When Corporate America Goes Green: CEO of WWF Comes to Skidmore

When big business and environmentalists mix, it’s usually like oil and water. But when Carter Roberts, President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), visited Skidmore on Apr. 6, he proved that the two can actually work together to both conserve earth’s resources and make economic sense!
 
With an M.B.A from Harvard, a B.A. from Princeton and a background in strategy development, Roberts may not strike you as the sort of individual you’d expect to work for a conservation organization. But after a few minutes of hearing how he is using business strategies and the power of consumerism to save the planet, you suddenly realize that his background in business makes him the perfect person to be in charge of one of the world’s largest conservation organizations. Yes, humans are clearly destroying the planet, but in what form? Big businesses that monopolize control of the majority of the global trade market. So what better way to fight these destructive business patterns than with strategic environmentally friendly plans?
 
The Cold, Hard Facts
 
Today we have roughly 6.9 billion consumers whose needs are met by about 1.5 billion producers. However, 500 companies control 70% of trade commodities (beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, sugar, soy, cotton, shrimp, white fish etc). WWF is working to build relationships with the businesses in control of these commodities in hopes of getting them to follow environmentally friendly business protocols. At the lecture Roberts stressed, “we fail if we do not engage the business sector,” and in the context of our capitalist society, it makes perfect sense.
 
The truth is that most companies go green not necessarily because they want to make the world a better place, but because of its cost-benefit. They do it because they see the opportunity to reduce risk, expand sales, and improve their public image. You may find that disgraceful and dishonest. Many would agree with you and believe that companies should go green to save the planet and preserve nature for future generations. But at the end of the day, businesses need to make money. So if we can find a solution where both the big businesses and Mother Earth come out ahead, it’s a win for both sides.
 
WWF’s Solution
 
Currently, Americans demand 1.6 times more of Earth than the planet can provide for us. If the whole world wanted to live like we do in the United States, we would need seven planets! The WWF has created the WWF Global Forrest and Trade Network to try to combat our excessive lifestyles. Here’s how it works. WWF forms partnerships with large companies such as Wal-mart or Procter & Gamble where these companies agree to use their buying power for good. “Wait a minute,” you may be saying to yourself. Wal-Mart is an evil empire that is quickly destroying small, local, family-owned stores across the nation and WWF wants to partner with them? At which point, Carter Roberts would openly admit that he has been likened to the devil, but there is a point behind this seemingly crazy business venture.
 
The U.S. uses the most wood, pulp, and paper of any country in the world and, unsurprisingly, is the world’s largest importer of such products. In July 2008, Wal-mart joined the Global Forest and Trade Network and announced that the company would commit to “phasing out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its supply chain and increasing its proportion of wood products originating from credibly certified sources – for Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the United States.” By refusing to buy illegal wood products, Wal-mart sends a huge message to the rest of the world, which will eventually lead to new government regulations.
 
But the sad truth is that while our world’s treasures are rapidly disappearing, Roberts says that most Americans still view our country as a bountiful land. Only 17% of American households are members of an environmental organization and less than half of Americans say environmental considerations play a role when they shop. To date, research shows that consumers will not pay much more for environmentally friendly products, even though they’re merely short-term costs for moving in the right (green) direction.  
 
So what can you do to save the planet? Shop smart.
 
We live in a world where the buying power of consumers grows more powerful every day. People are increasingly asking where their products come from making it more difficult for companies to lie about those details. We now have apps that can tell us in minutes where our coffee comes from and who was exploited in the process. Think about what you buy, how it was made, where it comes from, and whom it affects because ultimately, your decision could directly affect whether or not certain animals or countries exist in the future. We do not live in our own little bubble. In Roberts’ words, “everything we have in our society has a long tail that reaches around the world.” Saving animals in the end is linked to the global market. So while it may not seem like such a huge deal whether or not you buy the organic, shade grown coffee versus a cup from Starbucks, think again. Our actions are not frozen in time; their effects live on to burden future generations. We only have one planet and if we destroy it, there is no way to bring it back.
 
For more information on the WWF and their partners visit: http://www.worldwildlife.org/