“Addressing global sustainability challenges—including climate change, resource depletion, and ecosystem loss—is beyond the individual capabilities of even the largest companies. To tackle these threats, and unleash new value, companies and other stakeholders must collaborate in new ways that treat fragile and complex ecosystems as a whole.”

As one of four articles selected by Harvard Business Review, “The Collaboration Imperative” features in the April 2014 special feature, “Spotlight on Practical Sustainability.”

Co-authored by Blu Skye Founder/CEO Jib Ellison, and Principals John Whalen and Erin Billman, this article distills key lessons learned during our decade-long work to facilitate industry-wide, cross-sector, and multi-stakeholder collaborations that lead to aligned action and real results.

It draws on Blu Skye’s experience with the apparel industry, the dairy industry, and the aluminum and recycling industry, among others and unveils a new paradigm in corporate sustainability, where system changes — beyond the individual capabilities of even the largest companies and NGOs — are now essential to solving our global challenges.

This article will provide you with a different perspective — the systems view — on the sustainability challenge the world faces. We welcome your feedback, and look forward to hearing from you as we embark on the new era of collaboration.