Greening Business: An
online teaching resource
Session 1: Motivations for
organisations to ‘green’
Suggested session outline
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
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Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
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Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Session outline
1) Why learn about
‘greening
business’?
2) Motivations for
businesses to
‘green’
3) Perceived barriers
to ‘greening’
Greening Business: addressing the
questions – Why? What? How?
4) What does
‘greening’ involve?
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Sustainability and
business- why?
Big business can have a big effect…
(Photo: Zoe Robinson)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
SUSTAINABLE
Economic
prosperity
The ‘triple bottom line’
Environmental
quality
Social justice
The three ‘pillars’ of sustainable
development. Business activities must
address all three pillars to be truly
‘sustainable’
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
The social bottom line
Desertification in Marsabit, Kenya
Issues of international environmental
justice: Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the
most vulnerable regions to the impacts of
climate change
(Photo: Stephen Whitfield)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Control of waste and releases
(pollution control)
Time
Improving the efficiency of
processes and products (within
the factory gates)
Environmental
management in
business is changing
‘Beyond the factory gate’
considerations to embed
sustainable business practices
throughout all business
operations including
service/product design
The development of environmental
management in business through time
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Six principles of
sustainable business
One way of increasing energy efficiency!
(Photo: SE Iceland, Zoe Robinson)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Service: Drying hands
Paper
towels
Rolling
reusable
Electric
drier
1) Increasing ‘service
efficiency’
Resources and energy
used?
Will improving ‘ecoefficiency’ be better
than other alternative
options?
What is the most efficient way of delivering
the product or service?
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
2) Reducing material
intensity
The environmental legacy of mining for
copper is still striking. Parys Mountain,
Anglesey, North Wales (Photo: Zoe Robinson)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
3) Optimising material
selection
Examples of certification standards
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
4) Increasing the useful
lifetime of embodied
resources
Source: Stephen Whitfield
A simple example of waste being recycled
within nature.
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Why ‘green’?
Many companies include environmental
criteria within annual Corporate Social
Responsibility or Sustainability reports
(Photo: Stephen Whitfield)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Environmental
legislation
Risk management - Compliance with
environmental legislation is an important
part of risk management within an
organisation (Photo: Zoe Robinson)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
LEGALITIES
LIABILITIES
Threats to not pursuing
sustainable practices
MARKETS
MONEY
IMAGE
RELATIONS
There are many threats to an
organisation from not pursuing
sustainable practices
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
Barriers to
implementing more
sustainable practices
There are many factors that hinder
environmental progress in organisations
(Photo: Zoe Robinson)
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness
References and further resources
 IEM (1998) Eco-efficiency: towards more sustainable
business practice. Part 1: Key concepts. Institute of
Environmental Management Journal, 5 (2)
 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Environmental and technical regulations
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/sustainability/ind
ex.html
 Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment.
www.iema.net
 Netregs. Environmental guidance for your business
http://www.netregs.gov.uk/
 World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
www.wbcsd.org/
Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University, z.p.robinson@esci.keele.ac.uk
Greening Business: An online teaching resource. www.esci.keele.ac.uk/greeningbusiness