Tamara Giltsoff: How Sustainability In Business Evolved Into ‘Impact Opportunity’

In an industry marketing to a consumer base whose behavior is difficult to change, how can large organizations incorporate sustainability into their business? This is the dilemma that Tamara Giltsoffaddressed at the PSFK CONFERENCE LONDON last month at Southbank Centre.

As the population continues to grow and water supplies dwindle, corporations will have to make changes to their products and production, says Giltsoff, and the way to do this is three-fold: adopt a new business model, map a business case which has sustainability at the core of its product development, and look at potential impact opportunity. In this way, you can explore your potential influence on the world around you, using digital resources, collaboration, and new start-up models.

Some highlights from the talk:

• Build a separate organization to explore new start-up models and technologies
• Don’t miss an opportunity to collaborate with other markets, especially secondary markets
• Digital technology and access can further sustainability
• Instead of saying ‘sustainability,’ think about the ‘impact opportunity’ your company could have
• Look for unmet needs in developing worlds and markets