Topic: business

While powerful forces like population growth, resource scarcity, and economic austerity are creating the need for transformative changes in business practices, the question remains: Why aren’t “win-win” results for companies and the environment getting to scale? This paper explores that question with the help of insights from sustainability managers from a cross-sector sample of multinational companies.

Owens Corning, a multinational building materials manufacturer, conducted a global geographic water risk assessment using WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. This assessment aims to identify which of Owens Corning’s manufacturing plants are located in areas facing water supply-related risks. Companies and investors can use this paper to deepen their understanding of external water supply-related threats and learn how to use the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to inform their corporate water strategies.

This WRI/WBCSD guide provides simple, clear information about the 10 key issues related to sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products. The guide is designed as an information support tool to assist users as they develop and implement their own procurement policies for forest products.

The sustainability SWOT (sSWOT) is designed to help drive action and collaboration on environmental challenges that create real business risks and opportunities. It helps individuals engage and motivate colleagues—particularly those with limited knowledge of environmental issues or corporate sustainability. Use this guide to work across internal departments–as well with suppliers, customers, or other stakeholder–on strategies to create and sustain long-term value.

“Voices of the Entrepreneurs” is both a celebration of what New Ventures has achieved so far and a springboard to its future. This report highlights the experience of 32 New Ventures entrepreneurs and provides valuable insights into the challenges that hinder the growth of environmental enterprises in emerging markets. It also illustrates how business accelerators like New Ventures can help them scale their small businesses, with a recognition and call for more support to help move the environmental entrepreneurship industry forward.

AU Optronics (AUO), a multinational electronics manufacturer, conducted a global geographic water risk assessment using WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. This assessment aims to identify which of AUO’s fabrication plants are located in or source water from areas facing potential water risks. Companies and investors can use this paper to understand how to use Aqueduct’s Water Risk Atlas to inform their own water risk assessments and corporate water strategies.

2011/2012 was a transition period as WRI said goodbye to President Jonathan Lash and welcomed new President Andrew Steer. With ample wind in our sails from 18 years of Jonathan’s leadership, the Institute’s accomplishments—many captured in this report—reflect both the strength and versatility he instilled in the organization.

This document provides a glossary of financing instruments and the mechanism of these instruments. These definitions may serve as a useful reference for public sector decision-makers evaluating the broad toolkit of options available to support private sector climate change mitigation projects in developing countries.

These tables provide examples of donor government, development bank, research organization, and private sector efforts that examine how to use public climate finance to leverage private capital for climate change mitigation projects in developing countries. These tables are intended to illustrate, rather than exhaustively list, the range of research and convening initiatives focused on this topic. This document will periodically be updated as the landscape of such initiatives is dynamic and shifts periodically.

Targeting public finance to leverage private sector capital can help meet the several hundred billion dollars of annual low-carbon investment required in developing countries. This working paper serves as a primer, demonstrating how the public sector can employ different types of public financing instruments — whether loans, equity, or de-risking instruments — alongside policy and technical support to scale-up private sector investment in low-carbon markets.