These days there is a growing pressure towards companies to alter their operations to make them more environmentally sustainable. Some people even claim that such changes can prove to be beneficial for organizations themselves bringing additional profit and enhancing brand recognition. However, as more and more companies employ greenwashing strategies, many experts start to raise doubts whether full environmental sustainability is accessible, especially, if business goals are prioritized.
Businesses have more resources than individuals; therefore, they have more responsibilities. They should care for their customers providing them with products of high quality which are safe to use and for their employees ensuring that they have comfortable working conditions and stable income. In recent decades, there have been growing acknowledgement that companies are also responsible for the impact they have on the environment. However, it is essential to remember that businesses main goal is to be financially profitable. Otherwise, they would not be able to continue their operations for a long time. Therefore, organizations should balance their social responsibilities with seeking financial success. Taking considerable environmental action can, however, be too costly to remain within this framework (Eisenstein, 2014). As Eisenstein puts it, “if your company is going to make a significant step toward sustainability, it probably won’t make business sense, at least not in any way that can be predicted or quantified” (2014, para. 9). Hence, to make such actions, businesses should be guided by other goals rather than profit – it must be about caring, desire to contribute and making a change.
For companies, to be 100% sustainable and ethical would mean that each time they are presented with a decision, they would make people or nature their priority. However, it is difficult to imagine that such a company can be financially successful maintaining a considerable market share for a long time. There are many aspects to manufacturing and delivering products, and it is difficult to make all of them entirely eco-friendly. For instance, while some claim that plant-based milks are more sustainable than regular milk some of them require a lot of water to be produced. Research and constant innovations to create eco-friendly products and packaging, altering production processes to make them more sustainable or giving regular donations to offset its impact, this all demands significant investments and is difficult to achieve without substantial revenue.
LEGO can be an example of a company that has already established a worldwide reputation and having acquired considerable financial resources successfully engages in environmental-protection activities. For instance, they are putting a lot of efforts into reducing their CO2 impact by installing renewable-energy systems and altering their production processes (LEGO, n.d.a). Moreover, they are also investing into research in sustainable materials aiming to make all their toys fully sustainable by 2030 without sacrificing their quality (LEGO, n.d.b). In 2018, they have introduced a range of elements made from plant-based sources, and the organization claims that although it represents ” just 2% of the 3,600 elements available for designers” it is an important step forward (LEGO, n.d.b, para. 4). However, this figure shows that despite all efforts the company puts into environmental protection, they still have a lot to improve. Moreover, they are not ready to sacrifice their quality and customers satisfaction for sustainability. Their sales continue to increase but it most likely happens due to various growth initiatives (LEGO, 2020). Hence, while they show increasing respect towards nature protection, they also employ practical expansion strategies. Taking actions to support the environment can undoubtfully have a positive effect on LEGOs reputation, but this process will also demand a lot of resources that are not easy to compensate.
Hence, making a change requires that companies act not for the profit but out of devotion and sincere care for the environment. Taking steps towards being more environmentally responsible cannot be a fast process and full sustainability does not seem achievable yet. However, what matters is that companies do their best to engage in this process making at least small steps towards a better future for our planet.
References
Eisenstein, C. (2014). Let’s be honest: real sustainability may not make business sense. The Guardian. Web.
LEGO (2020). The LEGO Group Annual Report 2019. Web.
LEGO (n.d.a). Reducing our CO2 impact. Web.
LEGO (n.d.b). Sustainable materials. Web.