Every business corporation has the potential to influence environmental issues. A business organization should develop sustainable practices within its system to protect the environment for future generation. Business corporations are organized efforts of enterprise to offer consumers with products and services with a view of earning profits. All business corporations regardless of their size have the same objective of making profits. However, the purpose of a business corporation goes beyond just earning profits, but it is significant that every institution protects the environment. Environmental sustainability is critical for our survival and wellbeing, directly or indirectly (Kolk. 2016; Charter, 2017). It entails coming up with decisions and implementing a course that protects the natural world, with a specific focus on preserving the potential of the environment to enhance human life. Business corporations should make responsible decisions as far as protecting the environment is concerned that will reduce the negative impact that they can have on it and increase sustainability in the future.
Environmental sustainability is concerned about coming up with responsible choices as a business organization with intentions of reducing the negative impacts to the environment. Parsa, Lord, Putrevu, and Kreeger (2015) indicated that it is not just about bringing down the level of wastes from corporations being released to the environment or utilizing less energy, but centrally about creating processes that will amount to businesses that are entirely sustainable going forward. Presently, business corporations are now cautious of speedy hits and short-term profits. They endeavor to develop and expand in ways that protect all their stakeholders, comprising global and local communities, economies, and the environment (González-Rodríguez, Díaz-Fernández, & Simonetti, 2015) . Simply put, business corporations want to proceed in a more sustainable way regarding environmental protection. Business corporations are should spearhead the movement towards environmental sustainability, since they are felt to be the major contributors and positioned in such a way that they will create a substantial difference.
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Business corporations can possibly cause damages to all segments of the environment. The areas that could be affected by corporations through their activities are diverse. Business corporations such as those in the paper and agricultural industry could destroy rainforests and woodlands through logging and clearing of the trees for agriculture. Pollution by releasing wastes to the environment is also another concern. The fishing industry also could be influenced negatively through overfishing of the oceans, lakes, and streams. The environment would also be polluted through the burning of fossil fuels (Charter, 2017). Still in the agricultural industry, fertile agricultural and cultivated land could be destroyed through utilizing unsustainable farming practices such as genetically modified seeds and among others. This list is so long, and such practices are attributed to business corporations operating within the land.
Most business corporations have for a long time operated with little concern for the negative consequences they put on the environment. The aspect of having a sustainable environment has compelled businesses to go above just making short-term profits and have regard for a sustainable long-term influence they possess over the natural world. Organizations have an obligation to go beyond the instant impacts their activities may have on the environment, but to the extended implications that a have a two-way benefit as well (González-Rodríguez, Díaz-Fernández, & Simonetti, 2015) . For instance, when products are being manufactured, business organizations need to be keen on the environmental influences they have on products’ whole lifecycle, from their creation to disposal before executing the plan of producing them.
Several large and small business corporations are culpable of substantially causing pollution to the environment and engage in activities that are not sustainable. Nonetheless, there are presently a rising number of steps that business corporations have adopted that show their commitment to bringing down the damaging effects of releasing wastes to the environment. Such business corporations are dedicated to seeing that other companies together with themselves demonstrate a positive contribution on environmental sustainability (Parsa et al. , 2015). It should be the priority of the business corporations to incorporate environmental management in their systems and plans. According to Kolk (2016), business corporations together with other international organizations are campaigning for a future in which green regulations will be compulsory, green consumers are the greater part and great information technology are a necessity. Environmental management can be instrumental in enabling business corporations to come up with efficient utilization of energy and other resources and be instrumental in executing stern regulations on greenhouse gas emissions as well as other environmental pollution.
Notably, the recession has not helped in terminating this trend. In fact, the recession has essentially steered several consumers to utilize more cost-effective, environmentally accommodative enhancements like harmonizing data centers, advancing networks to fiber optics and utilizing held and managed services. Some business corporations are considering more significant steps besides capitalizing on environmental and energy management systems (González-Rodríguez, Díaz-Fernández, & Simonetti, 2015) . Such corporations are investing in much research and information sourcing concerning their environmental influence and endeavoring to assess reduction procedures on automated grounds. To have a more sustainable business corporation, such efforts should be promoted even further (Parsa et al. , 2015). Nonetheless, it is only when organizations go beyond technological efficiency is when they will be capable of achieving authentic sustainability. They could do this by critically examining their present business practices and considering the needed resources in their operations.
Business corporations that are conscious of ensuring that they have a sustainable environment and are accepted by the community have a competitive advantage as far as attracting consumers and shareholders is concerned. Contemporary consumers are conscious of social and environmental problems and are well updated about the businesses that are performing well in terms of conserving the environment (Epstein, 2018) . Organizations could utilize the practices that promote environmental sustainability as a marketing tool to both the consumers and investors. They are aware of the business corporations that are acting responsibly. Shareholders equally know these issues and most of them prefer channeling their investments to environmental sustainable corporations. Several nations such as Australia have been considering several programs to sustain and promote business corporations that are conscious of environmental sustainability (Charter, 2017). The Australian Business Award for Environmental sustainability, for instance, appreciates organizations that execute policies and employment initiatives that show leadership and dedication to the improvement, management, and protection of the environment.
Certainly, the initiative of shifting corporate outlooks and culture to utilize sustainability can be quite an issue for some business corporations. This being the case, the issue in question should not be too uncommon and ignored. The modern perspective of a sustainable business corporation is, at its core, simply an expansion of principals that strengthen value and wealth (Epstein, 2018) . Besides, supporting an environment that ensures sustained prosperity is necessary for any organization’s existence and expansion. However, to attain reliable sustainability, business organizations may be required to expand their idea of resources that are crucial to the business (Kolk, 2016). Immediately the change happens, it will be normal for business corporations to predict how decisions or choices may influence both present and future shareholders. This is because they understand that those decisions will eventually influence both the present and future business.
Technology will be a significant aspect of the remedy of having a consistent sustainable environment. However, this can only be in part. The central thing would be to create a business culture in most corporations that have demonstrated discipline, patience, and determination to go beyond temporary solutions and choose business practices that can give the most positive influence and sustainability (González-Rodríguez, Díaz-Fernández, & Simonetti, 2015) . The biggest challenge of the current century is to motivate people globally to have a modest standard of living that is mindful of conserving the business environment in which they are occupying.
The environment is key to both the people and their sustainable existence. Ranging from the trees that must be present for us to get oxygen, the land where we could build houses to live in and the rivers and water bodies that give us water for many amenities, conservation is the fundamental responsibility. Therefore, business corporations should recognize that environment is critical for the community and their existence. González-Rodríguez, Díaz-Fernández, and Simonetti (2015) reiterate that w hen the corporations are realized to be polluting the environment, it may hardly continue to operate, as it will definitely face resistance of the people. Thus, business corporations should merge with the governments, other businesses, customers, employees and other stakeholders to stop any polluting activities at all costs (Kork, 2016). Governments must come up with standards and programs that will prohibit business corporations from utilizing hazardous products like plastic bags. The business corporations must be flexible to adjust to the law of the land that ensures environmental protection and promote environmentally friendly activities.
There should be an aspect of seriousness of the top leadership and management of every business corporation to create, maintain and come up with a work culture that promotes environmental protection as well as prevent pollution. Employees from all the segments of the business should also join in this commitment of environmental protection and sustainability. Some of the significant policies and programs could include monitoring the purchase of high quality raw materials, utilizing the new technology that is conscious of environmental protection, utilizing scientific methods to dispose and manage wastes (Charter, 2017). The skills of the workers should be developed and updated frequently to spearhead the move of preventing pollution. Business corporations should also be willing to participate in government programs that have to do with managing hazardous wastes, having safe water bodies, planting trees and bringing down the level of deforestation.
The conventional wisdom among evolving business corporations is that economic limitations of business organization, governments, consumers, and other stakeholders are essential for environmental protection as well as competitiveness. Policymakers, managers, and leaders in this conventional wisdom notion generally indicate that the making of compulsory environmental regulations should be encouraged in all the places in the globe that foresee sustainability (Kolk, 2016). This should be followed by the creation of a more developed stage of economic development and sustainability. Several companies within regions that are employing poor environmental management practices should be motivated to shift to better initiatives that will put them on positive light as far as promoting environmental conservation and sustainability (Parsa et al. , 2015). This will definitely fill this significant gap in the corporate environmental management efforts in all regions.
In conclusion, there are increased extra motivations for proactive efforts to be conscious of the environment. Institutional pressures and motivations of leaders and managers have steered this move for environmental awareness beyond just making gains in business corporations. Social and cultural pressures, as well as the attitudes that people have in workplaces, have a significant role in influencing the incorporation of environmental practices and frameworks that are helpful. Government agencies, the media platforms, industry connections, and the business corporations themselves should be committed to advocating for proactive environmental management practices that help in conservation and sustainability.
References
Charter, M. (2017). Greener marketing : A responsible approach to business . Routledge.
Epstein, M. J. (2018). Making sustainability work : Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental and economic impacts . Routledge.
González-Rodríguez, M. R., Díaz-Fernández, M. C., & Simonetti, B. (2015). The social, economic and environmental dimensions of corporate social responsibility: The role played by consumers and potential entrepreneurs . International Business Review , 24 (5), 836-848.
Kolk, A. (2016). The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the environment to CSR and sustainable development . Journal of World Business , 51 (1), 23- 34.
Parsa, H. G., Lord, K. R., Putrevu, S., & Kreeger, J. (2015). Corporate social and environmental responsibility in services: will consumers pay for it ?. Journal of retailing and consumer services , 22 , 250-260.
