Business, Ethics, and the Environment : Imagining a Sustainable Future

PREFACE xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv Chapter One THE COMING AGE OF SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS 1 Introduction 1 Economics, Ecology, Ethics 3 Individuals, Government, and Business 5 Economic Growth: Problem or Solution? 7 The Sustainability Paradigm 9 Sustainability as Social Justice 11 Sustainability: Two Caveats 14 Chapter Two THE BIOSPHERE: FACTS AND VALUES 17 Introduction 17 I = PAT 18 State of the Biosphere 19 Food 19 Climate 24 Energy 25 Values and the Biosphere: Pragmatism and Diversity 27 Chapter Three ECONOMIC GROWTH, FREE MARKETS, AND BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY 33 Introduction 33 Economic Growth as the Economic Good 34 Free Market Environmentalism 37 Free Market Ethics 41 Corporate Social Responsibility and the Standard Model 43 Corporate Environmental Responsibility 45 Chapter Four THE FAILURE OF MARKET-BASED POLICIES 49 Introduction 49 Critique of Growth-Based Market Model: Internal Challenges 49 Critique of Growth-Based Market Model: External Challenges 55 The Ethics of the Conventional Model 58 Summary and Conclusions 61 Chapter Five ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ETHICS 63 Introduction 63 Ecological Economics 64 Policy Implications of Ecological Economics: Accounting for Natural Capital 68 Policy Implications of Ecological Economics: Globalized Trade and Finance 72 Ecological Economics and Corporate Social Responsibility 80 Chapter Six THE "BUSINESS CASE" FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELS 87 Introduction 87 The Business Case for Sustainability 88 Models for Sustainable Business: Natural Capitalism and Industrial Ecology 93 Models for Sustainable Business: The Natural Step and Cradle-to-Cradle 97 Chapter Seven SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS 103 Introduction 103 Sustainable Products 104 Sustainable Production: Pollution and Waste 106 Life-Cycle Responsibility, Dematerialization, and Sustainable Energy Use 110 Business as Consumers: Supply-Chain Responsibility 115 Chapter Eight SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION 121 Introduction 121 Sustainable Consumption 122 Consumption: Too Much of a Good Thing? 125 Why Do We Consume As We Do? 129 Business's Responsibility for Consumption 133 Philosophical Reflections on Consumerism 136 Chapter Nine CREATING SUSTAINABLE PROFESSIONS AND COMMUNITIES 141 Introduction 141 Sustainable Marketing 141 Sustainable Accounting, Auditing, Finance 147 Sustainable HR and Operations 149 Sustainable Communities 151 Index 157