The nightmare is not over and the repercussions in terms of regulations and the future of BP are far from certain. But it’s high time to start sifting through the wreckage for some learning so we can avoid similar catastrophes…Here are my top five lessons, running from geopolitical and philosophical to corporate-level branding and strategy.
Transparency is one of the driving forces keeping the green and sustainability waves moving (it’s a theme I touch on in my new book, Green Recovery, coming out this summer, so I’ll return to this topic over the coming months). I believe that we’re rapidly entering an era of radical openness, driven both by regulation — see the EPAs recent announcement that it plans to “ask” 13,000 facilities in the United States to share data on carbon emissions — and the rising demands of employees and customers, particularly the younger ones. The new level of transparency will make any of us old enough to remember a world before MTV uncomfortable. But the Facebook and MySpace generation will have no problem with it — in fact, they’ll be expecting it.
‘Is the World Better Off Because Your Company Is In It?’: Examining Corporate Climate Responsibility
