Greg Bourne represents the changing face of the green movement – and of business. A former oilman, he’s currently CEO of the WWF where he regularly works with business and government to find solutions with a triple bottom line. Indeed, like the businessman who developed and encouraged the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility, Bourne is part of a generation of business leaders who’ve seen the writing on the wall: resources are finite, alternatives must be found. And design too has an essential role.

What impact can environmental sustainability have on social and economic factors?

From a business perspective, reducing a firm’s footprint not only allows for better environmental outcomes, but also better social outcomes and economic outcomes in terms of its profitability and longevity.

Is it led by consumers pushing business to do this?

One certainly is consumer activism. It also comes from the top of some firms when they realise that in the long run they are going to be out of business unless they find a more sustainable way to go forward. Pressure also comes from government – rules and regulations are changed. The final one to become important is at the large retail end where companies have the ability to ensure bad products are not on shelves. So, within the supply chain, being able to intervene is really key.

Has the rate of adopting a triple bottom line (TBL) been fast enough, and what would it take to accelerate change?

‘As you raise the bar, the game is high jump, it’s not limbo’. It accelerates because the top quartile of companies are already there. And given that everyone wants to be in the top quartile, not the fourth, then it accelerates because momentum is created. As long as society wants environmental and social performance improved by firms, the bar raises. The moment the general public takes their eye off the bar, there are other firms happily eroding the standards and bringing them down. So it’s a dynamic process.

What’s the role of WWF in lobbying business to consider environmental sustainability?

We see our role as working on how you find a solution. Working with business and with government is the area we find most fruitful with regard to the footprint of a particular firm or sector.

Can you give an example where WWF was particularly successful?

The Forest Stewardship Council is an organisation ‘birthed’, as it were, by WWF primarily a bit over a decade ago. We wanted to ensure that the forest being used had passed very stringent social, environmental and economic criteria. It is effectively an embodiment of the triple bottom line.

What’s the role of government?

Were all governments required to print only on FSC® papers with non-toxic inks it would send a really powerful signal throughout the whole of business, and then things would change. Awareness plus action is the real key.

Is it too easy to say it’s up to clients to lead this?

It does come from the client, but it also comes from the design end, no doubt about it. I’m absolutely sure the top quality firms who are commissioning lots of work will be buying from the leaders in the design industry and raising the bar.

What are three easy first steps for the design community?

Being aware of the environmental and social impacts of your design processes is the first thing. And then saying, ‘How would I push this? How would I make this more environmentally friendly, more socially friendly?’ And then unashamedly, ‘Can I make a margin out of it? Can I bring that attribute into my product and service and improve my economic bottom line?’.

What are the most pressing environmental issues in Australia today?

Climate change tends to dwarf everything that is changing around us.

How well does Australia rate in terms of environmental sustainability issues?

In terms of the consumption of land, energy we use, and food fibre and produce we use to support our lifestyle we have the fifth highest footprint on the planet – and high is not good.

What’s an essential information resource on environmental sustainability?

The United Nations Millennium Goals site:

www.un.org/millenniumgoals

Global Reporting Initiative:

http://www.global reporting.org

Living Planet Report 2008:

http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report