Sustainable Business Practices

Business in the 21st Century-Building a Sustainable World
Women's Summit at Bryant College - March 2001
"Odyssey 2001: Journey to Success"
Lecture 1: Gaytha A. Langlois, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Studies

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Lake Narasch, Belarus

Sustainable Business Practices Details
Operating Principles Details
Mindset Changes Details
Barriers to Sustainability Details
Road Map to Sustainability Details
Examples of Corporations Addressing Social Responsibility Details

Definition

"Business activity taking place within the limits of the
environment to supply resources and assimilate wastes;
to leave behind a livable world for future generations"

Operating Principles

Conservation and wise use of resources

Energy efficiency

Materials Management (including reuse & recycling)

Renewable resources

Pollution prevention programs

Mindset Changes

There is no such thing as a "waste" - just a resource for which a use has not been found.
Pollution prevention is cheaper than remediation
Externalizing pollution costs for short-term goals is not good for the planet - we will just pay later.
Money can flow through clean businesses just as easily as through dirty production systems - profit is profit.

Barriers to Sustainability

Apathy and cynicism among members of democratic societies
Lack of consensus about the future
Crisis politics - the "urgent" often displaces the "important"
Limited planning view - often dominated by near-sighted, reactive decision makers
Failure to value natural resources ("natural capital")

Road Map to Sustainability

Obtain and use research findings about resource depletion, pollution prevention technologies, energy efficiency, and waste recycling applications.
Adopt an attitude of managing matrials from basic resources to finished products, and beyond, to reincorporate manufacturing wastes and post-use discards as "recycled" materials into new products.
Conduct an energy audit of all operations and move toward alternative renewable energy.
Develop pollution prevention programs for all businesses.
Seek ISO 14001 certification for your business.
Move forward from reactive laws addressing retroactively the problems of past damage, toward future-oriented laws focusing on pollution prevention, resource management, and research activities.
Develop long-range planning that encompasses economic and ecologic realities.

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What is Sustainability?

Center for Sustainable Business Practices

Summit 2001
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Copyright
Gaytha A. Langlois, Ph.D.
Bryant College, Smithfield, RI 02917
March 2001