Pollution became an issue quite a while ago, yet in the XXI century, it has suddenly started getting attention again, mostly because its effects, launched in 1990s, have finally started taking their toll on the nature.
While the effects of pollution have finally become tangible and its has turned obvious that pollution leads to even faster process of global warming (van Staden & Musko, 2010), the means to prevent pollution have not been designed yet.
Devoted to the issue of pollution, Pollution prevention in small and medium-sized enterprises, the article by de Brujin and Hofman (de Brujin & Hofman, 2001) discusses the means to reduce the pollution effects that small and medium enterprises (SME) have on the environment. Although it has been twelve years since the article was issued, it still remains relevant for the modern enterprises in their attempts to reduce the rates of pollution.
As it can be easily deduced, the article in question deals with the issue of pollution caused by SME and discusses the ways in which the rates of pollution caused by SME can be brought down. At the first glance, the authors of the article do not go any further than evaluating the effects that SME have on nature.
On a second thought, however, one might notice that de Brujin and Hofman also provide a short overview of the 2001 SME policies towards the disposal of toxic and non-organic waste. However, the main focus of the article is split between two major issues, i.e., the effects that partnership networks have on promoting prevention of pollution in SME (de Brujin & Hofman, 2001, 72).
The second issue concerns the roles of partners within the given networks (de Brujin & Hofman, 2001, 72). Since the article deals with SME, it clearly targets the owners of small and medium-sized companies.
The positive aspect of the given article is its intent. Aiming at making the world a better place, it touches upon one of the major issues of the XXI century. Moreover, the article deals with the sources of pollution that cause the most harm. It is also important that de Brujin and Hofman consider real-life case studies.
However, the downside of the article is the dated information. The world has developed too much to implement Hart’s framework. Instead, new method of solving the old problem must be provided.
It is clear nowadays that developing a partnership network opens a pool of opportunities for companies to avoid environment contamination. Therefore, at present, it is recommended to discuss the effectiveness of the approaches implemented by different companies rather than offering theoretical implications.
Thus, it can be concluded that de Brujin and Hofman’s article did not age well. With the recent surge in technological advances and the latest innovations and discoveries in the sphere of environment protection, ozone layer holes, global warming effects, ice caps melting, etc., the information in the article seems rather dated.
However, the authors were in good intent to provide an overview of the then environmental situation and give account of the best means to fight pollution. Although the ideas discussed in the article have been talked over many times by now, it is still an interesting perspective on the ways in which industry can coexist with nature.
Reference List
De Brujin, T. J. N. M. & Hofman, P. S. (2001). Pollution prevention in small and medium-sized enterprises. The Netherlands: University of Twente.
Van Staden, M. & Musko, F. (2010). Local governments and climate change: Sustainable energy planning and implementation in small and medium sized communities. New York, NY: Springer.