Michael Lenox

The Earth is in trouble. Spoiler alert: There are no easy fixes. Many experts — including scientists, policymakers and business leaders — argue that to address sustainability challenges requires innovation on a massive scale. In the environmental crisis, the acceleration and adoption of sustainable technologies could change the game.

Greenwashing is whitewashing, or hypocrisy, in the business world with regard to environmental claims. It’s when a company presents a façade of being “green,” or doing something environmentally friendly, while not fully living up to that claim — usually in order to gain the favor of consumers, activists or the wider public.

From government regulators and environmental activists to human rights watchdog organizations and other special interest groups — “nonmarket” forces have proliferated in recent years, creating a need for companies to develop a careful, more proactive approach to such external factors and pressures.

In this Three Things video, Darden Professor Michael Lenox discusses three classic patterns of disruption.

There is no question the current sustainability crisis — from climate change to resource depletion — requires that the world transition to a low-carbon, environmentally friendly economy. The question is how to do this quickly.

When new technology makes an industry ripe for disruption, a leading wave of innovators simply pursue the possible. As consumers embrace their new choices, the trailing wave of popular demand means incumbents are better served preparing for the future than digging in to protect the old paradigm.