经济学人201:熊彼特专栏-绿色增长

 　　Schumpeter

　　熊彼特专栏

　　Green growth

　　绿色增长

　　Some emerging-world companies are combining growth with greenery

　　一些发展中国家的企业将环保事业与利润增长相结合

　　Sep 17th 2011 | from the print edition

　　THE enrichment of previously¹ poor countries is the most inspiring development of our time. It is also worrying. The environment is already under strain. What will happen when the global population rises from 7 billion today to 9.3 billion in 2050, as demographers² expect, and a growing proportion of these people can afford goods that were once reserved for the elite³? Can the planet support so much economic activity?

　　我们身处的这个时代最激动人心的进步乃是前贫穷国家的经济发展。而这令人忧虑。环境早已不堪重负。当全球总人口从今天的70亿上升至人口统计家所预估的2050年的93亿，并且越来越多的人有钱购置一度为上流人士储备的商品之时，世界会成何样呢？地球能够承担如此繁重的经济活动吗？

　　Many policymakers adopt a top-down and Western-centric approach to such planetary problems. They discuss ambitious regulations in global forums⁶, or look to giant multinationals⁷ and well-heeled NGOs to set an example. But since most people live in the emerging world, it makes sense to look at what successful companies there are doing to make growth more sustainable.

　　许多决策者们建议采纳一个自上而下并以西方为中心的方法来解决此类问题。他们在全球论坛中雄心勃勃地探讨监管制度，或指望大型跨国公司和富有的非政府组织来树立典范。但鉴于大多数人生活在发展中国家，故而有必要了解这些国家的成功企业为促进可持续增长而做了些什么。

　　A new study by the World Economic Forum⁵ (WEF) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) identifies 16 emerging-market firms that they say are turning eco-consciousness into a source of competitive advantage. These highly profitable companies (which the study dubs⁸ “the new sustainability champions”) are using greenery to reduce costs, motivate workers and forge relationships. Their home-grown ideas will probably be easier for their peers to copy than anything cooked up in the West.

　　世界经济论坛和波士顿咨询公司的一项最新研究显示，16个发展中国家的企业认为它们将生态意识转换为一种具有竞争性的优势资源。这些高盈利企业（即这项研究中的“新型可持续发展领头羊”）利用环保来降低成本，激励员工，建立关系网。它们的本土思维有可能更容易让同行复制而不是去效仿欧美。

　　The most salient quality of these companies is that they turn limitations (of resources, labour and infrastructure⁹) into opportunities. Thus, India’s Shree Cement, which has long suffered from water shortages, developed the world’s most water-efficient method for making cement, in part by using air-cooling rather than water-cooling. Manila Water, a utility in the Philippines, reduced the amount of water it was losing, through wastage and illegal tapping, from 63% in 1997 to 12% in 2010 by making water affordable¹⁰ for the poor. Broad Group, a Chinese maker⁴ of air conditioners, taps the waste heat from buildings to power its machines. Zhangzidao Fishery Group, a Chinese aquaculture company, recycles uneaten fish feed to fertilise crops.

　　这些企业最显著的特点是将资源、劳动力、设备的不足化为机遇。印度公司Shree Cement，曾长期面临水资源短缺的困扰，通过使用空气冷却而不是水冷却的方法，研制出世界最高效的用水系统来生产水泥。菲律宾一家公用事业公司Manila Water，因浪费和非法开采而导致的用水量流失，让穷人用得起水，将这一流失比例从1997年的63%降低至2010年的12%。中国的空调制造商远大集团，利用建筑散发的废热为机器提供动力；大连的海洋食品企业獐子岛渔业集团，重复利用剩鱼来肥沃庄稼。

　　Setting green goals is a common practice. Sekem, an Egyptian food producer, set itself the task of reclaiming¹¹ desert land through organic farming. Florida Ice & Farm, a Costa Rican food and drink company, has adopted exacting¹² standards for the amount of water it can consume in producing drinks.

　　设定绿色目标是惯例。埃及食品生产商Sekem制定以有机种植来改造沙漠的任务。哥斯达黎加食品饮料公司Florida Ice & Farm在生产饮料过程中采纳严苛的耗水量标准。

　　These firms measure themselves by their greenery, too. Florida Ice & Farm, for example, links 60% of its boss’s pay to the triple bottom line of “people, planet and profit”. The sustainability champions also encourage their workers to come up with green ideas. Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics¹³ company, gives bonuses to staff who find ways to reduce the firm’s impact on the environment. Masisa, a Chilean forestry¹⁴ company, invites employees to “imagine unimaginable businesses” aimed at poorer consumers. Woolworths, a South African retailer¹⁵, claims that many of its best green ideas have come from staff, not bosses.

　　这些企业还通过环保事业来衡量自身价值。比如，Florida Ice & Farm把老板60%的薪水与“人、地球、利润”三条底线挂钩。同时，这只“新型可持续发展领头羊”还鼓励员工提出绿色点子。巴西一家化妆品企业Natura分发奖励给员工，让他们找到降低企业对环境造成破坏的方法。智利一家林业企业Masisa，动员其职工开动脑筋，想出各种稀奇古怪的业务方式吸引相对拮据的客户。南非一家零售商Woolworths称，公司很多最佳环保点子来自员工而不是老板。

　　In emerging markets it is hard for companies to stick to one specialism, because they have to worry about so many wider problems, from lousy infrastructure to unreliable supply chains. So the sustainability champions seek to shape the business environment in which they operate. They lobby regulators: Grupo Balbo, a Brazilian organic-sugar producer, is working with the Brazilian government to establish a certification system for organic products. They form partnerships¹⁶ with governments and NGOs. Kenya’s Equity¹⁷ Bank has formed an alliance with groups such as The International Fund for Agricultural Development to reduce its risks when lending to smallholders. Natura has worked with its suppliers to produce sustainable packaging, including a new “green” plastic derived¹⁸ from sugar cane¹⁹.

　　在新型经济体中，企业似乎很难坚守一种专长，因为它们还得担忧如令人讨厌的基础设施和不可信赖的供应链等诸多大问题。 因此，领头羊们力求塑造业已掌控的经济环境。它们向监管机构游说，如巴西的有机糖生产商Grupo Balbo和巴西政府合作，以建立有机产品的认证体系，它们还同各级政府和非政府组织建立关系；肯尼亚的Equity Bank与国际农业发展基金等组织构建联盟关系，来降低小佃农的贷款风险。Natura与其供应商合作，生产可持续包装袋，其中包括从甘蔗中提炼出来的新 “绿色“垃圾袋。

　　The firms also work hard to reach and educate poor consumers, often sacrificing short-term profits to create future markets. Masisa organises local carpenters into networks and connects them to low-income furniture buyers. Broad Group has developed a miniature device for measuring air pollution that can fit into mobile phones. Jain Irrigation, an Indian maker of irrigation systems, uses dance and song to explain the benefits of drip irrigation to farmers who can’t read. Suntech, a Chinese solar-power company, has established a low-carbon museum to celebrate ways of reducing carbon-dioxide emissions²⁰.

　　这些企业还努力接触和教育贫苦消费者，时常为了开拓未来市场而牺牲短期利益。Masisa组织当地的工匠建立关系网，使他们和低收入的家俱买家间保持联系。远大集团给空调装上用来衡量空气污染的小型设备，可嵌入到手机里面。印度的灌溉系统制造商Jain Irrigation用舞蹈和音乐向那些不识字的农民解释滴管的好处。中国的太阳能企业尚德，建立了一家低碳博物馆，以宣传减二氧化碳碳排放的各种途径。

　　Rich because green, or green because rich?

　　绿富抑或富绿？

　　One could quibble with BCG’s analysis. Phil Rosenzweig of Switzerland’s IMD business school has argued that management writers are prone²¹ to “the halo effect”: they treat the temporary success of a company as proof that it has discovered some eternal principle of good management. The fact that some successful companies have embraced greenery does not prove that greenery makes a firm successful. Some firms, having prospered²², find they can afford to splurge on greenery. Some successful firms pursue greenery for public-relations purposes. And for every sustainable emerging champion, there are surely 100 firms that have prospered by belching²³ fumes²⁴ into the air or pumping toxins²⁵ into rivers, as a visit to China or India will show only too vividly²⁶.

　　有人对波士顿咨询公司的这份分析颇有异议。瑞士IMD商学院的Phil Rosenzweig就认为，管理作家倾向于“光环效应”：他们把企业短暂的成功用来证明其发现了优良管理的永恒法宝。一些成功企业支持环保事业的事实无法证明环保事业可以使企业获得成功。一些具有前景的企业认为它们有钱玩环保。还一些企业基于公共关系追求环保事业。至于这些“可持续发展领跑者”，可以肯定有100家企业是通过排放废气或有毒污水来壮大的。去中国或印度看看，那种场景再形象不过了。

　　Nonetheless, the central message of the WEF-BCG study—that some of the best emerging-world companies are combining profits with greenery—is thought-provoking. Many critics of environmentalism argue that it is a rich-world luxury: that the poor need adequate food before they need super-clean air. Some even see greenery as a rich-world conspiracy²⁷: the West grew rich by industrialising (and polluting), but now wants to stop the rest of the world from following suit. The WEF-BCG report demonstrates that such fears are overblown. Emerging-world companies can be just as green as their Western rivals. Many have found that, when natural resources are scarce and consumers are cash-strapped, greenery can be a lucrative²⁸ business strategy.

　　不管怎样，世界经济论坛和波士顿咨询公司的这份研究的主旨---发展中国家中最好的一些企业将环保与盈利结合---令人深思。许多环保主义批评者认为这只是发达国家的奢侈品：穷人需要超洁空气之前要先解决温饱问题。甚至有些人将环保事业看作是发达国家的阴谋：西方通过工业化和污染致富，但现在却想要阻止不发达国家走同样的路线。该研究表明这些担忧被夸大了。发展中国家的企业也可以和西方的竞争者一样追求绿色。很多人早就发现，当自然资源日益短缺且消费者捉襟见肘的时候，环保事业不失为一项有利可图的商业策略。

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 demographers   

n.人口统计学( demography的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Demographers, however, point out that the'single" trend will have a profound effect on American institutions. 不过，人口学家们指出，“单身”趋势将对美国的公共机构产生深远的影响。 来自时文部分
• Selectivity of human migration long been the focus of demographers and economists. 人口迁移的选择性一直以来都是人口学家和经济学家关注的焦点。 来自互联网

3 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

7 multinationals   

跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These local companies are only small fry compared with the huge multinationals. 同那些跨国公司比，这些当地的公司不过是小鱼小虾。
• Some people believe that the multinationals have too much power. 有人认为跨国公司的权力太大了。

8 dubs   

v.给…起绰号( dub的第三人称单数 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

11 reclaiming   

v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢？ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

12 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

13 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

14 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

15 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

16 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

17 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

18 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

20 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

21 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

22 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

23 belching   

n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The Tartars employed another weapon, the so-called Chinese dragon belching fire. 鞑靼人使用了另一种武器，所谓中国龙喷火器。
• Billows of smoke were belching from the chimney. 巨浪似的烟正从烟囱里喷出来。

24 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

25 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

27 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

28 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。