Corporate Environmental Strategy最新文献

Social investing includes three primary strategies: selecting companies that reflect an investor's values; shareholder activism to bring pressure on companies in which a person invests; and community investing, wherein economically targeted investments support community development initiatives. This article explores these three strategies as well as assesses the trends and impacts associated with the $2 trillion socially responsible investment industry in the United States.

This paper discusses the connection between standardized environmental management systems and environmental performance, based on a case study. By comparing the environmental reviews for a group of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) before and two years after their EMS implementation, we try to show how the environmental performance of these firms has developed and draw some conclusions regarding the connection between standardized EMSs and environmental performance in general.

The case study illuminates some central aspects of ISO 14001's requirement of continual improvement. Taken together with the literature on this issue, it is clear that in practice a set of indicators are established and monitored, indicators concerning operations as well as management efforts. Hence, the selection of indicators is crucial. External environmental auditors should compare the development of these indicators and determine if an improvement has occurred or not. Naturally, this judgement by auditors is very important and difficult. The situation is very similar to the weighting step recognized as a problem in life cycle analysis, but the use of indicators for management efforts adds an additional dimension to this already intricate problem.

The overarching issue as the world enters the 21^st century is how to develop in a sustainable fashion. In this regard, there are two key challenges: providing energy for sustainable development; and establishing global governance structures that will support sustainable development.

With respect to the energy challenge, a first step is to ensure that energy is used more efficiently so that demand in developed countries can be reduced. Moreover, businesses should set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. A further step needs to be the creation of a cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and government must work in partnership to achieve these goals.

Governance structures must develop regulatory frameworks within which the market can operate as well as ensure that such regulations and laws are respected.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa in September, it is likely that a host of partnerships will be identified and promoted. Business will have much to contribute. For example, in Business Action for Sustainable Development, a joint initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, there are many initiatives linking business, NGOs and other players such as the Energy and Biodiversity Initiative, The Global Mining Initiative, the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Responsible Care programme of the chemicals industry. There is no shortage of world financial and technical resources to attack these problems, but in many areas there is a desperate shortage of community structures in the widest sense. Business must be prepared to play its part in partnership with others both in individual countries and internationally to address these issues.

Burma is an important case study in the international debate about constructive engagement with authoritarian regimes: this article discusses the role of companies and humanitarian agencies.

International business has long been interested in Burma's economic potential, but the country has failed to live up to expectations – largely because of government policy failures. The foreign companies that do enter the country face significant political risks both inside the country, because of the risk of arbitrary government decision-making; and outside because of the risks of sanctions and boycotts. Advocacy groups in the West accuse foreign investors of abetting an unjust regime.

Humanitarian agencies face many of the same dilemmas. Most international aid was suspended in 1988 after the military regime suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations with the loss of thousands of lives. However, UN agencies and a number of international NGOs are now working in the country. Many agencies are concentrating on grassroots development with a view to minimising contact with the regime.

The urgency of Burma's humanitarian need may lead to greater international involvement. In the business world, companies are trying to identify what “best practice” should involve in an authoritarian regime. However, neither companies nor development agencies will be able to make the contributions that Burma so desperately needs unless there is substantive political change.

The electric utility industry is undergoing rapid changes in response to political, economic and environmental forces and expectations. California has become the focal point of debate regarding the ability of our existing energy production and delivery infrastructure to provide the kind of reliability required by corporations so dependent upon electricity for day-to-day operations. At the same time, growing concerns over global climate change is increasing the value of renewable energy technologies. Moving from a central power plant model to a more distributed system featuring a greater diversity of fixed-price renewable fuels offers solutions to an array of energy challenges facing companies in the industrialized world. This fundamental paradigm shift also offers major growth opportunities for companies developing new technologies whose most critical contribution to the global economy and environment may indeed occur in the developing world. Those companies that seize this opportunity to upgrade our aging energy infrastructure in the industrialized world, or foster new approaches to energy in the developing world, may prove that the ultimate corporate environmental strategy lies with distributed renewable energy systems.

Electricity consumers, including businesses and industries, are increasingly gaining the ability to choose among power options from either their current electric utilities or from alternative power providers. In order to help these consumers make informed decisions about their electricity purchases and to compare alternatives, many U.S. states are requiring electricity providers to disclose information regarding the fuel sources used to generate electricity and their associated environmental impacts. Like nutrition labels, environmental disclosure labels present the content or sources of electricity and are typically included with electricity bills and in product offers. These labels allow consumers to compare the environmental impacts of standard and cleaner power options, which are typically available.

In fact, more than one-third of electricity customers have access to green power—power generated from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass—directly through a power supplier. And green energy certificates, which represent the environmental attributes of renewable resources, are available nationally—even where the actual resource does not exist. Some products are certified by environmental organizations that verify the sources of power and ensure that environmental benefits are accrued. This article discusses clean, green power options available to power purchasers and the tools and information that can be used to make more sustainable power purchase decisions.