What does Corporate Responsibility really mean? And why?

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/05/23/what-does-corporate-responsibility-really-mean/

What's in a Title

After dropping my daughter off at school the other morning, I got on my regular bus to come to the office. As it happened, another mum was on the bus too and we started talking about the normal things – kids, school activities, the weather, holidays, etc. Then she asked me what I did. I spewed out my usual 30-second pitch and she raised her eyebrows and said "Oh then, you must be really busy". 

I smiled and took a couple of seconds to frame my response. My answer came out like this - "Well, yes, we are really busy talking to lots of companies and there is a lot of interest in the industry. However, there is also a lot of internal debate about which areas of the business are going to actually commit the resources to do the work and therefore it can be a little frustrating." 

As I reflect on the way this came out of my mouth, I realize that this is where the next level of evolution in LCA is going to come from. The scientific work has been done (more or less - there are still standards to publish and studies to read, but most everyone is roughly on the same page), the tools have been created (at last count, we came up with half a dozen products that are now firmly in the business of producing LCAs), and the value has been proven (read any CSR report or Environmental Leader article to see the latest anecdote).

However, there is still an uncertainty - and perhaps even a real reluctance to decide - who should be responsible for measuring and reducing environmental impact. We speak to directors of Risk & Compliance, EHS, Marketing & Communications, Brands, Innovation, R&D, Environment, CEOs, COOs, and others, and there is no way to confidently predict who among these wieldy and impressive titles has the actual responsibility of running LCAs and reducing a company's environmental impact.

And it's ironic really, because there is really no doubt that measuring and reducing environmental impact saves money. Potentially, lots of money. And so shouldn't all these people be clamouring for the role of saving the company money. Maybe someday soon, but certainly not yet.