powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and
only water was emitted. #Truestory.
A blogger who’s father had committed
suicide in a similar manner worked up
an already horrified public by penning
her pain, ‘When your ad started to play,
and I saw the beautifully-shot scenes
of taped-up car windows with exhaust
feeding in, I began to shake. I shook so
hard that I had to put down my drink
before I spilt it.’ The public outcry was
banshee deafening.
Though really, isn’t that Marketing 101
… never to use a negative platform
to drive messaging? Such are the
basic mistakes that can throw off
sustainability show pieces. Rigorous
attention, knowledge and skill are nonnegotiable requirements in executing
sustainability programs.
Potters can produce a million types of
pots in all shapes, colors and sizes. The
differentiator and game changer is the
descriptor that is lent to the desired and
real outcome. The outcome can be an
exquisite red pot; an ordinary brown
pot; a crooked white pot; or an elegant
black pot. The potter chooses what to
do with the clay.
Likewise, sustainability is highly
malleable. It can be a Farce … it can
be a Fad… it can be Breathtaking
Awesome. What will you do with your
lump of clay? You are spoilt for choice.
Sheida A. Mutambi is a Business
Owner, Philanthropist and a Corporate
Sustainability Advisor. You can reach
her on this or related issues via mail at:
[email protected].