The Importance of Environmental Responsibility in Business

The Importance of Environmental Responsibility in Business

Question

Business Organizations Depend On Natural Resources

All economic organizations around the world depend on the natural environment and their activities affect natural resources. Globalization means that all organizations have expanded their boundaries. The process of globalization has increased stakeholder interest in an organization’s business. Stakeholders in today’s world are concerned with an organization’s diverse business activities while also paying great attention to conducting ethical and responsible activities (Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016). ). This has empowered companies to develop ethical and responsible strategies for their communities. Therefore, the natural environment is a stakeholder for the organization because the organization is influenced by and dependent on the natural environment. Not only companies, but also their stakeholders depend on the natural environment. Focusing on the megatrends that will affect an organization’s business in the long term therefore increases the importance of corporate responsibility for the natural environment (Sternberg, 2009).

Various megatrends related to sustainability and impacting the future of companies, such as: B. Deforestation, climate change, food, resource and water scarcity, population growth, fuel and energy consumption, etc. (Lethbridge, J., 2016). These megatrends are having a major impact on the natural environment of the earth. It is important to use the earth’s resources within their ecological limits so that they can regenerate themselves for the benefit of mankind. Therefore, water systems need to be protected so that people all over the world have access to safe and affordable drinking water. As is the case in Nigeria’s Niger River Delta, the Nigerian oil industry heavily pollutes the region with hydrocarbons associated with daily oil production. Pollution is not only affecting the area, but the people living there are also facing its effects, leading to an increase in infertility, cancer and child malnutrition in the area (Osabajo and Moore, 2017).

Similarly, the Amazon oil spill has resulted in the loss of many fish and wildlife species due to the draining of Peru’s main oil pipelines and the contamination of water used by local residents for drinking and other uses. Considering both cases, we conclude that the activities of the corporate organization affect not only the individuals in the area, but also the people of the communities living in the natural environment of the corporation, in terms of health, economy and community. (Jonathon, et al., 2019). Organizations must incorporate into their business strategies that respect people and the planet and act responsibly, ethically and sustainably to achieve benefits that are equally important to all of her 3Ps. Businesses depend on society and must respond to society’s needs. Local environmental communities depend on them, and environmental destruction is unethical (Brockerhoff, et al., 2017). It is the responsibility of the business organizations to ensure the local community is not harmed by the organizational activity and the resources are available for the people of the community as well as the global population including different stakeholders of the organization.

To ensure that the people of the universe have access to safe and affordable water for drinking and the protection of the water systems, the organizations can include various strategies in the conduction of business activities in their daily activities. Some of the steps that the organizations can take are as follows:

Proper Disposal: The organizations must dump the wastes properly, the wastes of the factories may consist of various hazardous and acidic chemicals, which may contaminate the land or water or environment it is thrown into. Therefore, the organizations must properly dispose of the waste products so that it does not affect the water and land resources of the environment.

Reuse of water: The organizations require water for various activities. Organizations can reuse water as much as possible by washing it. Organizations can use water cooling towers to reuse water and reuse process water for cleaning. A decentralized system also allows the process water to be reused for various other purposes.

Regular equipment maintenance and inspection: Organizations require various types of equipment such as plumbing, drainage systems, and other activities as part of their daily activities. Malfunctions of this type of equipment are dangerous and can cause disasters that can adversely affect the environment and its resources. Regular maintenance and inspection of these devices will help prevent disasters and conserve environmental resources such as water.

References

Brockerhoff, E.G., Barbaro, L., Castagneyrol, B., Forrester, D.I., Gardiner, B., González-Olabarria, JR., Lyver, P.O.B., Meurisse, N., Oxbrough, A., Taki, H., and Thompson, I.D., 2017. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functions and provision of ecosystem services.

Down J, Cowell R and Morgan, K., 2016. What Determines Ethical Behavior in Public Organizations: Rules or Leadership? Administrative Review, 76(6), pp. 898-909.

Jonasson, M.E., Spiegel, S.J., Thomas, S., Yassi, A., Wittman, H., Takaro, T., Afshari, R., Markwick, M., Spiegel, J.M., 2019. Oil Pipelines and Food Sovereignty: Health Equity Threats to Indigenous Communities. Journal of Public Health Policy, 40(4), pp. 504-517.

Lethbridge, J., 2016. An overview of the global megatrends impacting local governments. PSIRU reported in August. Osobajo, O.A. and Moore, D., 2017. Who’s Who? Identifying Different Subsets of Secondary Stakeholders Within a Community: A Case Study of a Community in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. International Business Studies, 10(9), pp. 188-209.

Sternberg, E., 2009. Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance 1. Economic Affairs, 29(4), pp. 5-10.