The Concept of Going Green Benefit Corporations and All Types of Industries

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

The expectation that businesses behave responsibly and positively contribute to society all while pursuing their economic goals is one that holds firm through all generations. Stakeholders, both market and nonmarket, expect businesses to be socially responsible. Many companies have responded to this by including this growing expectation as part of their overall business operations. There are companies in existence today whose sole purpose is to socially benefit society alongside businesses who simply combine social benefits with their economic goals as their company mission. These changes in societal expectations and thus company purpose we’ve seen in the business community over time often blurs the line of what it means to be socially

“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing…the bottom line. That is, maximizing profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.” —David Suzuki

Every company has a responsibility to support the society it serves. This indicates that a company that wishes to truly thrive in a market should not just follow the business and consumer laws of the country but take an active interest in the community that it serves in each country. Today’s global market is led by companies that concern themselves with the sustainability of the company and its products, as well as the continual improvement of the

Michelle Goodman’s article “Make It Good—Officially” discusses in detail about the process of becoming a B Corporation along with certification advantages. In the introduction, she sets up the rest of the article by pointing out that Ben & Jerry’s, a company that manufactures ice cream, became the “first wholly owned subsidiary to get certified as a B Corporation” (86). A Certified B Corporation is a for-profit business that is committed to providing positive effects on society, environment, community, and its customers, employees, and shareholders. A Benefit Corporation—not to be confused with a B Corp—requires business owners to consider the well-being of employees, community, and the environment before making any decisions simply driven by profits. Some standards include paying workers living wages along with health insurance and vacation.

Although not all companies are successful at truly embodying what it means to be green, even companies that have been synonymous for contributing pollutants and greenhouse gasses spend millions trying to convince stakeholders that they do. It’s often these last two dimensions of CSR—social and environmental, that either embroil a corporation in controversy or allow it to serve as an exemplar in good ethical business practices.

As we have seen an increase in awareness around sustainability and climate change, with the help of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth documentary in 2006, we see organizations moving towards mitigating the effects of climate change in various ways (Al Gore, n.d). As this corporate social responsibility has become more prevalent, organizations are now pushing their green agenda by publishing sustainability reports, doing mass marketing and implementing sustainable business practices to portray the image that they too are working towards protecting the earth’s natural environment all the while focusing on their underlying goal of selling their products and

The success of a company will depend on the principles of moral and ethical behaviors in society. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit are making it more difficult for companies to get away with unethical behavior. In the future companies that will remain profitable have to look at putting profit on equal levels with people and social responsibility. Benefit Corporation (B Corporation) is a corporate form designed specifically for that kind of entities. It encourages innovative ways to bring humanity back into business and redefine what it means to be successful (Lam,

Sustainability has achieved a more ecological tone in the past few decades in terms of a business model, but it originally derives from the concept that a business is successful due to the interconnected areas of economics, culture and ecology. Sustainability is now becoming a somewhat fad and thus it is understandable that it could be misconstrued by some as a form of “greenwashing”. Greenwashing is the idea that a company markets their “green” or environmentally friendly changes in policy and values, despite no actual concrete changes in these areas, for example some argue that Fiji Water greenwasher in terms of their marketing as an environmentally friendly water company despite their little effort to actually go carbon-neutral. Many companies are seeing the

To a regular person, the global concern about ‘going green’ might appear as a result of speculation from nervous politicians and alarmed citizens. But the reality is totally different. In recent years, businesses have gained much knowledge about the impact of their activities on environment and in turns their customers. Businesses are successively venturing to earn greater revenues. In this process, they are trying out every best possibility to entice their contributors- from customers to investors. Regardless to say, stakeholders these days are more socially responsible than ever. So to keep up to their expectations, businesses are also trying to expand or limit their activities to save the environment- from doing relentless research on lowering waste to lean management and even trying out various eco-friendly activities. Despite of all these, the ultimate question remains unanswered if it is financially beneficial to adapt those initiatives that is going to serve the

I attended the January 29th event Environmental Advocacy; We are all in this together. Guest speaker Gabe Wing director of environmental health at Herman Miller Inc. held a presentation about corporate social responsibility (CSP) with examples from companies like his. He focused on sustainability by explaining why it is good for business. He also mentioned global warming and described how, unaddressed, its consequences will keep Herman Miller’s furniture and other products far from consumer priorities. Then, Mr. Wing harkened back to the presentation’s subtitle We are all in this together by recognizing achievements like Dell’s Ocean Plastics Initiative. He was very clear about the importance of spreading a message of shared duties.

Additionally, on a socio-cultural level, many consumers feel that restaurants partaking in green initiatives and operations are doing their part to not only help sustain the earth but also to conserving natural resources (Hu, Parsa & Self, 2010). “Going green” is not simply a trend in the food service industry but around the world and in all forms of business. Corporate companies consider “going green” as a sensible business strategy in building recognition for corporate social responsibility among consumers concerned with environmental conservation efforts. Lastly, technological initiatives such as Energy Star appliances (dishwashers, refrigerators, ice machines, etc.) and faucets that use less water must also be analyzed in their ecological conservation capability and weighed against their financial costs (University of Notre Dame, 2014).

Burt’s Bees was founded in Maine by Burt Shavitz their products of lip balm and other natural creams. Roxanne and Burt are the owners of the organization. They believed in the natural lifestyle, and because of that they began the Burt’s Bees product line. The main goal was to be able to provide the consumers with affordable organic beauty products. Burt’s Bees uses all natural products ingredients in their toothpaste, deodorant and other health products. Burt’s Bees is known for their hippie face on their products. Burt’s Bees was known for producing natural products. The organization only produces items that are considered healthy. According to Todd, 2004, “Both Burt's Bees and Tom's of Maine are small companies which do not operate their own retail outlets, but sell many of their products in natural and organic groceries around the country.” Burt's Bees provides organic beauty products by only using consumer and environmentally friendly resources. The company informs the buyers of their mission to reduce waste and plastic.

The economy today runs on an antiquated ritual of exploiting, plundering, devastation, and manipulation of land for material wealth, profiting the wealthy and condemning the poor. This mindset is no more sophisticated than feudalism, a system so bad it had to be outlawed along with witchcraft. The idea that exploitation of land is justified has brought plastics to the ocean and leveled rainforests. Large corporations have grown larger by manufacturing and production, depleting the planet’s resources in the process. Now, companies must make a combined effort to put the environment first, before profit. Because of their harmful practices, consumers have the right to know where products come from, how they’re made, and the impact on the environment. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the large corporations to change their harmful practices, to make strides towards ending climate change and use clean, sustainable methods.

Corporate social responsibility has been one the key business buzz words of the 21st century. Consumers' discontent with the corporation has forced it to try and rectify its negative image by associating its name with good deeds. Social responsibility has become one of the corporation's most pressing issues, each company striving to outdo the next with its philanthropic image. People feel that the corporation has done great harm to both the environment and to society and that with all of its wealth and power, it should be leading the fight to save the Earth, to combat poverty and illness and etc. "Corporations are now expected to deliver the good, not just the goods; to pursue