Environmentalism and corporate sustainability

Kennedy, Steve and Whiteman, Gail (2015) Environmentalism and corporate sustainability. In: Wiley Encyclopaedia of Management. Wiley.

Abstract

Environmentalism refers to the advocacy of the conservation and restoration of the natural world. It may be considered as a broad philosophy or ideology of a political, ethical, and social movement concerned by the degradation of the natural environment because of human activity. Its modern conceptualization is rooted in the time of the industrial revolution (circa 1750–1850) and has developed through debates concerning both the intrinsic value of nature and the limits to growth imposed by scarcity of natural resources. Concerns of climate change among others have seen environmentalism become mainstream, with the related sustainable development dominating international agendas. Business has now taken the helm of the discourse through a combination of societal pressure, a shift in power away from governments, and an emergence of environmental market-based solutions. Engaged in “New Corporate Environmentalism” business is seeking to balance its drive for profit with ecological goals. A current paradox of increasing efforts but continued failure to stop environmental degradation, however, indicates that a more holistic approach is needed refocusing efforts on dealing with planetary boundary processes.