7 Sustainability Books for Implementing Going Green in Your Business

If you’re thinking about going green at your workplace and are wondering what books are available to give you ideas of what is possible, what others businesses have done, and some actions you could take, definitely check out some of the books listed below. There are some classics in here, and there are some titles that you may not have heard of.

Two caveats: 1) I’ve read some but not all of these. The others are on my list of ‘to read’ based on others’ recommendations. 2) This post contains affiliate links for books I recommend.

1. The Ecology of Commerce – Paul Hawken

Paul Hawken’s book is a classic, and was way ahead of its time when it came out in 1993. In it, Hawken proposes a way that business and the environment can coexist instead of butting heads. Hawken sees a world where businesses “increase the general well-being of humankind through service, a creative invention and ethical philosophy.” He envisions a restorative economy, where businesses sustain, rather than destroy, our environment. He looks at three different areas where businesses could effect change, by reducing the resources they use, the pollutants and toxins that they put in the air, and the waste they generate. Hawken’s vision, thankfully, is slowly becoming a reality but this is still a worthwhile read if you are looking to understand how business could learn from the environment, and what a win-win for business and the environment could look like. 

2. Cradle to Cradle  - Michael Braungart and William McDonough

I read this book when it came out, over 15 years ago. It was ahead of its time then, but like Hawken’s book, it is now closer to our reality (though we still have a long way to go). Braungart and McDonough propose using nature as our business model, where one system’s waste equals another’s food. Applying this to products would mean designing by taking the entire life cycle into account. Once a product has completed its useful life, it would then be used as ‘nourishment’ for another product.  Much of the book is focused on taking that idea and putting it into practice, which makes it a great starting point if your business is looking to design a new product and minimize the impact on the planet.

3. Green to Gold – Daniel Etsy and Andrew Winston

Sustainability and going green clearly are beneficial for the bottom line, and in Green to Gold, Etsy and Winston discuss the many benefits that companies can capitalize on by going green. This includes risk management, cost savings, and enhancied brand perception. The book is based on hundreds of interviews with business leaders globally as well as the authors’ many years of experience. Etsy and Winston provide examples of what the larger companies are doing, as well as steps that smaller organizations can take to achieve similar results. This is a great read for a mid-sized organization looking to get inspiration and tips from the ‘big guys’ and it is also relevant for smaller businesses, as some of the benefits and the steps recommended can also be applied to smaller businesses.

4. The Truth about Green Business - Gil Friend 

If you are a small or medium sized business and wondering how climate change will impact your business in the short and long term, grab this book. If you are wondering how a green strategy could be incorporated into your business, grab this book. If you are looking at green procurement or green products and services and what that means, grab this book. I think you’re starting to get the idea. This (relatively) short book packs a big punch, and in the last 13+ years that I’ve been helping businesses implement environmental sustainability, I haven’t seen many books that are as straight-forward as this one when it comes to going green.

5. Strategy for Sustainability - Adam Werbach

Regardless of the size of your business, Werbach’s book will give you ideas about how to incorporate environmentally sustainable business practices into your organizational strategy, and why this is important. Werbach looks at why companies are key to creating positive change, and makes the case that corporations should include sustainability as part of their culture if they want to be financially sustainable in the long term. He provides examples of companies that have benefited from sustainability, as well as others that lost out because they did not look ahead and incorporate it into their operations. This book provides some great examples, focuses on solutions, and looks at how to operationalize those solutions.

6. Green Giants: How Smart Companies Turn Sustainability into Billion-Dollar Businesses - E. Freya Williams

Williams analyzes nine companies that are worth at least $1 billion that have prioritized environmental sustainability and social responsibility, and have benefited as a result. The author provides data, interviews, and examples from companies such as Unilever, Tesla, Chipotle, GE, and other big names and shares the stories of how innovation and sustainability helped them grow their bottom line. Williams identifies six factors that these companies have in common that contributed to their success.If you are looking for inspiration and to see what the ‘big guys’ have done that has worked, this is a great read.

7. The Sustainability Mindset: Using the Matrix Map to Make Strategic Decisions - Steve Zommerman

I included this book because it focuses on providing guidance to non-profits. While the term ‘sustainability’ is used here to address financial sustainability, I thought it worthwhile to include because non-profits focus mainly on people or planet issues, so their mission is still related to the Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Profit. While I haven’t read it yet, the central tool of this book is the "matrix map" a 2-axis, 4-quadrant table that plots the dual bottom-line of a nonprofit: mission impact and financial viability. The author provides a step by step map to help organizations understand how their programs contribute to their mission and bottom line. If you are a non-profit executive, definitely check this out.

This wraps up my list for now. There are many great sustainability ‘how to’ books that have come out to support organizations on their sustainability journey, so if these don't resonate, be sure to check with your local bookstore or online for other titles. 

And if you are looking to go green and aren't sure where to start, check out our FREE Beginner's Guide to Creatively Grow Sales by Going Green. It has 50+ low-cost projects to use as a starting point.