Stephan Schmidheiny
Author & Advocate for Sustainable Business Practices
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Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective for Development and the Environment
Changing Course, authored by Stephan Schmidheiny with the Business Council for Sustainable Development, is a landmark work in sustainability literature. First presented at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the book introduced the concept of eco-efficiency—demonstrating how economic growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.
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Translated into more than 15 languages, Changing Course has influenced policymakers, business leaders, and academics worldwide, and was recognized by Cambridge University’s sustainability network as one of the Top 50 Books for Sustainability.
“The question is no longer whether business must change to meet the challenges of the global environment, or even when. The issue of the 1990s is how, and Changing Course lays out the most forward-looking guideline in print for harnessing the resources of the modern corporation to the task of environmentally sustainable development. This timely book is nothing less than a roadmap to the corporate future.”
— James Gustave Speth, President, World Resources Institute
Praise & Reviews of Stephan Schmidheiny’s Books
“The book developed by Schmidheiny and the BCSD, Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment, has become required reading for enlightened business leaders in the 1990s; it lays out the path for the future of environmental entrepreneurship.”
​— William K. Reilly, Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency
“Financing Change deserves wide readership because of the clarity of expression and the leadership it demonstrates.”
— Jerry A. Moles, Journal of Political Ecology
About Stephan Schmidheiny
Stephan Schmidheiny is a Swiss author and advocate for sustainable business whose books have shaped the global dialogue on development, corporate responsibility, and environmental stewardship. He is best known for Changing Course (1992), presented at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which introduced the influential concept of eco-efficiency—showing how economic growth and sustainability can advance together.
Building on this foundation, Schmidheiny co-authored Financing Change (1996), one of the earliest works to connect sustainability with global finance, anticipating today’s ESG investing movement. Through his writing and thought leadership, he continues to influence policymakers, business leaders, and academics worldwide.