Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business

CONTENTS: * Foreword 1 - Executive Summary: Adapting to a 7-D World Part I: Sustaining Capitalism 2 - Introduction: Is Capitalism Sustainable? 3 - The Third Wave: Storming the Boardroom 4 - The Triple Bottom Line: Sustainability's Accountants Part II: Seven Revolutions 5 - Markets: Going for the Triple Win 6 - Values: Ghost in the System 7 - Transparency: No Hiding Place 8 - Life-cycle Technology: Conception to Resurrection 9 - Partnership: After the Honeymoon 10 - Time: Nanoseconds To Go 11 - Corporate Governance: Stakes in the Future Part III: Transition 12 - Sustainable Corporations: Spirit of Zero 13 - Mainstreaming: Market Makers Part IV: Toolbox 14 - Sustainability Auditing: How Are We Doing? 15 - Coda: Closing the Gap * Appendix: Notes for a Sustainable Business Phrase-book

Elkington has created an awesome nuts and bolts description of where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. If The Ecology of Commerce (Paul Hawken) lays the visionary groundwork, this book is the next step. It adds in a lot of detail, bringing to light many cases and ideas about specific problems. It is a slow read but well worth the time.

You can expect a complete perspective from the head of an organisation called SustainAbility on sustainability. That is what you get. John Elkington makes a useful classification of Non Governmental Organisations. The polarisers don't want to have anything to do with business. Business is in principle bad and should be watched and harassed. The integrators try to add two additional dimensions to business, environmental and social responsibility. Discriminators differentiate between good and bad businesses and the non-discriminators do not. This book is for the discriminating integrators. John Elkington believes that it is possible and necessary to get all businesses to act responsibly concerning profit and social and environmental issues- the triple bottom line. The book provides an excellent historical perspective of why businesses are moving on from the Friedman doctrine stating that the only social responsibility of a business is to make a profit. A business that wants to move in the sustainability direction can use the book to find out where it is on the path to full sustainability. The book also makes many practical suggestions on how to move forwards. The book is equally useful for NGOs, and public policy makers.

If society is ever to achieve a more sustainable future: 1. it is essential that business will step on the bandwagon. This was recognised in the Rio+5 Conference in 1997 (New York). 2. for this to happen, business executives will need to see the strategic benefits for their companies, and 3. these executives will need a structure on how to implement their commitment to sustainable development. John Elkington has succeeded in the latter 2 points like no-one has before (at least to my knowledge). I can recommend it to anyone that has an interest in sustainable development and want to see how their company can contribute!