Sustainability Leaders

A Guide to Transforming Organizations
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-26571-5
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 144 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 372 g

This invaluable how-to guide empowers leaders to integrate sustainability into their business strategy by mobilizing their organization’s human capital and technical capabilities. Drawing on extensive executive experience across industries, author Susan Graff uses data-driven storytelling to deliver proven frameworks, case examples, and actionable strategies for embedding sustainability as a driver of growth and value creation. Readers will learn to build a circular economy, engage customers and key stakeholders, anticipate sustainability risks, and develop products and services that deliver lasting positive impact on business performance, environmental quality, and societal well-being.

offers thought-provoking questions to align boardroom or classroom discussions into actionable plans. The book is essential reading for business leaders looking to inspire their teams and build resilient networks to tackle sustainability challenges collectively and make the right investments.  It is also a practical resource for academics teaching students to employ life cycle management thinking, innovate sustainable products and services, and develop systems to improve performance via transparent measurement and reporting.

—Stephen Sikra, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MagisOpus; Vice-Chair, National Environmental Education Foundation

Zielgruppe

Professional/practitioner

Autoren/Hrsg.

Graff, Susan

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Bereichsspezifisches Management Betriebliches Energie- und Umweltmanagement
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Nachhaltigkeit
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Umweltökonomie
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltmanagement, Umweltökonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface.- Introduction.- What is Sustainability And Why Business Must Lead.- Building a Culture of Sustainability and the Business Case for Transformation.- Evaluating the Organization's Sustainability Profile.- Evaluating Inputs and Production to identify Significant Impacts.- Life Cycle Assessment and Total Cost Accounting for Sustainable Decisions.- Strategy, Goal Setting, and Performance Measures for Eco-efficiency cycle 1.- Reassess Performance to develop Restorative Strategies cycle 2.- A Circular Economy Rooted in Industrial Ecology.- Collaborating Externally Creates Shared Value.- Building the Public Will for Policy Action.

Über Autor(innen)

Susan Graff is a Professor of the Practice in the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This multidisciplinary Master's degree program combines the strengths of Georgia Tech's nationally ranked public policy, engineering, and business schools to develop leaders in sustainability practices. Throughout her 40-year career in the private and public sectors, Susan has focused on advancing sustainable resource strategies and practical materials management solutions via industry partnerships. She led a team of scientists, business experts, and finance professionals to research and create the Sustainability Scorecard®, an enterprise assessment tool used by executive teams to enhance organizational capabilities for integrating sustainability into operations. Susan is a retired Partner and Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Resource Recycling Systems, a leading provider of sustainable product innovation and recycling system development at the intersection of industry and the public sector. Before RRS, Susan founded ERS Global, a sustainability consultancy that was a trusted resource among global companies pioneering sustainable strategies via employee engagement, environmental management systems, performance measurement, and reporting systems. She served as Curriculum Director for Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's sustainable business forum, ENFORM. Susan also developed the Partners for Sustainable Georgia program with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Her career began as an environmental scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she held multiple senior roles in the EPA's Southeast Regional Office and Headquarters. Susan served as a special assistant to the Regional Administrator, developing national environmental risk assessment protocols; managing Superfund hazardous waste site investigations and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitting; and helping create public-private performance partnerships. She received the EPA Administrator's Award for her role in risk assessment capacity building and creating a national database to provide access to chemical toxicity data and improve consistency in site cleanup decisions. Susan holds a Master of Science in Technology and Science Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Western Illinois University.