Companies who embrace sustainable practices are gaining huge economic rewards and represent real 'drivers for change', a US champion of sustainable development argued in a lecture given at the Institute for Manufacturing.  Hunter Lovins, Professor of Sustainable Management at the Presidio School of Management in the US, said that there is a real business case for sustainability which companies ignore at their peril. The successful companies of the future will be those who recognise the need to protect the environment and seize the opportunities this offers their business.

Companies are already saving billions of dollars by reducing their energy consumption, improving their productivity and redesigning products along more sustainable lines, she said. Environmentally enlightened companies in a range of sectors, including oil and gas, US electric utilities, and forest and paper products have consistently outperformed 'environmental laggards' in terms of total return and growth in share price.

Hunter Lovins is founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions, a non-profit organisation that aims to educate senior decision-makers in business, government and society about the principles of sustainability. She is author of many books on sustainability and has addressed the World Economic Forum, the U.S. Congress and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Find out more at http://www.natcapsolutions.org