On the Road to Copenhagen With Hara’s Amit Chatterjee

We caught up with Amit Chatterjee, co-founder and CEO of Hara, as he was winding up the better part of two weeks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Here are some of my notes from our call:

• Amit estimated that the event drew over 40,000 attendees and observers, including 30,000 from nongovernmental organizations, 5,000 government delegates, 5,000 from businesses, and a smattering of celebrities. While most of the business attendees were from the sustainability or energy management departments, Amit estimated that there were 200 to 300 CEOs and C-level executives.
• The utility industry was well represented. Several European governments are considering offering incentives to the utilities in exchange for helping enterprises consume less energy and/or decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There was a lot of discussion about providing businesses with real-time data on energy consumption.
• Tied to operational efficiency, brand, and risk mitigation, carbon management is quickly emerging as a core element of corporate strategy. This is different than 12 months ago, when most of the focus was on compliance.
• Unilever and Coca-Cola jointly released a new consumer goods value chain how-to guide, “Moving Fast to a Cleaner Climate.”
• Amit said he saw “tremendous alignment among the business leaders present” on the need for a global framework and setting a price on carbon.
• While most of the press attention was focused on GHG, water was top of mind for many attendees. The combination of a rise in temperatures and lack of potable water could turn regions like Africa into “an incinerator,” as one attendee described it. For CPG companies, the primary issue is water conservation and reuse, while semiconductor manufacturers are worried about wastewater.
• MRV is the newest acronym. It stands for measure, report, and validate.
• Amit also contributed to the lexicon with NRP—natural resource planning—and “climate prosperity.” NRP implies a broader focus than just GHG emissions, while climate prosperity shifts the focus away from science or politics to the economics of sustainability.
• Organizers will be hosting a follow-on event in July in Mexico City. There was some discussion about a return to Copenhagen.

When we asked Amit if the event was worth being away for nearly two weeks, he compared its importance to “a water station at a marathon. We know it’s going to be a long race. What we don’t know is at what mile market COP15 is located.”

While it seems counterintuitive to host a December event in Denmark and a July event in Mexico, the next climate change conference will provide participants with a personalized experience on the effects of global warming.

Comments

[David]

I heard about an activist who tried to tunnel 400m into the conference. Do you know if this story is true. I have been asking lots of people just can't confirm it.

[Bhaskar]

Hi Bruce,

'Lean life' was another buzz word that was making the rounds - in terms of incorporating lean manufacturing principles into living. Perhaps looking at 'waste' generating activities differently will help in sustainable living. Truly access to clean and potable water will become more important and the weather changes will cause greater alarms.

[Marcus S.]

The larger ERP vendors and countless other companies are building similar solutions. It makes one wonder, however, whether this "measure, report, validate" is just a new "paperwork tax" akin to Sarbanes-Oxley, as opposed to something that delivers real net effect and improvement to the problem it was intended to solve. I am a strong believer in the need to reduce our impact on the planet, but a big skeptic as to whether this approach will have any positive effect. I think quite the opposite, as it will have a net negative economic (and therefore social) impact, and sustainability will fall out of fashion.

[Charles]

Does Al Gore own shares in Hara? What a waste of smart people building a product like this. I agree with the SarbOx analysis that someone else posted. This will not change behavior, it will merely document it, and not very accurately. Just enough to meet regulatory needs. Utter nonsense.

[Richbecks]

I am also concerned about replicating another Sarbanes Oxley or RoHs experience only to end up overly focused on compliance and reporting and not enough on value creation. It goes beyond even validation but becomes part of the way the Supply Chain operates. Environmental MRV data will have to associate to orders, inventory and shipments so buyers and planners have the information they need to choose among lower GHG and water alternatives.

[DeboraBuckley32]

Some time ago, I really needed to buy a building for my firm but I didn't earn enough cash and could not purchase anything. Thank goodness my mother suggested to get the credit loans at banks. Thence, I acted so and used to be satisfied with my financial loan.