The Labyrinth of Sustainability

Companies can no longer afford to be ‘un’sustainable. While this observation has been widely accepted in the United States and Europe, only recently have Latin American companies and businesses across the developing world started to integrate sustainability principles into their corporate cultures. Recognizing and responding to this emerging trend, ‘The Labyrinth of Sustainability’ offers a collection of carefully developed and tightly framed case studies generated through the Latin American Corporate Sustainability Analysis project, an initiative convened by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy in conjunction with the EGADE Business School in Mexico and INCAE Business school in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

The introduction by Daniel Esty, the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and one of the world’s leading corporate sustainability experts, makes a compelling argument for what he calls the “sustainability imperative”—the notion that businesses must work toward sustainability to be successful in today’s marketplace. It distills from the 12 case studies that follow five important sustainability strategy lessons for executives and managers on leadership, vision and execution, partnerships, communications and inspiration.

The 12 case studies focus on the sustainability strategy and initiatives of a company with business operations in Latin America, drawing out key themes and highlighting both successes and challenges. The aim of ‘The Labyrinth of Sustainability’ is to present the problems and prospects for corporate sustainability in a Latin American context across a spectrum of companies that ranges from small businesses to multinational enterprises. With its Latin American focus and lessons for business in a range of industry settings, this volume complements previous analyses and case studies of corporate sustainability in different regional contexts.

‘The Labyrinth of Sustainability’ explores the growth of corporate sustainability in Latin America, offering actionable insights to business leaders, policymakers, NGOs, academics and journalists through 12 case studies that examine the challenges and opportunities facing companies across the region as they integrate sustainability into their strategy and operations.

Companies can no longer afford to be ‘un’sustainable. While this observation has been widely accepted in the United States and Europe, only recently have Latin American companies and businesses across the developing world started to integrate sustainability principles into their corporate cultures. Recognizing and responding to this emerging trend, ‘The Labyrinth of Sustainability’ offers a collection of carefully developed and tightly framed case studies generated through the Latin American Corporate Sustainability Analysis project, an initiative convened by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy in conjunction with the EGADE Business School in Mexico and INCAE Business school in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

The introduction by Daniel Esty, the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and one of the world’s leading corporate sustainability experts, makes a compelling argument for what he calls the “sustainability imperative”—the notion that businesses must work toward sustainability to be successful in today’s marketplace. It distills from the 12 case studies that follow five important sustainability strategy lessons for executives and managers on leadership, vision and execution, partnerships, communications and inspiration.

The 12 case studies focus on the sustainability strategy and initiatives of a company with business operations in Latin America, drawing out key themes and highlighting both successes and challenges. The aim of ‘The Labyrinth of Sustainability’ is to present the problems and prospects for corporate sustainability in a Latin American context across a spectrum of companies that ranges from small businesses to multinational enterprises. With its Latin American focus and lessons for business in a range of industry settings, this volume complements previous analyses and case studies of corporate sustainability in different regional contexts.

List of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Notes on Contributors; Introduction, Daniel C. Esty; 1. Water Conservation in Scarcity Conditions: Corporate Sustainability at Mexico’s FEMSA Group, Roger Nion Conaway and Francisco Gabriel Rodríguez González; 2. Walmart Mexico: Clean Energy to Reduce Costs and Improve Corporate Image, Mariel Guadalupe Ferro Rivas and Mariana Cesín Sastré; 3. Grupo Vanguardia Revitalizes Plastics Recycling in Honduras, Martha Sofia Cifuentes and Felipe Perez; 4. Nissan Mexicana’s Renewable Power Partnership, Marco Antonio Cristobal and Aidee Figueroa; 5. Tecnosol Follows the Sun, Martha Sofia Cifuentes and Felipe Perez; 6. Rizek Pushes Dominican Republic Cocoa Industry toward Sustainability, Milagros De Camps German; 7. Centrosur Leads the Way to Sustainability in Ecuador, Edwin Garcia; 8. A Resilient World: Bavaria Builds Its Case on Water, Santiago Cortes Villota; 9. Grupo Herdez Takes the Initiative in Mexico’s Food Market, Faruz O. Loutfi Olivares; 10. Chile’s Las Palmas Avocado Orchard: Water Consumption Reduction in Agriculture, Siegfried King; 11. Mabe-Ontex: Increasing Global Competitiveness with Ecofriendly Disposable Products, Margarita Heredia-Soto; 12. Water Use Efficiency Initiatives in Nestlé’s Value Chain and the Implications of the Company’s Business Model, Hellen Quinonez; Notes; Index.