Symantec, one of the world's largest security software companies, signed the U.N. Global Compact in 2006 - a move that became a catalyst for the company's fledgling corporate responsibility program. Here are four key lessons learned, as told by Cecily Joseph, Symantec's director of corporate responsibility. By Kathleen Gilligan

Lesson #1: Executive sponsorship is critical to success.

Environmental policy was of specific interest to John Thompson, chairman and chief executive of Symantec. Cecily Joseph says that Thompson's prioritization has made it much easier to create visibility within the company for her team.

In 2005, Joseph, who had come to Symantec through the Veritas merger, formed Symantec's Environmental Stewardship Council. The council was made up of VP's from various functions in the company, such as facilities, supply chain, IT, and product development. They meet regularly to discuss potential and existing projects. The council quickly put together a platform and chose some projects that would get Symantec started, and now meet regularly with executives to communicate progress.

Lesson #2: Customer perspectives create impetus, and solving a customer problem helps drive internal commitment.

Conversations between executives and customers revealed customer concerns about environmental issues, such as energy efficiency, and the need for products that addressed these issues. This provided a market opportunity for Symantec's storage products, which provide energy savings and a tangible return on investment. It also allowed Joseph to drive home the message to the management team that these business needs were going to drive the market, and getting behind sustainability would pay dividends in revenue returns and in customer loyalty.

Lesson #3: It is a challenge to get broad involvement and support, and to coordinate grass roots activities.

Even today, Joseph says, after two years of visible, successful programs, many departments still don't understand what her team is doing, so communication remains a high priority. This is especially true when responding to customer RFP's, which are typically done in the business unit or geographical region. Carbon reporting is also done independently, by region. There are many green activities going on throughout the company, but not all are managed or budgeted centrally, so advantages of scale aren't always realized, according to Joseph.

Budget is also an issue, as Symantec, like others, doesn't have a fund earmarked for green activities. Projects are sponsored and funded departmentally.

Lesson #4: Membership in an outside entity with standards creates momentum and catalyzes activity.

Symantec's endorsement of the U.N. Global Compact created a catalyst within the company to start looking carefully at processes and policies in an effort to lower their carbon footprint, and begin the journey towards reporting and transparency. Joseph is very enthusiastic about her role, the Environmental Stewardship Council, and what they’ve accomplished so far.

Joseph admits she's run into some obstacles. It's been difficult to establish a voice, and obtain a seat at the table where strategic business decisions are being made; executives tend to have specific interests in an area, which means that support drops off for the lower priority, but still important projects. In addition, it can be difficult to choose the highest impact endeavors, and stay focused when there are so many opportunities. Reporting and transparency have their own set of complexities, and stakeholders. But ultimately it's a process, she says, and it takes time.

Symantec will publish its first comprehensive corporate responsibility report later this summer, and has set a target of 15% reduction in greenhouse gases globally by 2012.

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Kathleen Gilligan is co-founder of EcoStrategy Group, a consultancy that provides sustainability strategy consulting for mid-sized companies that want to reap the business benefits of going green, and go-to-market services for cleantech startups.

This article has been reprinted courtesy of CleanTech Weblog, a blog focusing on corporate sustainability and cleantech market strategy.