A recent article by Katherine Heires titled "The Greening of Risk" and published in the October 2009 issue of Risk Professional Magazine featured ACCO co-founders Daniel Kreeger and Peter Gray, as well as ACCO Advisory Board members Cary Krosinsky (Trucost) and Bruce Klafter (Applied Materials).  The article leads off with the statement that "even companies that saw changes coming years ago will have to raise their game in environmental risk and compliance."

Excerpt

Corporations today are either up to speed when it comes to managing their environmental risks, or they are jeopardizing their viability. The warning comes not from an outspoken environmental activist, but rather from investment analyst Cary Krosinsky, co-editor of the book “Sustainable Investing: The Art of Long Term Performance” and vice president of Trucost, an environmental research firm based in London.

The sentiment may seem as fresh and pointed as the latest scientific pronouncement on global warming, but not for Trucost, which began advising private- and public-sector clients on environmental performance and business impacts in 2000. That same year, Santa Clara, California-based Applied Materials hired Bruce Klafter as a then-new kind of risk manager. A lawyer previously serving as a consultant to the semiconductor equipment company, Klafter became its full-time director of environmental, health and safety (EHS) legal affairs. In 2004 he was promoted to head of EHS, and he currently manages a team of more than 50, including one full-time lawyer, involved in the company’s compliance and environmental activities.

Klafter defines his role as “that of a risk management professional charged with assessing and anticipating environmental risks.” He considers ongoing analysis of the impact of climate change on business operations and periodic reviews and updates of business processes to be critical aspects of his job. He oversees energy usage, coping with resource scarcity and the control of toxic waste, the official release of carbon footprint numbers and establishment of emission-reduction goals, and outside environmental advisers who assist Applied Materials in its sustainability strategies. Klafter also represents the company in organizations such as the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) and Sustainable Silicon Valley, and is active on the environmental and energy committees of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

To read the full article, please click here.