Sustainability Jujitsu: Turning Crises Into Opportunities

A sustainable corporation finds ways to create profit for its shareholders while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those with whom it interacts. As more companies turn their attention toward sustainability, they may find that their past practices were not always best practices. But smart managers are turning adversity into opportunity with a technique we call "sustainability jujitsu."

NIKE'S LESSON

Nike learned sustainability jujitsu the hard way. Tipped off by a human rights activist, Life magazine reported a story in 1996 entitled "Six Cents an Hour," which featured a photographof Tariq, a 12-year-old boy whose job it was to stitch Nike soccer balls. The unspoken contrastwith the millions being paid by Nike in endorsement fees to athletes like Michael Jordan struckmany as morally repugnant. In a matter of weeks, crowds stood in front of Nike retail outlets, holding up Tariq's photo and urging a boycott.
Nike's immediate response simply fueled the fire. CEO Phil Knight attacked Nike critics as "people who have sort of their own reasons for the business that they're in." He was to spend most of the next decade trying to undo the damage.

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