How to become a sustainable leader

Sustainability has become one of the most talked about features of business around the world. Even giants like Burger King, whose very business model revolves around a product that's not terribly good for the environment, is taking a good hard look at their products and trying to make them more sustainable.

Not only are they one of the first fast food companies to make alternative meat patties an option, they also recently announced they would change the diet of their cows in order to reduce methane production.

These are important steps for a lot of reasons—the main one being that this company is showing how even businesses not generally associated with sustainability can take steps to lower their emissions.

Regardless of what kind of business you run, chances are you can take steps to make it more sustainable. Today, consumer pressure is demanding that action be taken, which makes those who can lead highly desirable for today's competitive marketplace.

Empowering companies to succeed

One of the reasons there aren't as many leaders in sustainability right now as there could be, is that many people think that sustainability comes at the expense of shareholders. A review of over 100 different studies conducted by Deutsche Bank found the opposite to be true.

Companies that are more sustainable actually tend to be lower risk, with more rewards in terms of investments for both the business and shareholders. The same research also suggested that these companies also tend to outperform in the marketplace.

Becoming a sustainable leader

Any company can take steps to become more sustainable. Important markers of a successful leader in sustainability includes a strong vision, a sustainability mindset, and someone who has already started working to make a difference.

We need more powerful leaders in sustainability, and we've already seen that even the most unlikely companies can make a shift for the better. If more companies change over, we may yet turn the tides on global warming.