Introduction to Sustainable Business
1.3 What Does It Mean to Be a Sustainable Business?
Exercises
- Find three articles about businesses that have
adopted sustainability practices. Find an article that shows a
sustainability practice that resulted in lower costs. Find an article
that shows a sustainability practice that improved reputation and sales.
Find an article that shows a sustainability practice that might preempt
government regulation (can be local, state, or federal). Be prepared to
discuss the action the company took, the benefit the company received,
and how the action resulted in benefit.
- An industrial company with a history of violating
its water discharge permit of pollutants decides to "go green". It
switches to a biodegradable cleaning detergent for cleaning its offices
and starts a paper recycling program for its offices. The cost of the
change is minimal to the company. However, the company does not change
any of its water discharge practices. The company then commences a
marketing campaign of national television and radio ads claiming that it
is now a sustainable company. Do you think this is an example of
greenwashing? Why or why not?