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Nowadays “green issues” are in focus in different kinds of media. Almost all organizations have some environmental program and it can be seen on ads all over the place. Is it happening because of a feel good factor or only the fear of losing clients and seeing profit reducing? Do organizations must have green projects or it is only an extra? Is it possible to be green and to improve finance bottom line at the same time? Can project professionals interfere by a relevant way in company´s policies related to sustainability? To discover the answers to these questions and to know more about sustainablity in a business context, continue reading this text.

It is possible that CEOs from some organizations are really interested in doing green programs with the goal of improving the life in society and preserving the environment, but, in general, the most important point to them make a decision is profit. “Many [sustainability] projects fail because CEOs do not pay attention to them.”, says Aaron Shener, PMP, institute professor of management and founder of the project management program at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hobokem, New Jersey, USA. “Too often, they see projects as costs, not as investments[...].”. These passages show us how much profit is important and overlaps social needs. “The best way to convince CEOs to get on board is to show ROI[Return On Investnment] in terms of financial savings and improved brand loyalty and recognition.”, says Cara Cannella, author of “Sustainability: a green formula”, 2008 Leadership in Project Management.

Around the world, in special places where productive activity is more intense, bad practices like burning fossil fuels are causing environmental problems like global warming. It is a serious question and people are aware. It is impossible, nowadays, in this context, to maintain an environmentally unworried organization. To retain customers and to establish a good reputation is indispensable to do green projects.

“There is emerging evidences that sustainable[projects] can deliver superior financial returns and market performance”, says Eric Lee, international director for property management firm Jones Lang La Salle, Hong Kong. Through green projects are possible to be more cost-effective, to pass this saving to customers and at the same time gain a better reputation. One example is Britsh Telecom, wich in 1996 embarked on a project to cut pollution by using energy-saving equipments in its data centers. “We can operate more cost-effectively and save money.”, says Steves O´Donnell, BT´s operates environment champion and global head of data centers and customer experience management. ”We want to be seen as a corporately, responsible, green, clean company.”.

Project professionals have an important role in green policies, because they are the bridge between CEOs and employees . This kind of professional should learn about roots of the business in order to compare his/her actions with competitors and measure customer perception. After, he/she should give the information to CEOs and convince them to adopt sustainable practices. At this moment is important to link ROI and sustainability.