Reference no: EM133145138
The 'Sustainability' of Sustainability: What Would You Do? - Chapter 11
The Sustainability Committee's first meeting was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Although it was only Tuesday, several people had already dropped by committee members' offices to express their opinions and concerns about the company's new focus on sustainability. Some colleagues had trouble with the broad definition of sustainability-"to balance the economic, environmental, and social needs of today's world while planning for future generations."
Others worried the sustainability project was just another passing fad. A small group of colleagues believed the company should be most concerned with performance and should forget about trying to become a leader in the social responsibility movement. In general, however. most employees were either supportive or neutral on the initiative. As the committee's meeting started, the committee chair reminded the group that the company's CEO was very committed to sustainability for several reasons. First, the company was engaged in product development and manufacturing processes that had environmental effects. Second, most companies in the industry were starting initiatives on sustainable development. Third, recent scandals had negatively affected public opinion about business in general. Finally, the company was exploring markets in Europe where environmental activism and rules are often more stringent. With these reasons in mind, the committee set out to develop plans for the next year.
For an hour, the committee discussed the general scope of sustainability in the company. They agreed that sustainability was concerned with increasing positive results while reducing negative effects on a variety of stakeholders. They also agreed that sustainability focused on the "triple bottom line" of financial, social, and environmental performance. For example, a company dedicated to sustainability could design and build a new facility that used alternative energy sources, minimized impact on environmentally sensitive surrounding areas, and encouraged recycling and composting. Another firm might implement its sustainability objectives by requiring suppliers to meet certain standards for environmental impact, business ethics, economic efficiency, community involvement, and others.
After this discussion, the committee made a list of current and potential projects that were likely to be affected by the company's new sustainability focus.
These projects included:
1. Energy consumption
2. Manufacturing emissions and waste
3. Employee diversity
4. Community relations
5. Corporate governance
6. Regulations and compliance
7. Philanthropy
8. Product development
9. Technology
10. Supplier selection
11. Employee health and safety
12. Volunteerism
Choose one of the 12 projects listed and prepare a brief report on its link to the environmental component of sustainability. The report should review the ways environmental issues can be discussed, changed, improved, or implemented within that area to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.