Sustainable business needed an idea, institutions to carry it, and science to test it. Stephan Schmidheiny worked on all three — from Rio 1992 and the WBCSD to the academic chairs and books that shaped the dialogue between business and research for decades.
FAQ
What role did Stephan Schmidheiny play at the Earth Summit 1992?
Stephan Schmidheiny served as Principal Adviser for Business and Industry during the preparations for the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro. In this role, he worked to engage the private sector in global sustainability discussions, helping position environmental responsibility as a shared challenge involving governments, business, and civil society.
What organizations did Stephan Schmidheiny help establish or influence in sustainability policy?
Stephan Schmidheiny played a key role in founding and supporting organizations focused on sustainable development, most notably the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The council was created to provide a platform for businesses to engage with policymakers and researchers on environmental and economic challenges, helping integrate sustainability into corporate strategy and international policy dialogue.
What is eco-efficiency and how did Stephan Schmidheiny contribute to its development?
Eco-efficiency is a concept that promotes creating economic value while reducing environmental impact by using fewer resources and generating less waste. Stephan Schmidheiny was an early advocate of eco-efficiency, promoting it as a practical framework for aligning industrial activity with long-term environmental sustainability. His work helped establish eco-efficiency as a foundational principle in sustainability research and policy discussions.
What is Changing Course and why is it significant?
“Changing Course” was published in 1992 as the business community’s contribution to the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Stephan Schmidheiny wrote the book together with the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD), an association of international business leaders that he had founded. It was one of the first publications in which business leaders themselves addressed their responsibility for global environmental issues. At its core is the concept of eco-efficiency: creating more value while using fewer resources and reducing environmental impact. The book played a major role in establishing this approach in the international business community and used case studies to show how economic success and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. In 1995, the BCSD merged with the World Industry Council for the Environment (WICE) to form the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), headquartered in Geneva – today one of the leading business platforms for sustainable development.
What research institutions did Stephan Schmidheiny help establish to advance sustainability?
Stephan Schmidheiny supported the creation of several research and academic institutions focused on sustainability and responsible economic development. These include the Alliance for Global Sustainability, which brought leading universities together to study social and ecological challenges, and the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development, which focused on sustainable growth in emerging economies. He also contributed to the establishment of the IMD Global Family Business Center, supporting research and education in long-term business governance and family enterprises.