Everyone enjoys a pat on the back, but few deserve it as much as the courageous individuals who take up the challenge of driving the “green” agenda in the corporate world.
It’s a thankless task most of the time. Outsiders often accuse corporate environmental managers of “greenÂwashing”, and their colleagues either regard them with suspicion or have no idea what they are trying to achieve.
It is true the marketing departments of many companies capitalise on the efforts of their in-house environmentalists, but this should not be regarded as a negative trend — as long as a company’s environmental responsibility extends beyond slogans. Getting the marketing team on board can even strengthen the environmental manager’s case.
With a few lucky exceptions, environmental managers rarely have the direct support of their company executives or boards. They may be seen as “nice” to have, but they dare not stand in the way of the business of business, which is making money.
Fortunately, most companies are no longer able to ignore the realities of sustainable development and environmental impacts. Various United Nations summits over the past 15 years and the recent Stern Review, which pointed out the negative economic impacts of climate change, have helped to mainstream environmental issues in the corporate ethos.
But environmental managers still face an uphill battle. The shine has worn off the “sustainable” part of “sustainable development” since South Africa hosted the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. Companies are under pressure to deliver growth and socio-economic benefits, often at the expense of the environment.
Managers grappling with the nitty-gritty of implementing environmental sustainability find more and more that they hit a brick wall when their job interferes with the imperatives of development and short-term profits. Ironically, greater understanding of environmental issues in the corporate world appears to have engendered greater resistance to dealing with the problems in many quarters.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the annual Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards is the impetus they give to embattled environmental managers. Almost invariably it is the environmental managers who receive an award on behalf of their company.
At the awards giving ceremonies, they are usually accompanied by high-ranking executive members from their companies and occasionally by board members. Their achievements are trumpeted in a room filled with people who understand and applaud what they are doing. When they get back to the office, the gilt-framed awards they receive usually find pride of place in the companies’ halls of fame.
The M&G launched the Greening the Future Awards in 2003, with the aim of encouraging discourse and assisting in shaping policy on environmental governance within the corporate sector. The judging panel comprises experts in the field, lending credibility and integrity to the process of choosing winners.
Over the years, companies such as Mondi, Sasol, Richards Bay Minerals, Hillside Aluminium and the South African National Roads Agency have won awards in various categories. They have been rewarded for a particular project, practice or policy that advances environmental responsibility and care.
Some environmentalists have been critical of rewarding these large firms, because they say the core business of the companies is damaging to the environment. However, they miss the point of the awards — which is to recognise and advance environmental best practice and responsibility wherever they are found in the corporate world.
The M&G devotes plenty of space in the newspaper to exposing bad and irresponsible environmental practices in the corporate world. This is not the role of the Greening the Future Awards. Ignoring positive achievements that advance the green cause would be like throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.
In the Chemical Safety category, South African Fine and Industrial Chemicals (Safic) has won several awards in the past three awards. Top executives from the company attend the awards-giving ceremony every year and, spurred on by their achievements, Safic managers keep setting new benchmarks for responsibility in the chemicals industry.
The Greening the Future Awards are not aimed at honouring faceless corporations seeking positive spin, but rather at individuals who are trying to make the world a better place for present and future generations.
What better way is there to encourage good behaviour than to celebrate its champions? This is effectively what the awards are about — empowering environmental managers in a world that often seems hell-bent on colluding against them.