SSNE: Sustainable Business and Government Roundtable Overview

What is it?

A facilitated, one-day dialogue, by invitation only, between selected business leaders in sustainability and government leaders to explore the question: How can government support and enhance leading business practices that are based on sustainable business models?

Our perspective was that leading sustainable businesses were pioneers who saw the world in a new way. They were out in front exploring this new territory. Each pioneer company had a slightly different view of this new territory and its opportunities and pitfalls. By bringing them together in conversation, everyone could deepen their understanding of what the emerging territory involved, learn from each other, and identify the most effective ways to enable more companies to follow in their footsteps, and/or for the leading firms to go further in the pursuit of sustainability. As government leaders heard their stories, they could bring their perspective on how the tools of government could be used to accelerate these changes, either by taking new actions or removing obstacles.

Why did we think it was important?

• Advance sustainability. Engage people in government to understand how companies are taking proactive approaches to sustainability and identify areas how government could help them succeed and get other companies to follow their lead.
• Inform government. Important for government to hear what leading businesses are doing, outside of the regulatory context.
• Build a network. Sustainable businesses and government seldom talk to each other. Sustainable businesses often don’t know each other. Opportunity for shared learning and new relationships to pursue joint interests.
• Ideas spawn other ideas. Open process for leaders to talk with other leaders; learn from business stories; personal testimonials.
• Sustainability progress requires cross-sector solutions. Organizations pursuing sustainability hit barriers requiring changes involving government, business, utilities, etc. This process was one way to create new communication channels and solutions across sectors.

How did it work?

• Basic structure of the dialogue:
  • Context of the day was a long-term vision of sustainability
  • Each business leader very briefly told his/her story: what got them started, why they see sustainability as important, key challenges and opportunities. Government leaders listened and responded with clarifying questions.
  • Large group splits into smaller groups where participants brainstormed how to make progress on key issues, with lots of opportunities for cross-fertilization.
  • Specific recommendations for action were developed.
• Roundtable was facilitated by content-knowledgeable people in environmental issues, management and government, who were also experienced facilitators
• Dialogue was intentionally kept small: 12 or so businesses and same or fewer government people enabled conversation, confidentiality and candor
• Location of event and food reflected sustainable themes
• Facilitators wrote up key findings, circulated back to participants for accuracy, and promoted action on the recommendations.

Results

In the initial Massachusetts roundtable, the following were the four high-leverage areas where business and government can foster sustainable practices. Specific recommendations were made for each:

1. Promotion of markets for environmentally-preferable products and services;
2. Government procurement of environmentally-preferable products and services;
3. Energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy; and
4. Government promotion, recognition, and initiatives to support business leaders, and leverage business leadership.

Roundtable Reports

* Boston, September 2007 Executive Summary (pdf)
* New Hampshire, March 2006 Executive Summary (pdf) and Full Report (pdf)
* Massachusetts, May 2005 Executive Summary (pdf) and Full Report (pdf)

Many of the concepts that we talked about at the Business/Government Roundtable have found their way into recent EPA discussions with the Administrator as we define the agency's vision of stewardship and sustainability.

Derry Allen,
Counselor
US EPA Office of Environmental Policy Innovation

The SSNE Roundtable was a great opportunity to openly share achievements and goals of both the regulated community and regulatory agencies in working towards a sustainable economy and preservation of the natural environment.

Rick Mattila,
Director of Environmental Affairs
Genzyme Center

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