Environmental sustainability has become one of the most topical issues nowadays, and businesses are under the pressure of public expectations to implement sustainability approaches. I do not think that the company’s environmental impact should be the least of its concerns. However, making ‘greenness’ the basic strategy and goal of the business may be short-sighted and inefficient. I agree with Adam Werbach’s idea that sustainability is more than green practices because I think that it cannot be achieved without a complex approach that incorporates social and economic factors.
The challenges can arise when implementing the green goals, because the company may fail to survive the competition that is bound to intensify as more and more companies adopt environmental policies and approaches. This is why social, economic, and cultural components of the company’s sustainability strategy have to be considered as important as the environmental ones. An example of a company that goes beyond simply “not polluting the planet” is A Good Company, a business based in Sweden and founded in 2018 by Anders Ankarlid. The slogan claims that “environmental sustainability is at the heart” of everything they do, and the company makes it possible through perfecting the unique design of their products and marketing strategies (A Good Company, 2019). They constantly do research, find new materials to recycle, and develop new ways to use those materials in their products.
Another example of the business that made environmental sustainability one of its main goals is the Nike Corporation. This company cooperates with environmental groups, advocates for the circular economy, and regularly participates in climate change conferences (Eyada, 2020). Such impact would not be possible if the company did not devote the same attention to other economic and social factors, such as marketing, product diversification, and developing brand awareness.
Patagonia is another large business that made environmental sustainability one of its main initiatives. This outdoor clothing company uses its role in the sports community to implement environmental changes. Patagonia takes part in numerous social activities, cooperating with environmental groups. They regularly organize events and support grantees who work on environmental issues (Patagonia, n.d.). They grow economically by finding new partnerships and establishing new routes to promoting environmental activism.
It can be concluded that the successful implementation of environmental sustainability strategies requires effective and comprehensive use of the company’s full resources. Social, economic, and cultural elements have to be taken into consideration, thoroughly analyzed, and developed along with the ‘green’ policies. Only such a complex approach will ensure that the company has financial and social opportunities to influence the change for the better.
References
Eyada, B. (2020). Brand activism, the relation and impact on consumer perception: A case study on Nike advertising.International Journal of Marketing Studies, 12(4), 30. Web.
Patagonia. (n.d.). Environmental activism – Patagonia. Web.
A Good Company. (2019). Who we are. Web.