Meet the nine billion-dollar companies turning a profit from sustainability

So-called green giants like Tesla, Chipotle, IKEA, Nike and Whole Foods have succeeded in doing what few thought possible - making sustainability profitable

Over the nine years I've spent trying to persuade business leaders to embrace sustainability, the question I've most often been asked is, "What's the business case for sustainability?" This question is always delivered in a skeptical tone, carrying the unspoken suggestion that there is no business case, or at least not a very compelling one. And, for those nine years, I'd always wished I had a better answer.

Well, now I do. It's a billion dollars.