Case Studies in Corporate Sustainability

Case Studies in Corporate Sustainability

The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines sustainability based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations (EPA, 2012). In protecting the earth, we protect our human race and the possibility of a healthy existence in years to come. It is within the last few centuries that we have industrialized society with changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and technology and yet in just the last few decades that we have begun to take notice its drastic effects on the environment and our depletion of resources. As we back track on the ongoing scarcity and damage we have created as humans on a global level, we recognize the value of our human needs with the possible outcomes we face if we don't take sustainable action upon our continued charted course.

The corporate business world is one of the most influential leaders of today's society as they have the power to harness sustainable practices that entail widely measurable resources and affect immense populations. There are many elements pertaining to sustainability but the predominant practices used and measured among various corporations today are as follows:

• NGO Collaboration

• Transparency

• Fair Trade

• Localization

• Green Building

• Renewable Energy

• Water Stewardship

• Waste Reduction

• Supply Chain

• Carbon Management

Companies both large and small have come together to create a sense of harmony in the commitment to protecting their businesses, products, consumers, and the world we live in. Although the government has regulated some environmental policy, many people are pushing for a faster change in the direction of protecting and restoring the Earth and its resources. These Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) are groups formed for the purpose of pursuing an interest such as environmental protection and support businesses sustainable practices. NGO's such as the Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy are nonprofit groups supported by public interest members that promote protection of the environment and its natural resources. There are partnerships being built through NGO's and businesses to encourage sustainable practices and push policy into further