There’s a new word these days in the board rooms and it’s called “sustainability”.

Often overlooked as an ‘environmentalist’s’ word that meant increased costs to executives… the smart ones are beginning to see the light about its true meaning and its long term benefits. Take for example Patrick Cescau, CEO of Unilever who has been quoted as saying “You can’t ignore the impact your company has on the community and environment”.

Sustainability is about meeting humanity’s needs without harming future generations, and this is in everybody’s best interests. You see… there is a world out there that is dying; many living in poverty, without clean water, and even without food. But these represent 40% of the world’s population and for major corporations, this means a realy big market to sell products to.

“There is 100% overlap between our business drivers and social and environmental interests,” says Dow CEO Andrew N. Liveris. How right he is. But can the shareholders grasp this concept?

While most investors are looking for a company’s profitability… the smart ones have realized that there is more to business than profit; the key is to ensure prosperity. And prosperity is something that all stakeholders can participate in, from employees to customers, from investors to suppliers, from management to the admin staff.

When a company focuses on prosperity, everybody profits. And a company that focuses on sustainability, has taken the first step on the path to prosperity.