...The role of moral leadership for sustainable consumption and production some theoretical and normative explorations Onno M. Vinkhuyzen1,2 and Sylvia I. Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen1,3 1 International Environment Forum, Geneva, Switzerland 2 European Bahá’í Business Forum, Tamboer 167, 6866EH Heelsum, the Netherlands, onno@ebbf.org, +31647326786 3 Public Administration and Policy Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706KN Wagenigen, the Netherlands, and Turku University, 20014 Turun yliopisto, Finland, sylvia.karlsson-vinkhuyzen@wur.nl, +31858770774 Abstract: In this paper we argue that an adequate understanding of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) involves a mature consciousness of the interdependence between ourselves and the rest of our human family and its habitat. The principles, the actions and the vision that form the basis for SCP are not unknown, but there is a considerable gap between knowledge and action and behavioural incentives are not sufficient for system change. In the conversations between the authors of this paper, a practitioner and an academic, on the reasons for this knowledge-action gap there emerged a common recognition of the potentially significant role of values and particularly values-based leadership in the processes and partnerships that work for sustainability transitions in SCP. Our starting point is that values, what we humans consider to be good, are formed by a range of factors (cultural, political, social, religious) and are...
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...April 2016 Question at Issue Essay #1 The word sustainability today can be used in so many different ways. It can be means of “more environmentally friendly,” but never used in it's original form. A sustainable society is more or less a society that can be maintained over time by having society not undermine the environments capacity to meet their needs. Now, the question at issue is can we[world] get to a point where we can be called a sustainable society? With every human composing an obstruction on many aspects of the environment such as: food, air, water, forest, beaches, wildlife and scenery, sustainability is not approachable (Heinberg 1). Even though reaching a sustainable society starting today is near impossible, to reach sustainability the world would have to check their use of resources, population growth and minimize substances introduced into the environment. Resources have utility, limited availability, and potential for depletion and/or consumption. Today, the rate at which we are consuming is too fast; we are depleting natural resources that cannot rejuvenate to fulfill our use. The Earth's natural resources include: water, air, minerals, soil, fuel, plants and animals. For our society we only have a certain amount of time left, or “amount left to extract” until our nonrenewable resources are gone. People often waste natural resources; forests are cleared leading to wind damage and erosion of soil, fuel supplies are depleted and air and water are being polluted...
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...Sustainability? 2. Can our Society Endure? 3. What is a Sustainable Business? 4. World’s Most Sustainable Companies 5. Corporate Sustainability 6. What is the EPA Doing? 7. What is Sustainable Management? Sustainability Sustainability “creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony that permits fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations” (EPA, 2015). Sustainability is also “important to making sure that we have and will continue to have the water, materials and resources to protect human health and our environment” (EPA, 2015). Sustainability What is Sustainability? Sustainability is “everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends on our natural environment, we need to create and maintain the conditions under which nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations” (U.S. EPA, 2015). Can our Society Endure? According to SustainAbility “today it is by no means certain our society has the capacity to endure, not in such a way the nine billion people expected on Earth by 2050 will be able to achieve a basic quality of life. The planet’s ecosystems are deteriorating and the climate is changing. We are consuming so much and so quickly that we are already living far beyond the earth’s capacity to support us. Yet, nearly a sixth of our fellow humans go to bed...
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...Collaborative Consumption And Sustainability: A Discursive Analysis Of Consumer Representations And Collaborative Website Narratives Anne-Sophie Binninger, NEOMA Business School, France Nacima Ourahmoune, NEOMA Business School, France Isabelle Robert, University Lille Nord de France-SKEMA Business School, France ABSTRACT In this article, the authors analyze the collaborative consumption model and its contribution to sustainable consumption. Indeed, collaborative consumption is considered as an alternative, ecological consumption mode (Bostman & Rogers, 2011), but previous research has no yet deeply explored to what extent it contributes the sustainable scheme and values. The study therefore investigates both the producer side (collaborative websites) and consumer side (blog participants) to decipher how sustainable ideals are shaped in this context and how consumers attend to them. Six segments of consumers have been identified which can help marketing and sustainable levers better frame their offer. Keywords: Collaborative Consumption; Sustainable Consumption; Access-Based Consumption; Sharing INTRODUCTION O ver the last decade, markets have changed significantly in terms of our relationship to goods, leading to other forms of acquisition and consumption than via possession (Rifkin, 2000, Lovelock and Gummeson 2004, Mont, 2002, Giesler 2006, Chen, 2009, Belk, 2010, Gansky 2010; Bostman & Rogers 2011, Bardhi & Eckhardt 2012,). So-called collaborative consumption (Felson & Spaeth...
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...OUR PEOPLE OUR PERFORMANCE We performed extremely well on workplace safety and achieved our 2011 target on video conferencing and our 2011 milestone on Lamplighter. We made steady progress on the others. • 1 achieved • 7 on-plan • 0 off-plan • 0 missed target OUR APPROACH Our employees are essential to our business success and to achieving the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan targets. It is in our interest to ensure that all 171,000 of them are healthy, motivated and committed. Complementing our targets are three important areas which we keep under regular review - diversity, human and labour rights and training. DIVERSITY Unilever is an extremely diverse organisation in terms of its ethnic and cultural make-up. The Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) comprises managers from five countries and the top 100 executives come from over 20. However, our gender mix is not what we want it to be. Although we have three female Non-Executive Directors on the Board, there is only one woman on the ULE. We are tackling the issue through a diversity board chaired by the CEO and by a requirement that the shortlist for each senior job should contain a woman. Since 2007, the proportion of women in senior positions has risen from 23% to 28%. More than 50% of our graduate recruits are women. In principle, the pipeline is being filled, but our task is to ensure many more reach the top levels. HUMAN AND LABOUR RIGHTS Unilever’s approach to human and labour rights is set out...
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...With our world becoming more and more dependent on the decisions we make that effect our environment around us, it’s our job to maintain and innovate new ideas to sustain environmental health. The principal impediment to a sustainable society is our internal wiring. Put simply, humans evolved in an environment of scarcity and our brains are poorly adapted to restrain our appetites in a climate of abundance even when our ‘executive’ brain warns us that our civilization has overextended the limits of the biosphere. The human mind is not used to dealing with novel global environmental threats such as pollution, plastic, chemicals, nuclear waste and greenhouse gases, because for millions of years these problems were not around. As citizens of the world, each of us is responsible for the health of our planet. Our choices and our actions contribute to the well-being or deterioration of the environment. ? While some countries have chosen to develop national-level strategies, Canada’s federal system of governance required an approach that acknowledged that many of the levers for promoting sustainable development are controlled by different levels of governments (e.g. municipalities, provinces, and territories). The FSDA (Federal Sustainable Development Act) articulates the Government of Canada’s long-term vision, goals, and targets, including its plans for reducing the federal government’s environmental footprint. Environmental sustainability and economic development can be considered...
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...Similarities of Green Consumption in China and the U.S Green consumption has become a common practice among businesses around the world. The concept of green consumption is the manufacturing and selling of products that are environmentally friendly and sustainable for society and people. It also means recycling materials as well as being energy efficient. By practicing green consumption, companies are able to create products that can inflict less harm to the environment and to people. Green consumption alone cannot help improve the environment quickly. Green marketing helps to promote and reinforce the idea of sustainable products that green consumption is about. Everywhere around the world that practice green consumption has different ways of promoting it. In countries, such as United States and China, they share a common idea of what green consumption is, but practice and promote it differently. In China, their ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable consumption in choosing green products that are uncontaminated, good for public health and avoid pollution with the awareness of its people. China Origin The idea of green consumption was not immediately accepted in China. The United States started green consumption before China, so they have a better grasp and understanding on how to approach the problem on how to be environmentally sustainable. Over recent years, the concern of the environment rapidly has been increasing in China. The concept of green consumption has been introduced...
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...significant concerns about the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth and consumption of our natural resources. - There are three dimensions to sustainability namely; environmental, social and economic. Environmental aspects relate to water, land, atmospheric impact (global warming); including energy and chemical use. - Social sustainability can include human and workers' rights and community issues. Economic aspects include financial transparency, accountability and corporate governance, for example, Starbucks' global policy involves close monitoring of and governing of sustainable practices within the organization. - These practices promote sustainable practices at every touch point; farms (where the raw materials are produced); distribution of raw materials, packaging of products and delivering of goods. - b) Outline and explain Marshall & Toffel’s (2005) hierarchy of ecological motivations model, including the implication of the model for marketers when discussing sustainability. (40%) - c) Detail at least four benefits of pursuing a sustainability strategy, using examples to support your response. In addition, comment on the potential risks of implementing such a strategy. (40%) - Sustainable development defined as the configuring of human activity so that societies are able to meet current needs while preserving natural ecosystems for future generations is essential...
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...UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION EDUCATING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE A TRANSDISCIPLINARY VISION FOR CONCERTED ACTION EPD-97/CONF.401/CLD.1. November 1997. Original: English. Also available in French and Spanish. Other language versions are foreseen. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION I. WHAT IS ‘SUSTAINABILITY’? * BEHIND THE HEADLINES * Population * Poverty * Environmental degradation * Democracy, human rights and peace * Development * Interdependence * NORTH-SOUTH DIFFERENCES * TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABILITY * A dynamic balance * An emerging vision * EDUCATION: THE FORCE OF THE FUTURE II. PUBLIC AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING: THE FUEL FOR CHANGE * THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION * CONFRONTING VESTED INTERESTS * COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES * COMPLEX MESSAGES * THE MESSENGERS * REASON FOR OPTIMISM III. REORIENTING EDUCATION TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY * IMPORTANCE OF BASIC EDUCATION * WHAT CHANGES DOES SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRE? * Curriculum reform * Structural reform * EDUCATIONAL REFORM: A CASE STUDY * REFORM AT DIFFERENT SCALES * CONTRIBUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION * INTERDISCIPLINARITY IV. SHIFTING TO SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES: CHANGING CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS * INDIVIDUAL CHOICES AND LIFESTYLES * COLLECTIVE DECISION-MAKING ...
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...Land Rover’s plan for a sustainable future is overly impressive. They invested in four key areas in their approach to a sustainable business for a lower carbon world. These are 1.) e_Terrain Technologies through efficient power systems, lightweight structures and reduced emissions, 2.) Sustainable Manufacturing by using fewer resources and creating less waste, 3.) CO2 Offsetting through renewable energy, technology change and energy efficiency projects, and 4.) Conservation & Humanitarian Partnerships by working partnerships for conservation and society’s gain. E Terrain Technologies: A joint $1,253m investment into new technologies designed to reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel consumption. Land Rover is targeting a 25% reduction in joint fleet average tailpipe CO2emissions within the next five years. Beginning with an intelligent Stop/Start system on LR2 TD4 manual in 2009, followed by Intelligent Power Management Systems (IPMS) with Smart regenerative braking on all LR4 & Range Rover vehicles, to the announcement of our new small Range Rover, e_TERRAIN TECHNOLOGIES form a fundamental part of our carbon management plan. Sustainable Manufacturing: World class manufacturing facilities, certified to ISO14001 since 1998. As a company we are targeting a 25% reduction in operating CO2emissions by 2012, 25% in waste to landfill and 10% in water consumption. Going forward we are measuring our total operating carbon footprint and setting targets to reduce it; since 2006 this...
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...reinforce competitive advantage in the market while protecting the capital base. The balance of power has shifted between corporations and it is important to balance economic prosperity along with environmental and social dimensions. Sustainable business strategy represents a marked shift in traditional business practices and companies who do not adapt to the changes in these practices in order to achieve sustainable profitability will be more likely to face the brand value decline or even extinction in the future. For instance, the change represents the need to understand how all three dimensions affect each other and companies ought to consciously create new consumer preferences. However, a lot of companies still are missing guidelines to implementing a marketing strategy of sustainability as an essential part, which is at the core of ensuring organizational, social, economic and environment growth while managing overconsumption issues (White, 2011). Current researches tend to focus on developing a more sustainable approach on product design, pricing, promotion and distribution when it comes to the sustainable business strategy and companies are widely integrating this approach. On the other hand, the theoretical practices of promoting sustainable consumption in customer-citizens are an emerging potential for further development of sustainability. As a...
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...FROM “(R)EVOLUTION” TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CURRENT FEATURES AND PERSPECTIVES ABSTRACT This article aims to address the issue of Sustainable Development (SD) in an evolutionary perspective within its multidisciplinary scope. The complexity of developments for sustainability has frequently proven difficult in its implementation, evaluation and effective communication.It was our intention to provide an outline of the diverse views on the subject, focusing on globalization as a change of attitude towards sustainability.It is a review of terminology associated with the SD and its multiple interpretations.It is referenced the apparent and irrelevant impact of initiatives to solve the economic, social and environmental problem. It emphasizes the influence and importance of strategies and the positioning of SMEs on the way to SD in the policy of act local think global. KEYWORDS Strategy Sustainable development Sustainability, SMEs JERÓNIMO, WINSTON CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal OLIVEIRA, NUNO GASPAR DE CIGEST, Assistente Instituto Superior de Gestão, Portugal 1. INTRODUCTION “(R)Evolution or Death”, adapted from the revolutionary slogan used and popularized by the Cuban regime, serves as motto for the urgent need to transform our production and consumption systems and our standing towards the environment around us....
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...New Approaches to Teaching Sustainable Living to Post-Secondary Students Prepared for xxxxxxx xxxxx John Molson School of Business Prepared by xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx John Molson School of Business November 11 2013 Table of Contents List of Illustrations .................................................................................................................... iii-xi Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... xii Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Research Results .................................................................................................................... 2-3 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 4 Edification .................................................................................................................... 4 Sustainability .................................................................................................................... 4 Reasoning .................................................................................................................... 4-5 Conclusion & Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 5 Bibliography .............
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...Mitigation Strategies and Solutions: Conserving Energy and Human Population Mitigation Strategies and Solutions: Conserving Energy and Human Population Developing countries with rapid population growth face the urgent need to improve their living standards without destroying the environment. Natural resources are facing a coupling of increased pressure, threatening the health of the public and our development. The global challenge begins with the water shortages, loss of forests, and air and water pollution. Are we blindly destroying our natural resources needed for our future, as we humans exploit nature to meet our present needs? The world’s current supply of energy is provided by natural resources. Natural resources are defined as various nonrenewable and renewable energy sources. A renewable resource consists of naturally occurring resources in nature, like wind (windpower), water (hydropower), or sun (solar). Renewable energy is safer for the environment when compared to nonrenewable resources. Only about 9 percent of electricity in the U.S. is generated from these renewable sources (EPA, 1997). Renewable resources are replaced in nature as they are used, which makes this type of energy highly desirable. Nonrenewable resources are found in fixed amounts, these are natural resources that cannot be replaced. Although nonrenewable resources are also found in...
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...Innovation and Sustainability Why is controlling human production and consumption important to our material resources this earth has created for us? This is the essential question so many are asking in today’s society. Many decades have been addressing the ecological impacts of consumptions and production therefore air quality has improved, waste and industrial pollution has been controlled more and products are more proficient with more informed consumers to boot. As we know these are steps in the right path, however more must be done to manage consumption and production of our material resources. Elemental changes are needed in how natural resources are removed and the way products are produced, dispersed, used and disposed of. Action is needed at all levels of society from individuals and industry through to central and local administration in order to reverse past and current trends and live within biological limits. Thus in this thesis, I will discuss two material resources of consumptions and productions that humans are constantly producing and consuming and how we can potentially decrease them. The first consumption called deforestation often leads to a production such as farming. The second consumption to be discussed is urban sprawl, which leads to the production of water pollution. However, let us first define deforestation and urban sprawl. “Deforestation commonly defined as the elimination of trees and other plants from forest areas more quickly than they can...
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