One of the challenges faced by businesses and governments as we move toward a post-carbon society is that the rules and standards seem to keep changing. As with the organics industry in the early 1980s, it is difficult to identify what “sustainable business” really means, how it is best measured, and how to compare the actions of one company with those of another with any kind of similar yardstick.

There are a handful of widely recognized products (ISO 14001, GRI, Six Sigma) that track, analyze and allow apples-to-apples reporting on company operations practices, but for most consumer products no single standard has yet prevailed. This leaves room in the current “green rush” for misleading marketing, and for brand competition as companies position themselves to fill the void.  Read more »