Q&A with Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breen, authors of The Responsibility Revolution

Why did you write this book?

An overwhelming majority of CEOs say they are doing more to push environmental and social strategies into their operations than ever before. Trouble is, too many companies are failing to achieve the hoped-for results. We wrote the book to show how the leaders of the responsibility revolution are successfully building market share and growing revenue by confronting social and environmental challenges.

What’s wrong with how most companies are addressing responsibility today? 

Too many of the do-good claims by big companies amount to little more than marketing pap. As a result greenwashing is soaring, consumers’ trust in companies is eroding, and the brand called business is suffering. That’s unacceptable. We need corporate America to authentically champion sustainability.

Why did the first generation of the corporate responsibility movement fail to make much progress? 

In fact, that first generation made terrific progress. Multinationals like Unilever, Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive, and Groupe Danone spent hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring natural-based Ben & Jerry’s, Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, and Stonyfield Farm, precisely because they and other pioneering outfits proved beyond all doubt that when you put mission first, profits follow. That said, it’s our view that corporate responsibility is nearing the end of its evolutionary arc. 

To read more, download the PDF of the Q&A today!

“Points towards true north for our evolution to the next revolution in business.”

—Walter Robb, President and COO, Whole Foods Market

 “Building a sustainable enterprise requires the artful balance of making tough choices and having big ideas. In The Responsibility Revolution, Hollender and Breen throw down the gauntlet to all of us to create better corporations that also create a better world.”

—Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO and author, Change By Design

 “The Responsibility Revolution delivers a truckload of examples for growing a company that benefits society as well as shareholders. I only wish we had its real-world lessons when we launched Ben & Jerry’s."

—Ben Cohen, Co-Founder, Ben & Jerry’s

• Responsibility Revolution QA (417626 Bytes)