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Some business leaders have a nonchalant attitude to the sustainability agenda. They see it as an almost impossible task, often incompatible with core business objectives. Some are simply terrified by sustainability, and therefore resent it.

According to the UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability in 2013, a significant proportion of business leaders ‘…are growing sceptical that addressing global sustainability challenges will ever become critical to their business success within current economic systems and markets’.

This view only serves to mystify what is – in reality – a very simple issue. A commitment to sustainability isn’t something to be adopted or dropped depending on other strategic concerns. And neither should it only be thought of as a ‘fluffy’ tactic to generate goodwill or positive PR.

Employed correctly offers a way of managing risks more effectively, exploring opportunities and adapting to changing business contexts and expectations for long term success.

It can also be a relief from the burden of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). An acronym which attracts cynicism in most boardrooms, given it is mainly perceived as corporate philanthropy - an extra cost, which most businesses prefer to avoid – and a creative way of asking firms to take on the role of governments.

Businesses are not in the business of charity, and neither should they assume the responsibilities of governments unnecessarily. But there is an opportunity to be had in taking responsibility for how their enterprise impacts on society.

The commitment required to achieve true corporate sustainability is more than a strategy. It is first and foremost a commitment to reducing negative impacts and increasing positive impacts on stakeholders including customers, shareholders, employees, regulators, the government, unions and local communities.

It is about win-win outcomes for business and society. It creates a culture that recognises the firm as an entity embedded in a network of relationships with different stakeholder groups. It is a form of self-regulation driven by the values and philosophy of a business to address its impacts (both negative and positive) on its relevant stakeholders.

But to be truly effective a commitment to sustainability must become a “business paradigm”, a culture that should permeate all facets of business decisions. It needs to become the ‘how’ of “how we do business”. It is not primarily a strategy, but a lens through which strategy is crafted and implemented.

The ultimate goal of a genuine commitment to sustainability is to contribute to a better society (including the economy and the natural environment). But it’s not about altruism.

By creating a positive impact for stakeholders and wider society, commitment to sustainability affords firms and managers the opportunity to adjust their means of production and consumption in ways that give them competitive advantage, and enhance their own firms’ long term sustainability.

For genuine commitment to sustainability to be successful, however, the larger society has to provide the enabling environment for self-regulation to thrive. These efforts can only be sustained where there is a market for such improvements, industry standards are made visible, and governments make it uncompetitive for competitors to behave otherwise.

A version of Dr Amaeshi's comments first appeared in The Scotsman.

Dr Kenneth Amaeshi is the Director of the Sustainable Business Initiative and an associate professor (Reader) in strategy and international business, at University of Edinburgh Business School. He is a visiting fellow at Cranfield School of Management and .