Environmental Issues Of Business And Industry

When talking about sustainability numerous people associate it with just protecting the environment. Sustainability is far more than going green, but it is a principle that many companies have adopted and have worked persistently to improve over the last several years. Sustainability is defined as the ability to continue a behavior indeterminately, but it also includes improving human life overall. Sustainable development is broken down into three pillars: economic, social, and environmental (Harich & Bangerter, 2014). Economics is the study of how people use resources, which correlates to the goal of sustainable development by using resources to their full potential (Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N., 2011, p. 60). Economic sustainable development allows companies to give their customers what they want without overusing mutual resources. Social development combines the social world with the physical realm to provide a good quality of life (Benoit, 2010, p. 7). Social sustainability focuses on the well-being of people and their communities. Environmental development, the most recognizable, includes protecting the environment by reducing pollution, recycling, switching of electronic devices when not in use, etc. All three of these pillars make up what is known as sustainable development. In this paper, I researched a company and their involvement in sustainability and how it applies to the

Many firms are learning that being environmentally friendly and sustainable has numerous benefits. (O.C Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2015). This could enable them to increase goodwill from various stakeholders and also save money in the long term. This will mean that they are being more efficient and less wasteful of resources, which will enable them to be more competitive by satisfying stakeholders. The CEO of

McManus, B. (2009). Vital to Business Survival: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Pressures. GreenBiz, 1-4.

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

Sustainable development is an action plan to save the earths resources for future generations like fossil fuel. It is also an initiative to preserve the environment we live in. The table below shows the progression of sustainable development over years:

During the past 25 years, awareness of the environment has increased tremendously. Non-profit organizations look beyond institutional goals, and instead, try to find a shared vision that works for everyone in the society. Our society needs to stop consuming as if we have an infinite planet; we have to have integrity for the world we live in because the natural resources that have been sustaining us will not last forever. Companies need to evolve with the modern age and changing consumer market. For example, Netflix never thought they would produce their own shows, however, with the changing consumer market, they have done just that. Also, NGO’s sometimes have to partner with bigger for-profit companies in order to target a larger consumer base, thus, solidifying the fact that the for-profit and non-profit sector have to team together in order to sustain the environment in which we inhabit.

Executives across the world believe that business plays a wider role in society and has responsibility to address issues such as environmental concerns beyond just following the law to minimize pollution. More and more companies now watch the benchmark of how they benefit, not just the profits, but also employees and the environment as a whole. Companies realize they have to take bold steps to minimize their carbon footprint, create environmentally friendly products and manage the company for more than just the next quarter’s profits.

The need to link the economical development with a greater concern about our planet gave birth to a new concept of sustainable development, which identifies a progress compatible with the preservation of the environment and resources for the future generations.

It not only requires investments in green product and manufacturing technologies, employee skills, organizational competencies, formal management systems and procedures, but also in the reconfiguration of the strategic planning process. To date, existing approaches are still so fragmented and disconnected from business strategy in such a way as to obscure many of the greatest opportunities for companies to benefit society via such an approach (Porter and Kramer, 2006). Yet, it has been suggested that if corporations would analyze their prospects for environmental responsibility using the same frameworks that guide their core business choices, they would discover that environmental management can be much more than a cost or a constraint; it could, in essence, be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage (Porter and Kramer, 2006).

Presently, indications are that it will become even more critical to company strategy and operations in the coming years. The experiences of management of companies leading in the field of sustainability provide a number of insightful lessons for other managers embarking on a move towards sustainable practices:

As defined by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, development is sustainable if it “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This Report brought the need for sustainable development to the attention of the over twenty years ago and as I will explain it is becoming more relevant to us as the human race starts to realise that we are living on a finite planet which will run out of the resources to support us eventually.

The concept of sustainable development has become a major topic among intellectuals from various fields. Sustainable development has gone through various changes in its definitions and at present does not have a commonly accepted definition. The origination of the concept of sustainable development is debatable. In 1974 at a conference on Science and Technology for Human Development by the World Council of Churches the concept of a “sustainable society” is believed to have been first noted. This early concept focused on equitable distribution of scarce resources and the need for democratic decision making. In 1980 the currently used term of sustainable development emerged in the

Sustainable development is the ‘development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation from meeting their own needs ‘(Brundtland, 1987). This concept has developed more from the intergenerational framework as indicated in the brundtland report to incorporate the three pillars (social, environment and economic) as a whole through series of environmental meeting held.

The concept of sustainable development was introduced by the publication of the Brundland report having a basis of meeting the needs of the current situation while considering the upcoming generations in meeting their needs too (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). While the concept is true, achievement of the sustainable development has no clear and definite route (Becker, Jahn, Stiess, & Wehling, 1997; Walker & Kubisch, 2008).

Sustainable development is to maintain a balance between the human needs to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend. Sustainable development implies economic growth together with the protection of