Breakthrough is clearly written for a wide readership and will excite anyone who has an interest in supporting the green economy. It is an essential read for all those interested in knowing how Corporate South Africa views the green economy and how far it has come.
The book is comprehensive, and well constructed. It provides an ambitious overview of the green economy context and how it has found roots in South Africa. It provides a snap-shot into how a variety of companies have responded to the challenge of carbon pollution, climate change and environmental degradation and how they addressed these issues to their financial advantage. The book highlights the driving forces behind the corporate green economy strategies, plans and initiatives, and the results achieved. Case studies are contextualised per sector (such as the mining sector or banking sector). These sector contextual overviews are particularly informative.
Breakthrough is a collective effort of numerous corporates and academics to concisely recount their breakthroughs in a manner that would be meaningful to others. The authors hoped that, by providing examples of corporate trail blazers, the book would serve to inspire new champions to come on board and scale up green economy initiatives. The contents are skilfully pulled together by the editor, Godwell Nhamo, who is a Chief Researcher and Chair for the Exxaro Chair in Business and Climate Change hosted by the Institute for Corporate Citizenship at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The book was warmly reviewed by Barney Kgope, the Director of Carbon Sinks Mitigation, in the Department of Environmental Affairs South Africa, who noted that the book would also inspire new career opportunities and skill sets for driving sustainable development. The book has academic support from Professor Divya Singh, the Vice Principle of UNISA, and it has business sector support from Joanne Yawitch, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Business Initiative, who wrote the Foreword.
The book comes in seven parts. Part 1 focuses on the ‘Green Economy Landscape’. This part considers both the international and national perspectives. Parts II to VI present different sector initiatives, namely ‘Mining and Energy’ (Part II), ‘Banking and Insurance’ (Part III), ‘Forest and Paper’ (Part IV), ‘Industrial’ (Part V) and ‘Retailing and Aviation’ (Part VI). The last chapter summarises the emerging issues.
Some of the breakthroughs covered in the book include: Exxaro Resources Ltd's ‘Powering Possibility Through Clean and Renewable Energy Technology’ ventures; Goldfields' ‘From Methane Curse to Carbon Trading’; Sasol's natural gas conversion and its low carbon transition flagship for the petrochemicals industry; Pele's renewable energy packages for households and small businesses across Africa; First Rand's ‘Responsible Financing and the Green Economy’; Nebanks's transition to low carbon operations; Santam's eco-centric journey addressing climate change through resource efficiency; Mondi's ‘Combined Heat and Power Systems’; Sappi's ‘Energy Self-sufficiency for Sustainably Managed Forestry and Manufacturing Operations’; Altron's ‘Linking Carbon to Culture’; Barloworld's ‘Ensuring Sustainability through Strategy’: Pick n Pay's supply chain connectivity, food security, and the green economy; and South African Airways response to civil aviation industry's drive towards low carbon skies.
The book details how the corporate world is taking increasingly bolder steps to commit to sustainable practices especially in the context of poverty eradication and social equity. It touches on the importance of partnership development. The book cites examples where companies have successfully aligned with government green policies and responded to government incentive schemes. It shows how many companies are actively supporting sustainable development forums and institutional development. It also provides evidence of successful community, non-governmental organisation and business partnerships that have helped corporates more strategically invest for greater development impact.
The book leaves critical review of the case studies to the reader, and rather focuses on summarising the efforts made by corporates to develop a green economy. Critics will find flaws in the advances companies are making but they will also find inspiration and admiration for the champions behind these initiatives who have worked relentlessly to blaze new green economy trails, making it a whole lot easier for new comers to build on their efforts.
The book could have given more consideration to the way forward. It did not stress the urgency of the situation. We are undoubtedly in a very tight race against time, and simply being satisfied with a few green initiatives whilst business as usual continues for the most part unaffected is not going to save humanity. Poisoning the world less fast will also not get us to ‘the future we want’. In the end the reader will decide whether it is a case of ‘too little too late’ or whether corporate South Africa is truly winning the race against time to build a green economy movement at the scale and pace proportional to the challenges we face. There is little doubt that this generation of business decision-makers will be defined by the efforts and actions they take to mitigate climate change, reverse environmental degradation and address social injustice.
Breakthrough is highly recommended to all sectors of society who are engaging in the green economy. The book provides insights and material that is useful on multiple levels going forward. It is well structured and packed with inspirational and detailed informative material. This book is one of the first of its kind for South Africa and the subject matter is timeous. This is one of those books that, as you read it, colleagues are queuing up to read next because it is so relevant to a wide range of people.