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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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You are here: Home / Publications / Reports

Reports

picture-28

Four trajectories flagged in Volans report #1, The Phoenix Economy

Since I began work in 1974, I have been author of co-author of some 50 published reports, which are listed below.

Our first report at Volans was The Phoenix Economy: 50 Pioneers in the Business of Social Innovation. Among other things, this contrasted the long-established oscillation between ‘Bull’ and ‘Bear’ markets with the emerging oscillation between ‘Dragon’ (e.g. China’s environment-intensive development) and ‘Phoenix’ (e.g. well targeted government programs designed to drive sustainability-oriented creative destruction) economies.

The latest Volans report that I primarily authored is Breakthrough: Business Leaders, Market Revolutions. I was also part of the team that produced Investing in Breakthrough: Corporate Venture Capital, launched in the first half of 2014.

breakthrough-report 2

One of the key diagrams in the Breakthrough report is shown below, plotting the evolution of our agenda, and indicating the levels of business engaged at each successive stage.

breakthrough-diagram 2

My first published report, co-authored with John Roberts and Roger McGlynn, appeared in 1976. At the time, we were focusing on a range of issues like improving the pedestrian’s environment and the provision of urban air quality and waste services. The diversity of subjects on which ( and sundry teams have produced reports in subsequent years is fairly mind-boggling.

2014

Investing in Breakthrough: Corporate Venture Capital

Volans, with Global Corporate Venturing, The Social Investment Business and the MacArthur Foundation. ISBN 978-0-9562166-3-2

2013

Breakthrough: Business Leaders, Market Revolutions

Volans. ISBN 978-0-9562166-2-5

2011

The Future Quotient: 50 Stars in Seriously Long-Term Innovation

Volans, with JWT. ISBN 978-0-9562166-1-8

2010

The Transparent Economy: Six Tigers that Stalk the Global Recovery – and How to Tame Them

Volans, with the Global Reporting Initiative, Dow Chemical Company, Novo Nordisk and SAP. ISBN 978-90-8866-036-8

The Biosphere Economy: Natural Limits Can Spur Creativity, Innovation and Growth

Volans, with Tellus Mater and B4E. ISBN 978-0-9562166-1-8

2009

The Phoenix Economy: 50 Pioneers in the Business of Social Innovation

Volans, with EDB, Net Impact, the Skoll Foundation, SustainAbility and UNEP. ISBN 978-0-9562166-0-1

2008

The Social Intrapreneur: A Field Guide for Corporate Changemakers

SustainAbility, with the Skoll Foundation. ISBN 978-1-903168-22-6

2007

Growing Opportunity: Entrepreneurial Solutions to Insoluble Problems

SustainAbility, with the Skoll Foundation, Allianz and DuPont.

Raising Our Game: Can We Sustain Globalization?

SustainAbility, with Ford, Novo Nordisk, Shell, the Skoll Foundation and Vodafone. ISBN to come

2006

Tomorrow’s Value: The Global Reporters 2006 Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting

SustainAbility. ISBN to come

[GAP, TO BE COMPLETED]

2004

Risk & Opportunity: Best Practice in Non-Financial Reporting

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Standard & Poor’s. ISBN 1-903168-12-0

2003

The 21st Century NGO: In the Market for Change

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Global Compact, the International Finance Corporation and others. ISBN 1903168082

2002

Trust Us: The Global Reporters 2002 Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 1903168066

Good News & Bad: The Media, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development

SustainAbility with Ketchum and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 190316804X

2001

Buried Treasure: Uncovering the Business Case for Corporate Sustainable Development

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 1903168023

Driving Sustainability: Can the Auto Sector Deliver Sustainable Mobility?

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 1903168031

2000

The Global Reporters: The First International Benchmark Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 1903168015

Life & Science: Accountability, Transparency, Citizenship and Governance in the Life Sciences Sector

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 1903168007

1999

The Oil Sector Report: A Review of Environmental Disclosure in the Oil Industry

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190494

The Internet Reporting Report: “The network economy is founded on technology, but it can only be built on relationships. It starts with chips and ends with trust”

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190451

The Social Reporting Report

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), sponsored by Royal Dutch/Shell Group. ISBN 0952190427

1998

The CEO Agenda: Can Business Leaders Satisfy the Triple Bottom Line?

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190478

The Non-Reporting Report

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190486

1997

Strange Attractor: The Business-ENGO Partnership

A Strategic Review of BP’s Relationships with Environmental NGOs, SustainAbility for BP

The 1997 Benchmark Survey: Third International Progress Report on Company Environmental Reporting

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 095219046X

1996

Engaging Stakeholders: The Case Studies

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190443

Engaging Stakeholders: The Benchmark Survey

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ISBN 0952190435

1995

Who Needs It? Market Implications of Sustainable Lifestyles

SustainAbility with Dow Chemical. ISBN 0952190419

1994

Company Environmental Reporting: A Measure of the Progress of Business and Industry towards Sustainable Development

SustainAbility with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP IE Technical Report 24

1993

Coming Clean: Corporate Environmental Reporting – Opening Up for Sustainable Development

SustainAbility with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International (DTTI) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). ISBN 0942640039

The LCA Sourcebook: A European Business Guide to Life-Cycle Assessment

SustainAbility with the Society for the Promotion of LCA Development (SPOLD) and Business in the Environment (BiE). ISBN 0952190400

1990

Automotive Polymers and the Environment: Issues and Views in Europe

SustainAbility with Dow Plastics

The Green Wave: A Report on the 1990 GreenWorld Survey

SustainAbility sponsored by British Gas, London

1989

Cleaning Up: US Waste Management Technology and Third World Development

With Jonathan Shopley, for the World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington, DC. ISBN 0915825287

1988

The Shrinking Planet: US Information Technology and Sustainable Development

With Jonathan Shopley, for the World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington, DC. ISBN 0915825201

1987

Thailand Natural Resources Profile: Is the Resource Base for Thailand’s Development Sustainable?

Co-editor with Dr Dhira Phantumvanit, for the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), the National Environment Board, the Department of Technical and Economic Co-operation and the US Agency for International Development (USAID)

1986

Double Dividends? US Biotechnology and Third World Development

For the World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington, DC. ISBN 0915825163

1986

Nature Conservation Guidelines for Onshore Oil and Gas Development

John Elkington Associates for Nature Conservancy Council and BP. ISBN 0861393465

1985

Bio-Japan: The Emerging Japanese Challenge in Biotechnology

John Elkington, Oyez Scientific & Technical Services, London. ISBN 0907822525

1983

The Conservation and Development Programme for the UK: A response to the World Conservation Strategy

Kogan Page, London. ISBN 085038768X.

Cleaner Technologies: Making Pollution Prevention Pay

Oyez Scientific & Technical Services, London

1981

Pollution 1990: The Environmental Implications of Britain’s Industrial Structure and Technologies

Environmental Data Services (ENDS), London, for the Department of the Environment. ISBN 0907673007

1980

Environmental Impact Assessment

Oyez Publishing, London. ISBN 0851205488

1978

Europe 1990: Patterns of Environmental Protection and Planning

John Elkington and John Roberts, for Hudson Research Europe, Paris

1976

The Pedestrian: Planning and Research

John Elkington, Roger McGlynn and John Roberts, Transport and Environment Studies (TEST), London. ISBN 090554501X

 

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From the Journal

On The Stream

24 March 2023

And here I go again, this time podcasting via The Stream. Thanks Will and Tom.

Green Swans For Startups

17 March 2023

Nice to see Green Swans making this list of the best sustainable business books for startups.

Catching WWA Wave In Truro

3 March 2023

Across to Truro, Cornwall, last night to speak at an event in the Hall for Cornwall today. Celebrating presentation to Ward Williams Associates (WWA) of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise/Sustainable Development. Wonderful to be introduced by Chris Hines, founder of Surfers Against Sewage, one of my very favourite campaigning groups, who had helped us as […]

About

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

Contact

john@johnelkington.com  |  +44 203 701 7550 | Twitter: @volansjohn

John Elkington

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