Clean
Lessons from Ecolab's Century of Positive Impact
1. Edition March 2023
272 Pages, Hardcover
General Reading
Straightforward strategies for achieving sustainable practices and business success in the modern organization
In Clean: Lessons from Ecolab's Century of Positive Impact, a team of veteran sustainability experts delivers a practical toolkit for creating a forward-looking and sustainability-focused business. From Ecolab's origins in sustainability 100 years ago to its ambitious 2030 environment and social impact goals, this book lays out a roadmap for business transformation and continued growth - today and for the next 100 years.
You'll explore the principles and methods required to build and lead a sustainable company. You'll discover how to evolve your focus on sustainability over time, as your organization transforms and grows. You'll learn to:
* Build and maintain momentum for sustainability initiatives and cement your firm's commitment to new practices through iteration and aligning business units around core, shared sustainability goals.
* Embed new sustainable practices into your organization's governance and operations DNA
* Identify and leverage specific sustainability levers that impact a wide variety of key performance indicators
* Create a set of business processes that enable sustainable future and engage your employees in a higher purpose
An essential playbook for students of sustainability and business, this book is a must-read for the modern manager, executive, or director seeking to solidify their business strategy and future-proof their company. Clean: Lessons from Ecolab's Century of Positive Impact describes the holistic and comprehensive approach to responsible business that we've all been waiting for.
Acknowledgments xv
Foreword xvii
Chapter 1 The Call for a Sustainable World 1
Chapter 2 Perspective: The Foundation of Sustainability 23
Chapter 3 From Perspective to Purpose: eROI and the Three Phases of Sustainability 43
Chapter 4 The Tone at the Top: Executive Leadership and Management 67
Chapter 5 Leadership Throughout the Organization: 48,000 Strong and Counting 89
Chapter 6 Creating a Sustainable Product Pipeline 111
Chapter 7 Acquisitions: Sustainability Through Addition 135
Chapter 8 Divestiture: Sustainability Through Subtraction 155
Chapter 9 Catalyzing Sustainability Through Multi- Stakeholder Partnerships 175
Chapter 10 Looking Forward to Ecolab's Second Century 199
Notes 217
About the Authors 231
Index 233
--Joel Makower, Chairman and Co-founder, GreenBiz Group
"This book presents a powerful framework and case for a 'shift in mindset' when tackling today's sustainability challenges. Under Emilio's leadership, Ecolab is addressing the root cause of issues with nature-based interventions and a systems-thinking approach to improve and positively impact people and planet."
--Mary Jane Melendez, Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer, General Mills
"The world is waking up to what Ecolab already knows: that business success and sustainability are two sides of the same coin. As a result of climate change and other threats, sustainability has become essential to the survival of every business. And society depends on the private sector achieving sustainability because of its global reach and scale.
Fortunately, Clean provides concrete strategies for building a sustainable corporation. Offered in the form of hard-fought lessons from a corporate leader, Clean moves beyond simple accounting to address the root cause of problems and build solutions based on solid science.
For those already on the sustainability path and those now turning to it, Clean is a critical resource for corporate change-makers. The health of our planet, the just cause of vulnerable people and places, and the success of the economy turns on their efforts."
--Dr. Jessica Hellmann, Executive Director & Ecolab Chair for Environmental Leadership, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota
EMILIO R. TENUTA is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that help protect people and the resources vital to life. Over the past decade, Tenuta has led Ecolab's sustainability journey and has been actively involved in helping customers advance their global sustainability and ESG practices, with a focus on water stewardship and climate action.
