Complying with environmental protection laws need not punch a hole in a firm's bottom line. Smith shows that compliance can be profitable. He provides corporate executives with easily accessed data and analyses of the theory of environmental management systems (EMS), and in doing so covers the major environmental concerns worrying corporate America. The result is a practical guide to the tools of environmental management and how they can be used to enhance a corporation's profitability while at the same time reducing its impact on the environment and consequent financial liabilities. Readers will find ways to tailor an appropriate strategy to their specific business needs, justify that strategy financially, and integrate the EMS into an existing business plan. Smith takes the reader through all of the environmental factors that affect profits and productivity. He demonstrates the practicality of not only considering the life cycle of a single product or service, but also the impact of life cycles throughout the entire company. A degree in environmental science is not needed to follow Smith's reasoning and advice, but solid business knowledge ^Iis^R important. Smith provides all of the background needed to start an EMS program, the benefits of which are limited only by management's priorities and the creativity of a company's people.
How can we design more sustainable industrial and urban systems that reduce environmental impacts while supporting a high quality of life for everyone? What progress has been made towards reducing resource use and waste, and what are the prospects for more resilient, material-efficient economies? What are the environmental and social impacts of global supply chains and how can they be measured and improved? Such questions are at the heart of the emerging discipline of industrial ecology, covered in Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology. Leading authors, researchers and practitioners review how far industrial ecology has developed and current issues and concerns, with illustrations of what the industrial ecology paradigm has achieved in public policy, corporate strategy and industrial practice. It provides an introduction for students coming to industrial ecology and for professionals who wish to understand what industrial ecology can offer, a reference for researchers and practitioners and a source of case studies for teachers.
This book highlights the risk of inaction for businesses when it comes to climate change, but also contains best practices to allow them to capitalize on the numerous business opportunities that climate change presents, including increased profitability, enhanced brand value, and improved shareholder relations. The first section contains practical actions and real-world case studies of companies, such as Yakima, Sun Microsystems, and Lockheed Martin, that have successfully improved their climate performances, enhanced brand value, and increased profitability at the same time. The second and third sections of this book focus on the various risks that companies face from potential carbon regulation and the market factors forcing businesses to take action, whether they want to or not. This book provides the steps and strategies necessary to take leadership actions to help business "future-proof" society.
Sustainability Sutra addresses the pursuit of sustainability as crucial in the transformation from an industrial to an ecological civilization, exploring in succinct detail how sustainability can be accomplished through an ecological global growth strategy that makes economic growth mean ecological improvement. It is a meditative journey of self-discovery. It is a path and record of a writer's and reader's heart way. The book includes an Introduction that considers the dynamics of building an ecological future in market economies and examines how the price system can send clear signals for sustainability. Combining ecological consumption taxation, new market rules, fiscal, monetary and investment can catalyze the trillions of dollars of productive investment in a sustainable future.
Industrial ecology is a concept that has emerged in response to growing public concern about the impact of industry on the environment. In this framework the natural flow (or circulation) of materials and energy that takes place in biological ecosystems becomes a model for more efficient industrial "metabolism." What industrial ecology is and how it may be applied to corporate environmentalism are the subject of The Industrial Green Game. This volume examines industrial circulation of materials, energy efficiency strategies, "green" accounting, life-cycle analysis, and other approaches for preventing pollution and improving performance. Corporate leaders report firsthand on "green" efforts at Ciba-Geigy, Volvo, Kennecott, and Norsk Hydro. And an update is provided on the award-winning industrial symbiosis project in Kalundborg, Denmark. The Industrial Green Game looks at issues of special concern to business, such as measuring and shaping public perceptions and marketing "green" products to consumers. It offers discussions of the appropriate roles of government and private business.
This undergraduate textbook examines environmental pollution ranging from our homes to the global environment. Completely updated and with over 50% new and rewritten material, this new edition assesses the international scope of pollution, including water, climate change, acidification, energy, solid and hazardous waste, persistent chemicals, and pesticides. The pollutants of current major concern are examined, including plastics and electronic waste. Both the impacts and the sources of pollution are addressed, as well as governmental, corporate, and personal responsibility for pollution. Pollution prevention is emphasized throughout, but students will come to see that prevention is not enough. The text moves on to examine a circular economy with closed-loop systems, where by-products are reused, wastes become raw materials, water is recycled, and energy is recovered from waste energy. Understanding Environmental Pollution engages students with the idea that humanity holds the tools to confronting the daunting pollution issues by considering a circular economy.
A new collection of realistic, proven best practices for implementing sustainability and making it stick… 4 authoritative books, in a convenient e-format, at a great price! 4 authoritative Books show how to transform business sustainability from idea to profitable reality: Understanding the value of sustainability is one thing: successfully implementing it in your business is another. Good intentions aren't enough: you need excellence in implementation. In this unique 4 eBook package, world-class experts focus on the nitty-gritty and the nuts-and-bolts of successful business sustainability: what it takes to make it work, build on success, and keep moving forward. In Creating a Sustainable Organization: Approaches for Enhancing Corporate Value through Sustainability, Peter A. Soyka helps you choose the right strategies, and then manage and measure them well. Bridging the worlds of the sustainability professional and the investor/analyst, Soyka reveals what the evidence says about linkages between sustainability and value… how to effectively manage sustainability throughout the business… how to manage key investor and stakeholder relationships, and much more. Next, in Return on Sustainability: How Business Can Increase Profitability and Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy , Kevin Wilhelm reviews today's best practices for capitalizing on the business opportunities presented by climate change. Wilhelm helps you make the business case by identifying key climate-related business risks that will require your company to act whether it wants to or not. He presents real-world case studies of firms ranging from Yakima to Lockheed Martin, demonstrating how enterprises have significantly improved business performance by improving climate performance -- and offering practical strategies, techniques, and lessons from their experiences. Then, in Making Sustainability Stick: The Blueprint for Successful Implementation, Wilhelm offers a complete, up-to-date blueprint for successfully and profitably integrating sustainability across your enterprise. Wilhelm organizes his plan into easy-to-digest chapters, with action steps backed up from his extensive real-life consulting experience and candid interviews with 40+ directors of Sustainability or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He provides a step-by-step roadmap for realizing the benefits of sustainability by fully engaging employees… a checklist for implementation… powerful tips on regaining lost momentum… and specific resources and exercises for overcoming common obstacles. Finally, in Financial Times Briefings: Sustainable Business, Brian Clegg delivers concise, practical, and actionable advice for integrating sustainability throughout your business in ways that improve both the environment and your bottom line. Organized to deliver fast and realistic solutions, this FT Briefing presents targeted strategies, detailed tactics, real cases, crucial consensus-building techniques, effective metrics, proven executive interventions, and more. Whatever your role in executing on business sustainability, this collection will help you achieve outstanding results -- environmental and financial. From world-renowned business sustainability experts Peter A. Soyka, Kevin Wilhelm, and Brian Clegg
A brand new collection introducing today's highest-value sustainable business processes… 3 authoritative books, now in a convenient e-format, at a great price! 3 authoritative Books help you drive real competitive advantage from sustainability -- from planning and strategy through execution and metrics Sustainability strategies offer powerful opportunities to increase profitability, accelerate growth, improve brand value, and reduce business risk. In this unique 3 eBook package, three world-class experts introduce business sustainability and show how to achieve these benefits throughout your own organization. In Return on Sustainability: How Business Can Increase Profitability and Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy , Kevin Wilhelm introduces new best practices for capitalizing on the many business opportunities presented by climate change. Through real-world case studies of firms ranging from Yakima to Lockheed Martin, Wilhelm shows how enterprises have significantly improved business performance by improving their climate performance. Wilhelm also identifies key climate-related business risks that will require businesses to act whether they want to or not. Wilhelm helps you make the business case for seriously addressing climate change -- and, once you've made that case, he offers you practical strategies and techniques for successful execution. Next, in Better Green Business: Handbook for Environmentally Responsible and Profitable Business Practices, Dr. Eric G. Olson brings together practical insights and start-to-finish strategies for driving “win-win-win” gains in revenue, efficiency, and environmental performance. He introduces powerful methodologies and technologies for increasing operational efficiency and reducing waste, including IBM’s impactful Green Sigma™ approach. You'll find new ways to drive value by “instrumenting the planet,” and discover the technologies that now make this possible. Olson concludes by identifying long-term trends that make “green business” approaches increasingly indispensable. Finally, in Financial Times Briefings: Sustainable Business, Brian Clegg delivers concise, practical, and actionable advice for integrating sustainability in ways that improve both the environment and your bottom line. Organized to deliver fast and realistic answers to today's most common business sustainability challenges, this FT Briefing presents targeted strategies, detailed tactics, real business cases, crucial consensus-building techniques, effective metrics, proven executive interventions, and much more. Whether you're new to business sustainability or you want to strengthen your current initiatives, this collection brings together the best practices and expert advice you need right now. From world-renowned business sustainability experts Kevin Wilhelm, Eric Olson, and Brian Clegg
A brand new collection of world-class business sustainability solutions… 2 authoritative books, now in a convenient e-format, at a great price! 2 authoritative eBooks deliver expert guidance for successfully and continually integrating sustainability throughout your business. This unique 2 eBook package will help you capitalize on the massive business opportunities offered by sustainability, and then build on your momentum, overcoming obstacles to make sustainability "stick." In Return on Sustainability, Kevin Wilhelm presents best practices for utilizing sustainability strategies to increase profitability, enhance brand value, and improve shareholder relations. Wilhelm begins with practical actions and real-world case studies from companies ranging from Yakima to Lockheed Martin that have achieved these goals by improving their performance on climate-related issues. He systematically reviews potential risks that companies face from climate change and potential carbon regulation, and market factors forcing businesses to take action, whether they want to or not. In Making Sustainability Stick, Wilhelm provides a complete, up-to-date blueprint for successfully and profitably integrating sustainability throughout your business. Wilhelm organizes his plan into easy-to-digest chapters, with action steps backed up from his extensive real-life consulting experience and candid interviews with 40+ directors of Sustainability or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He provides a step-by-step roadmap realizing the benefits of sustainability by engaging the head, heart, and hands of your employees… a checklist for implementation… powerful tips on regaining lost momentum… and specific resources and exercises for overcoming the most common barriers towards implementation. Whatever your role in business sustainability, this collection will help you perform better on all the metrics you care about. From world-renowned business sustainability expert Kevin Wilhelm
