Book Review
Communicating Sustainability: Lessons from Profits and Sustainability: A History of Green Entrepreneurship
Review of: Profits and Sustainability: A History of Green Entrepreneurship by Geoffrey Jones (Oxford University Press, 2019)
Yukio Takagaki, Ph.D., DBA
Surugadai University
JALT Business Communication Journal, 2025
https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTSIG.BzCom3.1-8
This book review examines Geoffrey Jones’s Profits and Sustainability, a comprehensive history tracing 200 years of green entrepreneurship and demonstrating that environmentally oriented business is far older than commonly assumed. Through cases in organic food, renewable energy, recycling, beauty products, finance, and architecture, Jones shows that green entrepreneurs were not only innovators but also influential communicators who shaped public discourse, built trust, and promoted new social values. He highlights how communication—branding, storytelling, certifications, and engagement with governments and investors—was essential to gaining legitimacy. The book offers valuable insights for business communication, underscoring that sustainability advances through compelling narratives as much as through technological innovation.
Yukio Takagaki, Ph.D., DBA is Professor Emeritus at Surugadai University, where he specialized in international business, corporate strategy, and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. His research has focused on the internationalization of Japanese firms, foreign direct investment, and the development of environmental and global management strategies. Through his teaching and scholarly work, Dr. Takagaki has contributed to advancing understanding of how companies build and sustain competitiveness in an increasingly global business environment.