The issue includes “10 Trends You Have to Watch” and “Managing in the New World.” These articles highlight the new importance of “sustainability business drivers” and how there is a new business paradigm.

The old business paradigm relied on abundant resources and few stakeholders, and companies were not very transparent. In the new paradigm, resource efficiency is essential, “everyone” is a stakeholder and companies are increasingly transparent.

Even in the midst of the recession, the business drivers for sustainability are ever-present.

A few quotes from selected articles:

• “Resources feeling the strain” (page 56):
o “We believe that, in the years to come, ‘resource productivity’ (the output achieved from every unit of oil, power, water, or other resource input) will become central to company competitiveness.”

• “Trust in business is running out” (page 57):
o “Regaining trust also means dispensing with the view that the only objective of management is to increase shareholder value. Broadening the list of key stakeholders to include employees, customers, suppliers, communities, the press, unions, government, and civil society will help companies rebuild credibility.”

• “Innovation marching on” (page 60):
o “Research shows that companies investing countercyclically in R&D during downturns tend to outpace their competitors on the upswing.”

• “How Gen Y & Boomers Will Reshape Your Agenda” (page 71) and in particular “Portrait of Gen Y” (page 74):
o “Portrait of Gen Y, 86 percent say it’s important that their work make a positive impact on the world.”
o “Gen Y workers want an employer who shares their eco-awareness and social consciousness, even down to the details of office energy use. Nearly one quarter say it’s very important to work in a green, environmentally conscious workplace.”

• “Understanding the Post Recession Consumer” (page 106):
o “Slowed Trends, Green Consumerism. Environmentalism is by now deeply rooted in the consumer mind-set and public policy arena, although consumers and politicians express widely varying degrees of engagement. Consumers are forgoing pricey green products and instead are cheaply and discreetly reducing waste.”
o “Dominant Trends, A Focus on the Boardroom. Outraged by corporate malfeasance, people are punishing companies for unethical governance.”

• Emerging Strategies to Beat the Slowdown (page 134) and in particular Shift 4 (page 136), the “Higher Stakes in Sustainability”:
o C.K. Prahalad (University of Michigan): “Companies that understand the opportunities engendered by sustainability will come out of this recession ready to capitalize on the low-carbon and clean-energy economy of the future.”

What does all of this mean?

In my mind, it answers the question posed by clients and peers late last year: “Will companies abandon sustainability because of the poor economy?”

The answer is no because the business drivers for sustainability have not disappeared into the background of business priorities. Instead, sustainability represents opportunities to reduce operating costs (reduced energy, water and material use) and to innovate. The successful companies in 2009 are reducing their environmental footprint and investing in innovating new products and services to thrive in a global economy where resources are constrained, the climate is changing, companies are transparent and everyone is a stakeholder.

I have been as objective as I can be in my responses in order to provide the most thoughtful advice and perspective.

My answer is…it depends. Companies who understand the business case for sustainability are not backing off using sustainability to drive revenue and reduce operating costs. Those that do not are letting go as they view ‘green” as discretionary.

In essence, I personally don’t see a slowdown for the companies that “get it.” Getting it means companies have recognized the value in reducing resource use (energy, water and materials) and their carbon footprint. The truly successful companies are at the forefront of deploying products and services that will thrive in a global economy where these resources are constrained.

Several companies in the information technology, chemicals and manufacturing sectors for example are well positioned to reduce their footprint (taking waste out of operations) and to develop product portfolios that help their customers reduce their operating costs.

The IT sector is well positioned to deploy technologies that reduce travel, real estate, energy use (and carbon emissions) for their customers. Suddenly the choice between travel (a cost and carbon issue) and online collaboration seems relatively easy to make.

Products that drive energy and water efficiency are also well positioned with a customer base looking to reduce overall operational costs. Companies such as GE with their ecomagination portfolio of products is well positioned to meet increasing global demand for a move to leaner and more efficient operations.

Finally, the chemical sector has led the movement to increase their own operating efficiency and position products that are more energy efficient (such as home insulation) and more durable over time (requiring less frequent replacement). Companies such as BASF, DOW and DuPont immediately come to mind as leaders.

I believe the choice becomes, do you believe there is business value in sustainability as a business strategy or is it window dressing?

If sustainability is window dressing then this is a good time to jettison your green marketing and communications efforts and hunker down. However, the world will look very differently in the next few years. Carbon will be regulated, and those companies that are more efficient can create innovative disruptive products, and see this as an opportunity will do well.

Don’t be fooled by the recent fall of the price of a barrel of oil to under $40 or so. Remember, the renewable energy investment and production tax credits were renewed as part of the Emergency Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (a.k.a. the “bailout”). Companies are poised to take advantage of these incentives creating new jobs and new markets.

So yes, there will be a slowdown in work for those companies that never really understood the business case and the value to their business with respect to reduced operating costs and increased revenue.

Sustainability has moved from “the right thing to do” to the “right business thing to do.”