The Real-World Application of Corporate Sustainability

By: Michael Polentz
– Environmental Leader

Ask ten different experts to define “corporate sustainability” and you are likely to receive ten different answers all based, to a large extent, on their own experiences. Part of the problem in defining such an amorphous term arises from its continuing evolution along with the ever-increasing entry of new stakeholders, an inconsistent set of state and federal reporting standards, and the constant onslaught of newly adopted federal and state laws and regulations. One resource evidencing the divergent views on what constitutes an appropriate definition for corporate sustainability comes from the web-based encyclopedia, Wikipedia:

[1]. . . a business approach that creates long-term consumer and employee value by not only creating a “green” strategy aimed towards the natural environment, but taking into consideration every dimension of how a business operates in the social, cultural, and economic environment. . .

[2]. . . an evolution on more traditional phrases describing ethical corporate practice such as corporate social responsibility or corporate citizenship continue to be used but are increasingly superseded by the broader term, corporate sustainability. Unlike the other phrases that focus on “added-on” policies, corporate sustainability describes business practices built around social and environmental considerations.

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