IBM and World Environment Center to Lead New Corporate Sustainability Council of Major Companies

ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the World Environment Center (WEC) today announced the formation of the Innovations in Environmental Sustainability Council, comprised of leading global companies that will explore how innovation in business process and technology can enable strategic solutions to major sustainability challenges involving materials, energy, water, infrastructure and logistics. 

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Charter members of the council will include Boeing, CH2M HILL, The Coca-Cola Company, The Dow Chemical Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, General Motors, IBM, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, The Walt Disney Company and WEC.

The launch of this initiative demonstrates the ongoing commitment of global companies to sustainability and improved environmental performance.  Council members are committed to incorporating sustainability more deeply into business strategy and corporate practice.  The  companies will be able to apply what is learned from this collaboration within their own organizations, not only to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness through operations, but also to identify and develop related opportunities for innovation and growth.

The council was created by IBM and WEC, a global non-profit, non-advocacy organization that advances sustainable development through the business practices of global companies.  The first meeting of the Council will be held February 7-8, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. 

"As part of IBM's broad based commitment to environmental leadership, we are always interested in how today's best practices can transform sustainability in business," said Wayne Balta, IBM's Vice President of Corporate Environmental Affairs and Product Safety.  "Innovation goes a long way to accelerate sustainability, and we look forward to collaborating with other like-minded companies." 

"The establishment of the Innovations for Environmental Sustainability Council represents another significant commitment by IBM and other sustainability leaders from the private sector to integrate their innovation and market leadership capabilities with the need to provide solutions to a growing number of challenges facing modern society," stated Dr. Terry F. Yosie, WEC's President and CEO.  "The best practices and value achieved provide great opportunities for implementation on a global scale."

About the World Environment Center: WEC is an independent, global non-profit, non-advocacy organization that advances sustainable development through the business practices and operations of its member companies and in partnership with governments, multi-lateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and other stakeholders. WEC creates sustainable business solutions through individual projects in emerging markets; convenes leadership roundtables to shape strategic thinking across a range of sustainability topics; and honors industry excellence through its annual awarding of the Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. WEC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in China, El Salvador and Germany. For more information, visit www.wec.org.

For information about IBM's Sustainability solutions, visit www.ibm.com/green.

Contacts:

Laurie Friedman, IBM
914 499 4608
[email protected]

Casey Troy, WEC
202 312 1211
[email protected]

SOURCE IBM