Sustainable Business

Helen Kopnina (PhD Cambridge University, 2002) is currently employed at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. Helen teaches sustainable business and conducts research within three main areas: sustainability, environmental education, and biological conservation. Helen has (co)-authored over 200 articles and 17 books Rory Padfield is an Associate Professor in the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, UK. He is programme leader for the MSc in Sustainability and Business at the University of Leeds, and co-leader for the Business and Organisations for Sustainable Societies (BOSS) research group. A trained development geographer, Rory’s research focuses on the broad themes of supply chain and natural resource governance, communication of sustainability, and sustainability across and between different scales of businesses and organizations. Josephine Mylan is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and Innovation at Alliance Manchester Business School. She is affiliated to both the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) and Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR). Josephine’s research engages with questions of how societies can transition to less resource-intensive ways of meeting our needs, with interests in sustainable consumption and production and low carbon transitions.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Boxes

Foreword to new edition

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations

SECTION I. KEY CONCEPTS

Chapter 1. Introduction: Key concepts in sustainability and business

What is this book about?

Brief definition of sustainability

Evolution of sustainability thinking

Business sustainability

Why do business sustainably?

Social and economic sustainability: linking business and society

Environmental sustainability: linking business and environment

Eco-efficiency

Introducing Cradle to Cradle and circular economy

What links business, ethics and sustainability?

How to do business ethically and sustainably?

Chapter organization

Case study Patagonia

Key terms

Discussion questions

Class Activity: How to save the planet: Degrowth vs Green Growth?

End of chapter summary

Chapter 2. Business ethics

Linking Sustainability and ethics

Different types of ethics

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

From CSR to corporate citizenship

Human Rights

Labour issues: Poverty, pay and working conditions

Fairtrade

Business & Poverty - ‘bottom of the pyramid’

Animal welfare

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Corporate governance

Case study: Volkswagen’s response to the ‘emissions scandal’: Was it ethical?

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Volkswagen

SECTION II CRITICAL EVALUATION: KEY CHALLENGES

Chapter 3. Environmental challenges

What is meant by environment?

Environmental impacts

Environmental problems

Climate change

Failing goals of reducing emissions

Corporate response to climate change

Loss of biodiversity

Limits to growth

Pollution and the industrial disasters

Waste

Causes and Explanations

Historical causes

Tragedy of the commons

Political causes

Commodification of nature

Ecological Restoration and Pollution Control

Ethical considerations

Environmental values

Case study: Shell and the Sustainable Development Goals

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity

Chapter 4. Social and economic challenges

Poverty

Origins of poverty

Poverty and sustainability

Economic development

Inequality and development

Post-colonialism and neo-colonialism

Population growth

Causes of population growth

Demographic transition theory

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Sustainable development paradox

Sustainable development and inequality

Business and sustainable development

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Managing sustainable development in business

Case study: Who is the Victim of Climate Change?

Question

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Debate Economic growth can be decoupled from increase in consumption of natural resources

Chapter 5. Key challenges for making sustainability a reality

The changing global business environment

Paradoxes of sustainability

Possibility vs. Dream

Practical challenges

Globalization of consumption

Disputing the mainstream sustainable business models

Short-term and long-term solutions

Critique of the triple bottom line

Critique of "sustainable" consumption

Rebound effect

Tackling oil dependency and climate skepticism

Ethical challenges

Intergenerational Justice

Biospheric Egalitarianism

Environmental justice vs. ecological justice

Charity paradox

The question of demographics

The role of decision-makers

Case study: Smart phones at school

Questions

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity No Impact man

SECTION III. GLOBALIZATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND NEW TRENDS IN BUSINESS

Chapter 6. Globalization and business

What is meant by globalization?

Schools of globalization thinkers

"Risk society"

The relationship between globalization and sustainability

Global organizations concerned with sustainability

Globalization of sustainability concerns

The greening of global supply chains

Globalization of technology

Health: Medical technology

Agriculture: The Green Revolution

Manufacturing: Fordism and Post-Fordism

Technology: Energy

Digital Technology

The Internet of Things

Globalization of neo-liberal democracy

‘Groupthink’ or cultural hegemony: global spread

Theories of development and innovation

Ecological Kuznets Curve

Ecological modernization theory

Post-material value theory

Case studies: 3-D printing

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity Imagine you are the CEO of a global company

Chapter 7. Strategic Change for Sustainability

Sustainability and Competitive advantage

Knowledge management

Creativity and innovation

Corporate Visioning

Green marketing and customer engagement

Green shopping and market segmentation

Responsible advertising

Brand value and sustainability

Role of Consultancies in promoting sustainability

Case Study: ‘B Corp’ Certification

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Marketing a green enterprise

Chapter 8. Human Resource Management, green jobs and a green economy

Knowledge and Skills: Human Resource Development

Sustainability and HRM

Whistleblowing

HR and the social ecology of the organization

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Acquiring Ecological Self Knowledge

UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

Sustainability and Leadership

Decent and Sustainable Work

Green Jobs in a Green[ing] Economy

Eco-entrepreneurship

Case Study: Unilever, Oxfam and Labour Rights in Vietnam

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity Imagine you are head of an HR team

SECTION V SOLUTIONS

Chapter 9. Creating Sustainable Business Practice

Government regulation and policy

Polluter Pays Principle

The Precautionary Principle

Extended Producer Responsibility

The Participatory Principle

Environmental management systems

Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

Sustainable supply chain management

Change management

Natural Step

Eco-labels

Sharing networks

Corporate Reporting

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

Green Accounting systems and Investment strategies

Case study: Supply chain innovation within the palm oil industry

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Companies meeting SDGs

Chapter 10. New strategic thinking

Structural and social solutions

Collaboration and stakeholder engagement

Communication: ‘Talking the Walk’ initiatives

Understanding sustainable consumption

Consumer choice editing

Sharing economy

Realizing impacts: direct and indirect

Private and public action

Business and NGO cooperation

Green and ethical investment

Business and technological solutions

Business ecology

Industrial ecology

Life cycle assessment

Sustainable Design

Biomimicry

The Blue Economy

Case study: the rise of ‘slow fashion’

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Sustainable and ethical investment

Chapter 11. Cradle to Cradle

Cradle to Cradle (C2C): the cycle of rebirth

Cradle-to-grave

Being ‘all good’: eco-efficiency versus eco-effectiveness

Nutrient cycles

Key principles of C2C

Waste = food

Use current solar income

Celebrate diversity

C2C Certification schemes

Material Health

Material Reutilization

Renewable Energy and Carbon Management

Water Stewardship

Social Fairness

Incorporating Cradle to Cradle design into products

Challenges to C2C

Case studies: Olio: Addressing food waste via an innovative circular business model

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Student assignments Cradle to Cradle

Chapter 12. Towards circular economy

From optimizing existing models to revolutionary change

Background of circular economy concept

Drivers of change

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Product-service systems (PSS)

The question of design

Organization of processes

Disruptive innovation

Assessing progress towards circularity

Selected similarities between sustainability and the circular economy

The risk of subversion

Scaling up circular economy

Closing the loop

Summarizing hopeful sustainability frameworks

Case study: The circular economy – business as usual or a necessary change?

Key terms

Discussion questions

End of chapter summary

Class Activity: Cradle to Cradle and a circular economy

Glossary

Bibliography

Index