1986
John Elkington (who had been working on environment, development and business since 1974) recruits Julia Hailes to work with him on two projects based at the Earthlife Foundation.
John coins the term ‘green consumer’ whilst developing a major exhibition on green design for the UK-based Design Council.
1987
Earthlife implodes; John and Julia continue work on two projects, even though funding has all but disappeared. SustainAbility is established as a limited company.
John publishes The Green Capitalists, with a chapter by Tom Burke. Two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, they conclude that the future is with business and markets.
1988
The Green Consumer Guide is published alongside Green Consumer Week and proves to be a global best-seller. This is the first of a series of consumer-focused books published over the following decade. The book and week put SustainAbility on the map.
1989
Consultancy side of John Elkington Associates (founded 1983) is folded into SustainAbility. John Elkington Associates continues as vehicle for John’s books and projects.
John and Julia elected to UN Global 500 Roll of Honour for their “outstanding environmental achievements”. They invest a significant slice of their book royalties in SustainAbility.
The first of a series of international retainer clients are signed up, including Dow Europe, Procter & Gamble and Novo Nordisk. Work begins on The Environmental Audit report with WWF, which helps spur rapid growth in environmental auditing. SustainAbility emerges as a key player in the field.
1990
As the client base grows, SustainAbility’s offices moves from the Elkington family home to a shared office with Brand New Product Development, near Notting Hill. Dr Vernon Jennings joins us from Unilever as our third Director.
We launch a major project with Brand New and Dow Europe looking at recycling of polymers in the auto and packaging sectors.
We work hard throughout the early 1990s to combine cutting edge insight on societal trends with growing consulting demands.
1993
Geoff Lye joins the Board and helps us to professionalize, bringing a more strategic management approach to our enduring NGO-like culture.
Working with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), we publish Coming Clean, our first survey of corporate environmental reports. We also launch The LCA Sourcebook, pulling together work in the area of life-cycle assessment and new product development.
1994
Early development of ‘waves’ model of social change begins. We also start to develop the ‘triple bottom line’ concept and coin the phrase itself. We follow that up with the term ‘People, Planet, Profit’.
In the process, our portfolio evolves from a predominantly environmental one to one with a wider focus on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of business and market performance.
We launch our first benchmark survey of company reporting with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – and establish the ‘Engaging Stakeholders’ programme.
1995
Shell unintentionally comes to symbolise the social and environmental aspects of the Triple Bottom Line challenge because of the Brent Spar and Nigerian controversies. SustainAbility work with a growing number of companies trying to understand the implications. We decline to work with Shell.
Julia resigns to start a family, but remains close to the organisation as a cornerstone member of our new Council (see 1996).
1996
As the political dimensions of the agenda heat up and companies take our advice increasingly seriously, we launch our 10-person Council. It is designed to test our thinking and priorities and, in particular, to guide our engagement with key, controversial companies.
This thinking is subsequently broadened to form a 60-person Faculty, helping connect us to emerging best thinking and practice worldwide.
Turnover exceeds £500,000 for the first time.
1997
Cannibals with Forks is published, and proves a key text on the triple bottom line agenda for business.
We begin working with Shell, advising on their new Profit and Principles report series and the underlying strategy.
1998
We resign our relationship with Monsanto, because they resist our advice on societal tensions in Europe with regard to GM technology.
Bill Ford invites SustainAbility to work with the Ford Motor Company.
We publish The Social Reporting Report with UNEP and Shell.
1999
Peter Zollinger joins as Executive Director.
SA moves to Knightsbridge.
The New Foods Guide is published, signalling new interest at SustainAbility in the agriculture, food and health sectors, and in supply chain traceability. We also publish the first of our sector reports, on the oil industry. Later reports cover automobiles and life sciences.
2000
We publish our first Global Reporters benchmark survey, The Global Reporters.
2001
We break the £1 million turnover mark (£1.375m) for the first time and open our first overseas office in New York.
The Chrysalis Economy is published, focusing on the need to blend values and value creation. Buried Treasure, the first of our reports on the business case for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development, is also published.
Working with the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), we launch The Power to Change, introducing the LEADER Principles for high-performance boards. Alongside GPC (Government Policy Consultants), we start campaigning on transparency in corporate lobbying – leading to projects with The Green Alliance, Greenpeace and WWF, plus several client engagements. We get more involved in the world of social entrepreneurs, through the Schwab Foundation.
2002
SustainAbility participates for the first time in the World Economic Forum, which this year takes place in New York. Working alongside UNEP and Ketchum, we publish Good News & Bad – our first survey of the media sector. We also launch our second Global Reporters benchmark survey, Trust Us.
Developing Value, our second business case report is launched. Developed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Ethos Institute it focuses on emerging economies. Our client work in this area takes another step forward with Ford, India.
Jeff Erikson is appointed Director of Operations in the US.
Tom Delfgaauw former Vice President of Sustainable Development at Shell joins us as SustainAbility’s first non-executive director.
Turnover exceeds £1,500,000 and full-time staff numbers reach 20.
2003
Yasmin Crowther and Seb Beloe are charged with heading up the London office and 'championing our consulting and research practices' whilst Peter Zollinger, our Executive Director, moves to Zurich to open an office there. Mark Lee joins from BSR to open an office in San Francisco and act as co- director of our US operations. Our New York office moves to Washington, DC.
We participate in the first World Social Forum in Brazil, and launch The 21st Century NGO: In the Market for Change report, published with the UN Global Compact.
Our revamped Radar is launched as a bi-monthly themed publication, including insight, interviews with key influencers, reviews and external contributions.
We notice a growing interest in our agenda in the Asia-Pacific region and Toyota join as a client.
2004
We publish Values for Money with the Mistra Foundation, looking at the future of SRI funds, and our global reporting benchmark, Risk & Opportunity is launched with mainstream ratings agency Standard & Poors. Gearing Up: from corporate responsibility to good governance and scaleable solutions is published with the UN Global Compact.
Sophia Tickell, of Oxfam and Just Pensions, becomes our second Non-Executive Director. New clients include Microsoft, Starbucks and ChevronTexaco. With new Faculty member Jed Emerson, we increasingly focus on ‘blended value’ as an evolution of triple bottom line thinking.
2005
SustainAbility is again represented at both the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
We exceed £2 million in turnover for the first time during financial 2004-05.
New Chair and CEO appointed to strengthen client offer and position as a catalyst for change in global markets. Sophia Tickell assumes the role of company Chair and Mark Lee becomes the Chief Executive Officer. John Elkington, SustainAbility’s Founder, maintains his full-time role and carries the title of Chief Entrepreneur. Peter Zollinger, SustainAbility’s previous Executive Director, remains part of the senior management team and hold accountability for a variety of key initiatives and partnerships.
