Own the Future: 50 Ways to Win from The Boston Consulting Group

Chapter 17

Potential Impacts of the New Sustainability Champions

David C. Michael, Kim Wagner, Knut Haanaes, Eugene Goh, Diederik Vismans, Jeremy Jurgens, and Lyuba Nazaruk

This chapter was written in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and is reprinted with permission.

Sustainability is a hot topic in the West, but companies in rapidly developing economies (RDEs) are far more likely to face resource constraints. How can they meet the challenge?

BCG, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, conducted a study of sustainability practices in a variety of industries. We identified several sustainability champions in RDEs that combine a profitable, growing business with the efficient consumption of scarce assets. These champions have discovered innovative ways to drive sustainable growth, and they are reshaping the business landscape in developing economies. Collectively and individually, they are becoming inspirational models for their emerging-market peers. If other companies in the same industries were to emulate their approach, using existing practices and technology, RDEs would make enormous strides in sustainability—and the entire planet would benefit. In this chapter, we discuss two of these champions and their ongoing contributions to sustainability.

Innovations on the Ground

RDEs are often portrayed as the inevitable laggards in the drive toward sustainability. ...