A publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries
A division of the American Library Association
Editorial Offices: 575 Main Street, Suite 300, Middletown, CT 06457-3445
Phone: (860) 347-6933
Fax: (860) 704-0465

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

Please do not link to this page.

November 2014 Vol. 52 No. 3

Working at the intersection of innovation, leadership, and sustainable growth, Zhexembayeva, coauthor of Embedded Sustainability: The Next Big Competitive Advantage (CH, Nov'11, 49-1566), presents a viable strategy for sustainable business that addresses the economic need to deal with resource scarcity.  Noting that global resources are being depleted at a rapid rate, the author offers five principles that she claims will help bring about a new standard, in which previously unused by-products are reincorporated into the economy, thus creating new value chains.  By eliminating waste, the current linear economy will be transformed into a circular loop.  Zhexembayeva outlines a great deal of thoughtful content in presenting her strategy, including well-chosen examples from established corporations such as BMW, Microsoft, and Puma to newcomers such as Lush, FLOOW2, and Sourcemap that are already implementing some, or all, of the five principles she presents.  The book also contains ample notes that will direct the reader to other useful sources.  Though a quick read, this provocative work will stay with readers long after they have closed the cover.

--S. A. Schulman, CUNY Baruch College

Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.