Kevin Brady is a corporate and product sustainability expert specializing in improving organizations’ environmental, social, and financial performance. As the founder of Sustainable Enterprise Consulting, he has helped Fortune and Global 500 companies in diverse industries such as mining, energy, consumer goods, transportation, and retail. In 2012, he was recognized as a member of Canada’s Clean 16 for his achievements in clean capitalism. Kevin has written a number of books and reports, including Mapping the Journey: Strategies and Action toward Sustainable Development, Eco-efficiency: Global Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century, and Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons Learned. He is also an adjunct professor at Carleton University School of Industrial Design.
Today, Kevin shares the story of how he started his career and the challenges of getting companies to look more favorably at sustainability. He provides insight into the four main types of companies focusing on sustainability and what they get right and wrong about their environmental footprint. We discuss greenwashing and how companies try to make themselves look more sustainable than they actually are. Kevin explains why sustainability goes beyond a company’s environmental impact and what it means for workers' rights. He also offers a glimpse into how he works with new companies and highlights what he focuses on.
“You have to have the tools and the right people to ask the right questions with the right data to make good decisions.” - Kevin Brady
This week on Innovation Talks:
- How Kevin got his start in sustainability
- The four main types of companies that focus on sustainability
- How investors have influenced sustainability
- The negative effects of greenwashing
- The source of 85% of a company’s sustainability impact
- Why sustainability goes beyond environmental impact
- How externalities affect greenhouse gas emissions
- The first aspect of sustainability Kevin looks at when working with a new company
- How Kevin became an adjunct professor
Resources Mentioned:
- Novelis Case Study
- Book: The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability by Paul Hawken
Connect with Kevin Brady:
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