The Alphabet Soup of ESG / Sustainability / Etc Etc Again in Focus – is Triple Bottom Line Obsolete?

Author John W. Maxwell of the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) Board of Directors, and W. George Pinnell Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, looks at “Triple Bottom Line” and asks if it it time for this “frame” of reference to be retired.
A very thoughtful commentary – and a contribution to the very worthwhile discussion going on about nomenclature for the New Normal (to employ still another frame).  Last week at the NASDAQ-hosted event for corporate managers and asset owners, managers & analysts, the topic of nomenclature or frames or terms of reference, or whatever, was front and center.  The event, organized by Skytop Strategies in collaboration with G&A Institute and other partnering organizations, was standing-room-only (“SRO”).  Not only did every registrant come to the party, the usual percentage for no-show was the percentage for “did-show” over the roster of the registered.
ESG / Triple Bottom Line / CR / CSR / CorpGov / SRI / SI / RI …and so forth …were terms of reference and lively discussion for the assembled.  One session:  How do we get companies and investors to use the same vocabulary?  We’ll have more on this landmark meeting in New York City on June 19th for you in the weeks ahead.
For now -– we point you to the commentary on Triple Bottom Line -– thoughtful, with case histories on what is occurring  in the United Kingdom / EU … which is an arena a few years ahead of the United States of America in the “frame of reference” discussion.
Reframing Corporate Sustainability
(Thursday – June 18, 2015)
Source: Huff Post – One of the most famous frames related to corporate sustainability is the triple bottom line. The triple bottom line separates the way we think about business into three broad areas: economic, social and environmental. This frame…