[Cannibals with forks: the triple bottom line of 21st century business]

The "triple bottom line" John Elkington reports, will be the business imperative of the 21st century. In Cannibals with Forks, Elkington argues that social justice, economic prosperity and environmental quality -- the three key elements of this triple bottom line -- will be the yardsticks against which corporate performance will be measured.

The book is divided into four main parts. The first, entitled "Sustaining Capitalism", provides an overview of the "business-and-environment" debate to date. The second, "Seven Revolutions", identifies seven imminent "sustainability revolutions", which are poised, Elkington argues, to lead us to a world full of "sustainable corporations". These seven characteristics (or "7-D thinking", in Elkington's words) are: markets, values, transparency, life-cycle technology, partnerships, time and corporate governance. For each, Elkington identifies society's particular goal, gives some examples of situations in which the goal has been reached, and identifies some barriers to, and opportunities for, widespread achievement of the goal....