The Adventure of Sustainable Performance, reviewed

We look at this positive attempt to try and hard bake ESG into what companies do, and ensure that it drives future business developments and growth.

The Adventure of Sustainable Performance, reviewed

The authors have real world experience of trying to tackle and implement ESG compliance and to integrate it into how their companies operate. This seems like a valuable and useful attribute when writing a book like this. They use an elephant related metaphor throughout the book to help capture the nature of the problem and the steps that need to be taken to turn around large organisations and to implement difficult and tricky goals. At the same time these actions are fundamentally necessary if we are going to survive as a species on this planet.

There are lots of good examples and case studies which help to illustrate and inform the reader about what can be done, and that they are not the first to walk this path. Hopefully this book inspires more to quickly follow in their footsteps, for all of our sakes.

More about the book

The Adventure of Sustainable Performance will help leaders reset their ambitions for sustainability and organisational performance. Authored by proven business leaders in ESG and sustainability, Stuart McLachlan and Dean Sanders show the insufficiency of “business as usual” models that place maximisation of shareholder value above other stakeholders and natural resources.

Leaning into their experiences of working with the C-Suite of some of the world’s largest multi-nationals, they argue powerfully, and with practical case studies and illustrations, how organisations need to build “total value systems” for all stakeholders, and to ensure the transition of value creating assets into the economy of the future.

The book starts by highlighting the reality of now. Then, by guiding the reader through the challenges of ESG compliance, it presents this new landscape as a platform for value creation. Finally, it uncovers the opportunities of net-zero, circular business models and a more just and inclusive capitalism as having huge potential in a new emerging era.

Through storytelling and interviews from many international leaders in business and sustainability, including from Nespresso, ServiceNow and Heinzel Group, as well as sustainable start-ups and ventures like Made Of Air and Lanzatech, the authors cover:

• The avalanche of new regulations and changes to the compliance landscape
• The opportunity for value creation beyond compliance box ticking
• Inspirational stories on how ambitions can be reset
• A destination that supports ongoing prosperity for humanity from sustainable performance models
• How purpose driven brands generate superior value
• The relationship between sustainability, talent and customer attraction, and
• How digital will play an increasingly important role as the world pivots in response to the climate crisis

This practical guidebook – from authors who work with leaders at the vanguard of this transition in large multi-national organisations, the public sector and start-ups – sets out an exciting invitation to remind us that the real spirit of enterprise is creativity, courage and vision.

The Adventure of Sustainable Performance will be available wherever books and ebooks are sold.

Praise for the book:

“Finally! The Adventure of Sustainable Performance is the ESG guide and an invaluable resource for CEOs, CFOs and any enterprise striving to meet stakeholder expectations. The authors remind us that we must go beyond environmental responsibility and fulfil our corporate social and governance obligations. Embarking on an ESG journey is no longer a nice-to-have; it is a business imperative.” —Gina Mastantuono, Chief Financial Officer, ServiceNow

“In The Adventure of Sustainable Performance, Stuart McLachlan and Dean Sanders remind us of the power of leadership in steering our enterprises and economies towards a decarbonised and regenerative future. At Rainforest Alliance we share the conviction that partnerships between the private sector, NGOs and governments are key to accelerate the shift to what the authors call “total value systems” at the scale required this decade. This is essential reading for any leader who wants to be part of shaping that future.” —Santiago Gowland, Chief Executive Officer, Rainforest Alliance

About the Authors:

STUART MCLACHLAN is a proven business leader with over 30 years experience in the ESG and sustainability space. He is a founder and CEO of Anthesis Group, one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Prior to this, Stuart was a Director on the Board of WSP Group PLC. Passionate about moving from talk to action he has dedicated his career to proving how business can be a force for good, and how superior financial returns are available as a result of authentic purpose.

DEAN SANDERS is Chief Enterprise Officer at Anthesis. He started his career at Jacobs Suchard in brand marketing before setting up GoodBrand in 1997. He has 25 years of experience in building sustainable performance strategies for some of the world’s leading multinational consumer brand companies. Dean serves as an Honorary Fellow at Durham University Business School.

In 1997 Dean Sanders gave up his job leading the marketing team of a multinational food company to launch himself into a new adventure as the founder of one of the earliest advisory firms in sustainability, GoodBrand. In 2013, Stuart McLachlan, with his co-founders, took the step to move from his 17-year career in a large UK based PLC, to start a company designed to move the market from talk to action in sustainability, ESG and climate transition. In 2019, these two entrepreneurs and pioneers merged their enterprises. In The Adventure of Sustainable Performance, the authors share their insights and visions of the future for business, drawing on interviews with leaders working out how to take their organisations beyond the compliance agenda and on to the journey towards impact and performance.

About Wiley:

Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in scientific research and career-connected education. Founded in 1807, Wiley enables discovery, powers education, and shapes workforces. Through its industry-leading content, digital platforms, and knowledge networks, the company delivers on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

See more book reviews here.