Sustainability is the act of engaging in practices that do not reduce the world’s natural resources. It is a concept that has become incredibly important in recent years, and many people are changing the way they behave to accommodate a sustainable life.
Even major businesses are engaging in these practices, but why? Surely introducing new business procedures is incredibly expensive. Why would they choose to do this? Let’s discuss.
Protecting The Future
The first thing that you will learn in a business sustainability course is that nothing lasts forever. Unfortunately, the world’s resources are slowly running out. There is only a finite amount of coal, oil, and gas on the planet, and once these materials disappear, they will be gone for good. Therefore, business sustainability aims to shift manufacturing processes to use up renewable energy sources instead.
The key to sustainability management is protecting the future. By making these changes now, businesses can ensure that there is always a way to continue making a profit.
Protecting The Environment
One colossal downside to using non-renewable energy sources is that they are harmful to the environment. Studies have shown that burning fossil fuels releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere. This layer of carbon makes it easy for heat to become trapped under the atmosphere, slowly raising the Earth’s temperature.
The rise in temperature can have disastrous effects on the weather patterns, re-shaping the environments of plants and animals and causing them to die out. This means that businesses need to change their practices to protect the environment and reverse the effects of global warming. One of the best ways to do this is by engaging in sustainable business practices.
Obeying The Law
As you can imagine, the threat of global warming is a huge concern for future generations. That is why we are being encouraged to make changes now. However, becoming sustainable is no longer a choice for most businesses across the globe. Governments have banded together to introduce legislation that encourages sustainability.
The environmental act of 1990 was introduced to force businesses to control their air pollution, and the environment act of 1995 followed this up by including laws to help control water, air, and waste pollution. The biggest change to sustainability legislation came about in 2008, however, encouraging companies to reduce their carbon emissions using the climate change act. Therefore, any business that does not comply with modern sustainability practices is not only harming the environment but also in breach of the law.
It Is Cost-Effective
While it may seem counterproductive for a company to reform its entire manufacturing process, there are financial benefits to making this decision. Firstly, everyone is trying to become sustainable at the same time. This means that companies will try and encourage businesses to buy from them by offering reduced prices on sustainable materials. Secondly, business is moving toward an entirely sustainable future. This means that businesses are only getting ahead of the curve before it is too late, or too expensive, to change.
Summary
As you can see, there are more benefits to moving toward a sustainable future than there are drawbacks. That is why businesses are moving in this direction, and why you should too.
