There has been a long-standing relationship between industry, and the trending deterioration of various elements in our natural environment. The industrial revolution that took place in the early 19th century gradually but definitively led to an upsurge in modernization and urbanization. With this came an increase in consumer consumption. By the late 1900s, the exploitation of various natural resources such as coal and natural gas became integral to the continual growth of most manufacturing sectors (Kibert, C. 1999). At the time, stakeholders were yet to completely comprehend the impact of such rapid advancements on their natural environment and while several positive considerations may be made about the extensive increase in commercial activity, one can no longer ignore the resulting burden on our natural resources and the detrimental effects of the waste being generated on our environment.
Keeping in mind the drastic impact of industrialization on the environment, it is astounding to learn that in the last 50 years, only 90 companies have collectively caused two thirds of the worlds global warming green house gas emissions (Heede, 2014, pp. 1--13). A majority of the companies on the list belong to the oil, gas and coal sector. This may be attributed to extent of industry’s dependence on fossil fuels to sustain manufacturing and delivering of all types of commodities and services from construction and transport to pharmaceuticals and power. The media and government’s scrutiny has helped increase public awareness and led to a new era of socially driven vigilance and demand for accountability in regards to large organizations. At the same time many companies, realizing their responsibility towards sustainability, have begun devo...
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...tion’ has undoubtedly been initiated in the corporate and commercial sectors. In order to effectively bring about positive changes, organizations must also attempt to clearly influence public behavior in a sustainable direction. The problem with tackling environmental issues like climate change seems to be that the immediate apparent effects of it aren’t as strongly felt in comparison to other global issues such as terrorism. Businesses have conventionally been good at implementing safety, stringent quality standards and providing excellent customer service, since the effects of these problems are directly felt on the organization’s bottom line. However, Marks & Spencer PLC with its various initiatives has paved the way for other companies and demonstrated pioneering work in the field of corporate sustainability as an example of the scope of achievable improvement.
One thing is for sure, large number of companies are starting to face problems and trying to come up with solutions to this crisis. Many suggestions have been made towards companies and some include changing more environmental friendly supply chain. (Carbon dioxide supply chain reporting in a Swedish multinational corporation, 2010). Swedish multinational corporation Entra has stated the fact that there is a relationship between their costs and energy sourcing. Since they are sometimes supplier to their suppliers, the environment pushes Entra and all organizations to look into how they can influence their supply channels. BP Amoco as many other companies, have set a target on reducing Greenhouse gasses. One step that they took was...
With forward movement in society, it is important to consider not just what will propel most toward success, but also what will help to sustain the environment along the way. What may have been considered appropriate decades ago, may no longer be socially acceptable due to the changes observed in both the business world and the environment (Fiske, 2010). Therefore, it is important for organizations thriving in today?s economy to consider how they may capitalize most effectively from their product or service of choice while minimizing or eliminating any damages along the way (Knoke, 2012).
The Industrial Revolution was not only a turning point in the progress of human history, but the start of a great change in the Earth’s environment. Technological advances in industry and mass migration into urban areas led to a rising demand for energy sources, a demand met by fossil fuels. Casper, J. (2010) describes coal as ‘symbolic of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution’, the increased combustion of these ‘dirty’ fossil fuels further polluted the air and enhanced the volume of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Changes in land use attributed to population rise, reduced the amount of photosynthesising biomass on Earth, diminished an important ‘carbon sink’ and concluded to enhance the Greenhouse Effect.
"The Industrial Revolution and its Impact on our Environment." Eco Issues. N.p., 27 Aug 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2014.
This case focuses on corporate obstacles to pollution prevention. Pollution prevention can complex especially for large corporations. There are many different forms of pollution prevention including emissions control devices and incremental changes in existing technology. The author reviews the impact of emissions controlled devices, however the focus of the case study is on incremental changes in existing technology. Incremental changes include substituting one or two steps in a production process or relationship changes between production steps. One example of incremental changes that was provided by the author was eliminating chlorofluorocarbons and saving energy by replacing a refrigeration process with a heath exchanger that can exploit waste cooling from another part of the process. There are three critical decision-making stages for incremental changes; identifying a pollution prevention opportunity, finding a solution appropriate to that opportunity, and implementing that solution. The author discusses the three aspects of an organization (culture, ability to process information, and its politics) and how they impact the decision-making stages.
Stuart Hart, in a business article, discusses the tough task for companies to make a sustainable global ec...
Overpopulation, Industrialization, and the Degradation of the Environment. The overall growth of the human population in the last 2000 years has been a J-shaped growth. This can also be expressed as exponential growth. A big question that can only be answered in time is how this population growth will slow down or stop.
These burdens are amplified as the area is further urbanized; increasing demands for fossilized fuels, food, water, and property for additional urban construction. The impact of industrialization has transformed human life and produced extensive ecological deviations. In order to understand how the environmental impacts of ever expanding industrialized technology might linger to impact our health and that of our environment, we offer facts that should be studied. This paper suggests that extra research be conducted to enhance perception concerning advancing modern technology disadvantageous consequences on the safety of humans and their surrounding environment. Manufacturing of Energy Resources.
Human population growth on this planet has followed a long, slow J-curve shape leading up to a nearly exponential growth beginning around the time of the modern Industrial Revolution in the 1800s (Southwick, ch. 15). As the Industrial Revolution continues to spread to less-developed countries, their population growth is now skyrocketing as increased access to food and medical care raises the standards of living around the world, while many cultures have not yet responded with a lowered birth rate. This scenario is exactly what happened in London in the 1800s, when the pollution and overpopulation of the beginnings of dirty industry were in full swing.
Sustainable operation management is a management approach that involves planning, implementation and control of business operations that translate available resources into the required product or service. It is the management of business practices, traditions and operations to promote the highest level of efficiency, smooth workflow, and increased productivity in an organization. This management strategy ensures that the available labour force and materials are changed into products or services in a cost effective way to increase the company’s returns (Corbett, 2009). It also involves production waste management, food waste reduction, creating new opportunities, environment protection, and improving customer health. Sustainable operation management in the retail industry around the world has gained momentum in the recent years, in the face of customer pressure and media interest. It is particularly linked to the concepts of corporate social responsibility and global warming (Morrison, 2013).
Important companies like Shell, DuPont, BP have been reorganised to generate profits from this green market of goods and services. In this sense, it may sound altruistic, "the sustainability", the logic of profitability and competition is what will determine the ability of companies of the future to meet the changing needs of consumers. This premise of "sustainability" as a necessary quality to be competitive, falls short, according to Bryan Walsh of Time magazine. In a 2007 article, the expert shows how "sustainable" is helping to drive out competition, given the approach taken by companies to become more efficient, flexible and cutting waste, which helps them provide better products and reduce costs. Companies that refuse to accept that they will face a strict and demanding environment.
There are many aspects of the Industrial Revolution that have impacted our world today. Before the Industrial Revolution people relied on nature to get everything done; it was our only source of power. For example framers grew their crops in the field and used their horses and other animals to get the farm work done. Everything that was made was done by hand and powered by nature up until the 1700’s when everything started to change. The Industrial Revolution brought about many changes that have acted as s double-edged sword to the world as a whole. In the long run the environment has been hurt by deforestation, building of factories, mass production, and a spike in population (The Industrial Revolution 1760-1830, 1966).
Human population growth was relatively slow for most of human history. Within the past 500 years, however, the advances made in the industrial, transportation, economic, medical, and agricultural revolutions have helped foster an exponential, "J-shaped" rise in human population (Southwick, Figure 15.1, p. 160). The statistics associated with this type of growth are particularly striking: "Human beings took more than 3 million years to reach a population of 1 billion people...The second billion came in only 130 years, the third billion in 30 years, the fourth billion in 15 years, the fifth billion in 12 years..." (Southwick, p. 159). As human population has grown, there has been simultaneous growth within the industrial sector. Both of these increases have greatly contributed to environmental problems, such as natural resource depletion, ecosystem destruction, and global climate change. Also linked with the increasing human population are many social problems, such as poverty and disease. These issues need to be addressed by policy makers in the near future in order to ensure the survival and sustainability of human life.
The sustainability of ecosystems on which the global economy depends must be guaranteed. And the economic partners must be satisfied that the basis of exchange is equitable” (World). This quote demonstrates the complexities of sustainability. Another thing corporations should focus on when trying to be sustainable is their environmental impact. Annie Leonard in her book The Story of Stuff says that companies can significantly reduce their toll on the environment by changing their design. The design determines “the amount of energy used in making and using the product,” “the length of the product’s life span” and “its ability to be recycled” (Leonard). All these things determine the amount of resources a company must use, so simply changing a product’s design is one way a company can have a large impact on the sustainability of the environment in which it operates. One example of this is that “Wal-Mart attributed more that $100 million of its 2009 revenue to a decision to switch to a recyclable variety of cardboard in shipments” which it sells to a recycler instead of paying to send it to a landfill
For the previous 200 years, the industrial revolution’s discovery of fossil fuels reigned supreme. (Benefits of Recycling, History of Alternative Energy) Newly developed factories continued their steady streams of production and our society started becoming larger consumers. To meet the increasing demand, more product had to be made, and this resulted in more waste being emitted into the atmosphere. These gases built up until they caused the ozone layer to thicken to the point where it started trapping the h...