Businesses who participate in environmentally friendly practices will become more profitable. There are difficulties and costs that a business will face and profit takes time but is proven to positively impact a business. “The reluctance to address the forces that are polluting the planet always comes down to money (Smith, “6 Reasons Nations Don't Go Green.”). Implementing environmentally friendly practices within a company “will win them customers, and increase profits” (McDonald, “Why Do (or Don’t) Companies Go Green?”). Many global companies today carry out environmental management tools to adapt to environmentally friendly practices, which helps gain customers, and in turn becomes more profitable. In this paper, I will go into further detail explaining why businesses should be more environmentally friendly, the benefits to be gained, costs that come with being environmentally friendly, and management ways that help a company become environmentally friendly.
Introduction
Going “Green” is a trendy topic and is growing around the world. There are many proven facts showing that reducing emissions, waste, and gas help the environment, but the question remains to companies if they should take action to help the environment within their company. Will this help organizations with their overall success or will the cost of implementing environmentally friendly policies outweigh the organizations profits?
“There is overwhelming scientific consensus that human
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
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
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
Companies today are heavily influenced by the demands of customers and stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to the social and environmental responsibility policies and practices developed by an organization to increase its positive influence and reduce its negative activity towards society (Parks, 2008). The business approach and corporate philosophy of an organization is easily altered due to economic pressures, technological improvement and stakeholder needs and demands. "Going green" or being eco-friendly is one such demand. Environmental and sustainability concerns originate most often from governments, consumer activists, and the general public (Schlosser, 2008). Thus, organizations must implement sustainability into daily practices. In addition, sustainability alters the nature of competition and drives companies to think differently about products, processes, and technologies (Parks, 2008).
Make the company “go green” by encouraging a greener environment inside the company as well as making any future banks sustainable
Therefore, it is unethical for businesses to refuse this opportunity. An article titled “Large And Dirty' Companies Adopting Greener Strategies To Earn More Green”, published by ScienceDaily, offers a look at a development in corporate policies. In the article, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore named Phillip H. Phan presents a new trend in business strategies. When referring to formerly wasteful companies, Phan states, “Now they view concern for the environment as an opportunity to embed innovations that save production costs in the long term and that also improve their standing as good corporate citizens in the public mind” (qtd. in “Large And Dirty'” 1). Phan is insisting that many companies are now adopting environmentally friendly policies. Most see these strategies as an advantage in the end. In turn, the economy continues to grow while corporations maintain conservation. The question remains, why implement environmental regulations? As the evidence has shown, more businesses have begun to use environmentally friendly policies. While this is a positive change, other companies have yet to embrace these strategies. For this reason, the point is not to drive a stake between conservation and business but to find mutual benefits. Above all, governments must set better standards based on the
In today’s business world, sustainability can make all the difference in the world. According to Tomson (2015), “sustainability has become an economic and strategic imperative with the potential to create opportunities and risks for businesses by creating new customer relationships, and inspiring new products and business models that drive growth. Consequently, companies that are, or aspire to be, leaders in sustainability are often challenged by rising public expectations, increasing technological innovation, continuous quality improvement, effective governance measures, high standards of ethics and integrity, and heightened social and environmental challenges” (p.1).
The conduct or the operation of any business anywhere in the world brings with it a number of environmental concerns. These range from the emission of harmful gases, such as carbon (VI) oxide, into the environment and contributions to the depletion of the ozone layer, thus furthering global warming. It is however impossible to exist in this modern world without industries and business, as many would be unemployed and further lack various necessities due to a lack of industries and businesses (Forbes, 2011). Therefore, sustainability should be considered with regard for the environment in that actions should not adversely affect the environment to the extent that future generations will find it unlivable . Many of the leading organizations
The researchers of “Green to Gold” have put together three viable reasons for, as they say, “adding the environmental lens” to business practices (Esty and Winston 11):
Since 1940 organisations have had addition pressure from the public to become more ethically aware and take more care of the environment. With this many companies saw an opportunity to exploit this using green marketing tactics to differentiate themselves from other companies with a unique selling point creating a competitive advantage. Some companies truly believed that they should be more environmentally friendly so they set up sustainable practices throughout their
Can a company be profitable and environmentally friendly? More companies are reporting profitability from environmentally friendly practices. When one thinks of environmentally friendly businesses, some companies come immediately to mind; Whole Foods, Annie’s, Seventh Generation, and Method, for example, are all known for their commitment to being green. However, there are other firms putting a lot of resources into planet-helping initiatives, companies whose green tactics are far less recognized, and may even come as a surprise to you. I will provide the research that I found about which companies are environmentally-friendly and how these companies are changing the standards of how energy and water can be used efficiently.
As a result of the worsening environmental situation and the acknowledgement of big businesses impact and ability to change a new concept has been developed. This is the known as the change toward “greening” organisations. That is making them more environmentally sustainable (Harris and Crane 2002).
Isn’t it interesting how, as a business, we can make such a powerful impact on the environment around us? From the amount of paper we use, to the lights that are left on in the office, and from where we source our raw materials. Environmentally and socially responsible businesses are becoming more predominant and popular amongst consumers. Not only can we lower long-term costs and risks, but it also engages employees on a different level that increases their skills and knowledge to deliver products or services that are of high quality. Sounds ideal but how can we achieve this ourselves?
Carbon footprint essentially measures the total carbon emission produced by a company contributing to climate change (Swallow, 2009). After the trucking incident in Indonesia, E227 Global Solutions is determined to reduce its carbon footprint by 25% next year. By doing so, E227 Global Solutions will improve its public image while simultaneously protecting the environment. While efforts of “going green” can be seen with E227 Global Solutions’ local initiatives, it is crucial to do so within the company. Currently the company does not have a structured green initiatives for the internal work environment.
With the growth of the world environmental concerns, it has required many businesses to implement new environmental strategies.