The New Entrepreneurial Leader

CHAPTER 6Sustainability Metrics: Has the Time Arrived for Accountants to Embrace SEERS Reporting?

Janice Bell, Virginia Soybel, and Robert Turner

IN THE 1990S, WHEN MANAGERS AT HEWLETT-PACKARD (HP) recognized that the soldering lead used in the company’s manufacturing process was toxic, they voluntarily initiated R&D projects to develop nontoxic, non-tarnishing, non-oxidizing alternatives. In 2006, when the European Union passed the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, HP was in compliance; this earned goodwill from regulators that resulted in a voice in future regulation of the industry, and it opened European markets for new services from HP (Nidumolu, Prahalad, Rangaswami 2009).

Here’s another real-world example: In 2004 Costco Wholesale ...