Performance With Purpose, SDGs & The Business Case for Sustainability
Many of you that know me personally know about my obsession with Indra Nooyi (in a non creepy way).
From her being a minority female in the business world, to her leadership style and philosophy, even her experiences as a mother and wife in the South Asian culture, it ALL resonated with me (not to mention we both share the same birthday).
I recently read her latest book and again, to no surprise, left feeling incredibly inspired to use the skills and knowledge I have to contribute intentionally, to not only the organization but to the world.
Indra talks about the philosophy PepsiCo took on under her leadership as CEO called “Performance with Purpose” which left me feeling very motivated to do things differently as a leader. I didn’t quite know how or why, but I know that I had a deeper purpose as to why I was given the opportunities and tools/knowledge I was given throughout my life.
This blog post digs into PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose model, Sustainable Development Goals and the Business Case for Sustainability. The intention is to get you, the reader, to start thinking forward, future and circular. We will get more into it, keep reading (and to get the full breadth of knowledge make sure to read/explore the hyperlinks attached).
What is is Performance with Purpose?
Performance with Purpose (PWP) sounds very much in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the philosophy of ‘Sustainability’ that is, as many business leaders know it ‘the triple bottom line: PEOPLE, PROFIT AND THE PLANET’ (not just the bottom line aka the final total of the balance sheet alone.
What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
Lets get real, we all want to make money, worry about keeping ourselves, investors and our shareholders happy by having a meaty bottom line (or if your public then being fiscally responsible and keeping our taxpayers happy), so, as a business/corporation, why should you care about the Triple P?
The Business and Sustainable Development Commission, a group of corporate, finance and civil society leaders, recently released a report showing that achieving the SDGs in just four sectors—food and agriculture, cities, energy and materials, and health and well-being—would create $12 trillion of new market opportunities by 2030. What’s more, the Better Business, Better World report finds, if we consider the savings from reduced carbon emissions, water use and other resource consumption, the overall profit could be as high as $17 trillion.
Read the full report here.
The business case for Sustainability: Profits with purpose: How organizing for sustainability can benefit the bottom line.
Becoming a sustainability leader requires big changes, but the effort is worth it— in both environmental and economic terms.
To create the factual basis for this article, McKinsey Global Management Consulting canvassed the extensive literature on the organizational practices and financial effects of corporate-sustainability initiatives. They also did their own analysis of resource-efficiency and financial-performance data.
Download the entire report here.
Becoming a sustainability leader can pay off, but it is not easy.
Are you convinced?
How will you contribute to building a circular economy?
How do you see your organization participating in the triple P?
Leave a comment below.