Business and the environment Books

Book SynopsisShared value is a management strategy in which companies find business opportunities in social problems. While philanthropy and CSR focus efforts focus on “giving back” or minimizing the harm business has on society, shared value focuses company leaders on maximizing the competitive value of solving social problems in new customers and markets, cost savings, talent retention, and more.This book takes the concept of shared value to the next level, with the concept of “Me to We” (also abbreviated as “M2W”) and discusses the current state of the business-environment-government relationship and shows how the shared value model can contribute to each entity. Citing real cases and examples from multiple industries, the authors show that shared value promotes shareholder interests while serving as a successful business strategy. Chapters explore the emerging phenomenon of shared value, the shareholder-stakeholder comparisons, the role of government in the stakeholder environment, shared value as it related to competitiveness, and operational issues such as implementation, communication, and leadership in their relationship to shared value.Readers will find useful strategies of Me to We and its implementation by firms that have become leaders in their market. They will receive ideas and insights into business strategies that will overshadow CSR activities as a differentiation or brand development strategy of the past.Featuring interviews with corporate executives offering their perspectives on shared value, this book will discuss shared value within the context of business and society, competitiveness, and globalization.Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisThe art, fashion and wine industries are currently at various stages in their efforts to embrace and transition towards sustainability. While sustainability commitments are a necessary condition for progress, they are not sufficient. Instead, there is a need for sweeping transformative change that includes giving serious consideration to indigenous worldviews without recolonizing them. Sustainability in Art, Fashion and Wine includes findings from recent research and contributes to a new understanding of familiar concepts such as sustainability, (de)colonization and corporate responsibility in the art, fashion and wine industries by adopting critical lenses and incorporating them with innovative perspectives on circular business models and digitalization. It endeavors to present remedies for effectively combating climate change and promoting social good. While discussing specific issues such as sub-contracted labor, safe working conditions, living wages, environmental degradation, mismanaged waste, and more, the book argues that recognizing the significant role western colonization has played – and continues to play – in the developing world in our current conception of capitalism is itself unsustainable. To understand the true meaning of sustainability – to fully recognize the looming deadlines we face in combating the climate crisis and instituting sustainability as a new normal – the acceptance of a new conception of capitalism, one antithetical to colonization and exploitation, is required. Contributors to this book address these issues by applying a critical studies approach to their respective chapters, allowing the book to set out what real sustainability could and should look like in the art, fashion and wine industries.

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Book SynopsisIn a world facing environmental challenges and socio-economic inequalities, SMEs can drive positive change by integrating sustainability principles into their business practices. This book examines the relationship between sustainability, green management, and SME performance, providing insights, strategies, and case studies to guide SMEs towards a more sustainable future and long-term viability. Drawing from extensive research, the book analyzes the drivers, barriers, and motivations influencing SMEs' adoption of sustainability practices. It offers practical recommendations on overcoming resource constraints, awareness gaps, regulatory complexities, and resistance to change. It explores emerging trends such as digital technologies, circular economy approaches, clean energy transitions, and social innovation and discusses collaboration among SMEs, academia, and government agencies as a crucial factor for innovation and scaling up sustainable practices. Sustainability, Green Management and Performance of SMEs is a comprehensive and practical guide for SMEs seeking to integrate sustainability into their business strategies. It inspires and supports SMEs on their journey towards environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and long-term profitability, thus enabling them to unlock new business opportunities, gain a competitive edge, and secure their future in a changing global economy.

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Book SynopsisTime is of the essence. Climate change looms as a malignant force that will reshape our economy and society for generations to come. If we are going to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we are going to need to effectively "decarbonize" the global economy by 2050. This doesn't mean a modest, or even a drastic, improvement in fuel efficiency standards for automobiles. It means 100 percent of the cars on the road being battery-powered or powered by some other non-carbon-emitting powertrain. It means 100 percent of our global electricity needs being met by renewables and other non-carbon-emitting sources such as nuclear power. It means electrifying the global industrials sector and replacing carbon-intensive chemical processes with green alternatives, eliminating scope-one emissions—emissions in production—across all industries, particularly steel, cement, petrochemicals, which are the backbone of the global economy. It means sustainable farming while still feeding a growing global population. Responding to the existential threat of climate change, Michael Lenox and Rebecca Duff propose a radical reconfiguration of the industries contributing the most, and most harmfully, to this planetary crisis. Disruptive innovation and a particular calibration of industry dynamics will be key to this change. The authors analyze precisely what this might look like for specific sectors of the world economy—ranging from agriculture to industrials and building, energy, and transportation—and examine the possible challenges and obstacles to introducing a paradigm shift in each one. With regards to existent business practices and products, how much and what kind of transformation can be achieved? The authors assert that markets are critical to achieving the needed change, and that they operate within a larger scale of institutional rules and norms. Lenox and Duff conclude with an analysis of policy interventions and strategies that could move us toward clean tech and decarbonization by 2050.Trade Review"Lenox and Duff lay out pathways to the required deep decarbonization by 2050 with detailed analyses and thoughtful suggestions about the innovation agenda, technologies, and policies that would help pave the way. Carefully researched and profoundly insightful, this important book is a must-read for anyone interested in what needs to be done to take climate change action to scale and at speed." —Dan Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and editor of A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future"Lenox and Duff have produced a compelling vision for how critical sectors of the economy can rapidly advance toward decarbonization. With thought-provoking guidance on policies, tools and technologies that offer hope in a time of massive disruption, this book is essential reading for executives, policymakers and civil society leaders navigating this transition." —Katherine Neebe, Chief Sustainability Officer at Duke Energy and President, Duke Energy Foundation"Lenox and Duff show how we can fully decarbonize by mid-century affordably and equitably, and that what's most needed is institutional innovation and policy change to speed the transition now underway. Learn here what you can do, personally, professionally, and politically, to help build a healthier, safer, more prosperous world for all." —John Sterman, Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management at MIT and Director of the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative"The climate crisis is often spoken in the stratospheric terms of whether or why we must act. The real challenge is how we must act. As Michael Lenox and Rebecca Duff so clearly explain, this is about all of us – citizens, consumers, producers, and governing institutions. We can do this. This book shows how." —Bill Antholis, CEO and Director of UVA's Miller Center of Public Affairs and author of Fast Forward: Ethics and Politics in the Age of Global Warming"The Decarbonization Imperativeis a vital guide for the most important transition in human history. It should sit on every desk as a resource for scholars, policy makers, and citizens alike to both inspire and help realize dreams for a healthier planet."—Auden Schendler, Stanford Social Innovation Review"Timely, pertinent, essential reading in the face of the growing impact climate change is even now having on our infrastructure, or agriculture, our economy, and our politics, both locally, nationally, and globally, The Decarbonization Imperative: Transforming the Global Economy by 2050 is an essential, critically important, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Environmental Studies collections."—Midwest Book Review Reviewer's Choice"Everyone interested in becoming part of the solution to the climate emergency should read The Decarbonization Imperative. ...For scholars of organization and management, the implications of this excellent book are clear: if we are to contribute relevant insights to the resolution of the climate crisis, we must double down on our ambitions on every front considered in this book."—Anita M. McGahan, Administrative Science QuarterlyTable of Contents1. The Path to 2050 2. The Energy Sector 3. The Transportation Sector 4. The Industrials Sector 5. The Buildings Sector 6. The Agricultural Sector 7. The Path Forward

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Book Synopsis'Everyone knows we’re doomed by runaway overpopulation, pollution, or resource depletion, whichever comes first. Not only is this view paralysing and fatalistic, but, as Andrew McAfee shows in this exhilarating book, it’s wrong... More from Less is fascinating, enjoyable to read, and tremendously empowering' – Steven PinkerBestselling author and co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy Andrew McAfee says there’s a new reason for optimism: we’re past the point of 'peak stuff' – from here on out, it’ll take fewer resources to make things, and cost less to lead a comfortable life. This turn of events invalidates the predictions of overpopulation alarmists and those who argue we need to drastically reduce our conception of how much is enough. What has made this turnabout possible? One thing primarily: the collaboration between technTrade Review'Everyone knows we’re doomed by runaway overpopulation, pollution, or resource depletion, whichever comes first. Not only is this view paralysing and fatalistic, but, as Andrew McAfee shows in this exhilarating book, it’s wrong. One of the great underappreciated developments of recent decades is that technology, prosperity good governance, and environmental consciousness are allowing people to have more of the good things in life with less despoliation of the planet. More from Less is fascinating, enjoyable to read and tremendously empowering.' -- Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now'For many years now, Andrew McAfee has been arguing that the fourth industrial revolution would transform our economies and the quality of our lives. In his new book More from Less he applies his positive approach to the case of our planet, arguing that we have reached a critical tipping point where technology is allowing us to actually reduce our ecological footprint - a truly counterintuitive finding! Is McAfee downplaying the sheer scale of the economic transformation required to meet climate change commitments under the Paris Agreement? No, and he acknowledges the monumental efforts required, but argues that the tools, the scale, the governance and the policies are available to turn the course of development for the better instead of for worse. His optimism is a breath of fresh air substantiated by real research and empirical findings. [This book is] well worth reading even if your first impression, like mine, is: it can’t be true!' -- Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF'In More from Less Andrew McAfee lays out a compelling blueprint showing how we can support human life using fewer natural resources, improve the state of the world, and replenish the planet for centuries to come.' -- Marc Benioff, Chairman and joint CEO of Salesforce, author of Trailblazer'I've always believed that technological progress and entrepreneurship make our lives better. Here, Andrew McAfee shows how these powerful forces are helping us make our planet better too, instead of degrading it. For anyone who wants to help create a future that is both sustainable and abundant, this book is essential reading.' -- Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn'This book is the best kind of surprise. It tells us something about our relationship with our planet that is both unexpected and hopeful. The evidence Andy presents is convincing: we have at last learned how to tread more lightly on the Earth. More from Less shows how we accomplished this, and tells us how to keep it going.' -- Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google'Andrew McAfee’s new book addresses an urgent need in our world today: defining a framework for addressing big global challenges. His proposals are based on a thorough analysis of the state of the world, combined with a refreshing can-do attitude.' -- Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum'In More from Less Andrew McAfee conclusively demonstrates how environmentalism requires more technology and capitalism, not less. Our modern technologies actually dematerialise our consumption, giving us higher human welfare with lower material inputs. This is an urgently needed and clear-eyed view of how to have our technological cake and eat it too.' -- Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape'In More from Less, Andrew McAfee tells the riveting story of how humanity is turning the corner with respect to what had been massive, steady increases in consumption of raw materials. By subverting our common perceptions of capitalism and technology as enemies of progress and environmental preservation, McAfee offers all of us a clear-eyed source of optimism and hope. Critically, he also makes the case for what comes next - offering up vital lessons that have the potential to make the world both more prosperous and more just.' -- Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation'Yet another magnificent contribution from Andrew McAfee. Along with his prior works, More from Less will help us navigate society’s future in profound ways.' -- Clayton M. Christensen, Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School'The shortest path to improving the world is to notice objectively what is already working, and do more of it. As for the things that are still going wrong, figure out the minimalist way to turn them around, and do that. McAfee’s More from Less is packed with practical news and advice that will disconcert ideologues of every stripe.' -- Stewart Brand, Author of The Whole Earth Catalog * Author of The Whole Earth Catalog *'McAfee synthesises a vast literature on economics and the environment into a lucid, robust defence of technological progress, including nuclear power and GMOs. This stimulating challenge to anti-capitalist alarmists is full of fascinating information and provocative insights.' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis1. Secret #1: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Care More About the Mission Than the Words.- 2. Secret #2: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Are Astute Translators Inside and Outside of Their Organizations.- 3. Secret #3: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Leverage the Strengths of Their Personal Values to Tell Compelling Stories.- 4. Secret #4: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Embrace the Renewable Fuel of Teamwork.- 5. Secret #5: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Reframe Every Setback as the Crest of a Hill.- 6. Secret #6: Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators Cede Perfection to the Messy Reality of Change-making.- 7. Secret #7: Highly Effective Social Impact CommunicatorsBuild Personal and Professional Legacies That Will Outlive Them and Their Careers.- 8. Some Helpful Resources for Social Impact Communicators. Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisAs consumers demand planet-friendly products and investors look for "green companies" to put their money into, more and more businesses are actively seeking ways to fill this demand. Whether their initial motives are altruistic or not, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate leaders are finding a huge market for green goods and services. Bottom line: Global warming is good for business. In Global Warming Is Good for Business, newspaper journalist K B Keilbach explores the people and forces at work today that deal with and profit from global warming. From universities, whose research projects spin off green business opportunities, to entrepreneurs and large companies scrambling onto the green bandwagon -- all mixed with government agencies attempting to support the effort -- Keilbach''s entertaining narrative reveals an expansive community coming together to change the world and make a profit, one joule at a time.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book is a compact guide to the development of sustainable business, which has become the central concept in discussions about the future development of humanity and planet earth. It provides basic terminology and concepts on sustainable business and offers insights into a new management paradigm that integrates social and environmental dimensions into business models, strategies, and operations. New business concepts such as the donut economy, the circular economy, social innovation and sustainable leadership are introduced and the book outlines how they influence the way we run businesses today and in the future. This book lays the foundation for new management thinking in business and academia, making it a essential reader for professionals and students alike.

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Book SynopsisEnvironmental sustainability is perhaps the key societal challenge of our times. Achieving it will require a significant level of financing and investment, and here the role of the banking industry is fundamental. Banks can play a broader and far-reaching role by adopting environmental concerns in their internal and external business operations. Principles of Green Banking is a comprehensive account of the different aspects of green banking and offers theories and principles as well as practical how-to guidelines to adopt green banking practices. This book discusses why green banking is central to achieving sustainable development. It illustrates the evolution of green banking around the world, different types of environmental risks created by firms and how these risks offer threats to sustain ability, and ongoing trends and patterns of green banking practice. Critically, it also presents an outline of the regulatory framework necessary to help the entire banking sector adapt to the change towards green banking. It is a valuable resource for financial sector professionals and scholars in the fields of sustainable finance and banking.Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK, SUSTAINABILITY AND BANKING 3. TRENDS IN ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY BANKING 4. GREEN BANKING: DEFINITION AND APPROACHES 5. THE NEED AND IMPACT OF GREEN BANKING 6. THE PRINCIPLES OF GREEN BANKING 7. GREEN BANKING INTERVENTION AND ADOPTION PROCESS 8. GREEN BANKING AND RISK MANAGEMENT 9. THE GREEN BANKING REGULATORY AND POLICY FRAMEWORK 10. FUTURE CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents theoretical and empirical research on universities and their entrepreneurial ecosystems to better grasp the connections between universities and their surrounding environments and their engagement with sustainability. The book provides a better understanding of the entrepreneurial characteristics of universities. It examines the ways in which universities’ collaboration and participation in an ecosystem support business and industry transformation. It also investigates how universities function within the university/industry/government/third sector relationship nexus. The book enables the systematisation of the literature while simultaneously builds theory, empirically testing existing theories, and contributes towards a future research agenda geared towards sustainability. The book gathers contributions from varied geographical contexts providing an international perspective.

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Book Synopsis As living, economic and cultural spaces, cities require a sustainable energy system and must be designed to be highly energy efficient. The book provides a framework for practitioners and scientists on how the energy transition can contribute to achieving climate goals in the building sector. Innovations and creative approaches for solutions from the lighthouse projects of the Solar Building/Energy Efficient City funding initiative are presented.

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Book SynopsisWhat would you get if you combined an entrepreneur, a technologist, a financier, and a strategist/ecologist with an international chef, corporate lawyer, architect, and more? One such international leadership team created a new model of eco-development (economic and ecological) and introduced it with an array of on-the-ground programs into a village on the edge of one of India’s original nine Project Tiger nature reserves. This book presents the story of this remarkable center. It argues that to save an endangered species, you have to save its environment, and to save those, you must "save" the people that live with them, by providing eco-sensitive ways to grow economically, without encroaching on the natural environment or helping poachers. This "Golden Triangle" model is put forth in this book that includes eco-development facts and figures, engaging "how-it-happened" vignettes, insights and lessons learned, and results – including a four-times increase in tiger numbers, generation of new base-of-pyramid businesses, fierce eco-protectiveness by local people, eager adoption of eco-technologies, and economic and social betterment. Scalable implications are provided for economic and ecological development worldwide.

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Book SynopsisHumans and human wellbeing depend on the natural resources provided by Planet Earth, and they depend on the solidarity between human beings. That is, on the social resources provided by society. Both types of resources are available to everyone: they are public goods. The book approaches the topic from various angles, including the often-neglected dimension of measuring. It offers a holistic conception that covers the macro- and the micro-economic, the political and the developmental aspects. It shows which range of action is available at different levels of decision-making and which outcomes these may provide. And it emphasizes that a philosophical base is needed for understanding and managing the topic, and that wellbeing can only be improved and the common good can only be maintained if the public and the private sectors cooperate. With the advent of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, this cooperation has received momentum in all its facets and for all levels – from the local to the global. The book is aimed both at scholars and students as well as practitioners in businesses and in public service. In academia, it may serve as a companion to textbooks on, e.g., public finance, sustainable development, social affairs, and public-private partnerships, both in undergraduate and graduate levels. For professionals in businesses and in public service, the book offers an insight into the topic that does not recur to an academic language. There is always a need for books that appeal both to readers who are managers as well as to scholars who wish to glance beyond their adopted profession. Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Defining public goods and commons Chapter 2: Typologies of public goods and commons Chapter 3: Sources for providing public goods and commons Chapter 4: Policy making and managing Chapter 5: The global level revisited: Public goods in the SDGs Conclusion: Businesses, individuals and state actors collaborating for public goods and human wellbeing

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Book SynopsisThe decisions a corporation makes affect more than just its stakeholders and can have wide social, environmental, and economic consequences. This facilitates a business environment built around the practical regulations and transparency necessary to ensure ethical and responsible business practice. Corporate Social Responsibility for Valorization of Organizations is a critical scholarly resource that examines organizational management through a new perspective that considers corporate social responsibility within the relationship between companies and society. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as organizational innovation, corporate strategy, and cultural enterprises, this book is geared towards professionals, economists, students of business and finance, policy makers, and government agencies.

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on the crucial sustainability challenge of reducing food waste at the level of consumer-society. Providing an in-depth, research-based overview of the multifaceted problem, it considers environmental, economic, social and ethical factors. Perspectives included in the book address households, consumers, and organizations, and their role in reducing food waste. Rather than focusing upon the reasons for food waste itself, the chapters develop research-based solutions for the problem, providing a much-needed solution-orientated approach that takes multiple perspectives into account.Chapters 1, 2, 12 and 16 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.comTable of Contents1 Introduction: Solutions for managing food waste Elina Närvänen, Nina Mesiranta, Malla Mattila and Anna Heikkinen PART I: Changing the behaviour of actors at distribution and consumption levels 2 Household food waste – how to avoid it? An integrative review Lisanne van Geffen, Erica van Herpen and Hans van Trijp 3 Nudging in food waste management: Where sustainability meets cost-effectiveness Anna de Visser-Amundson and Mirella Kleijnen 4 Managerial practices of reducing food waste in supermarkets Christine Moser PART II: Connecting actors and activities within systems 5 The evolution of the German anti-food waste movement: Turning sustainable ideas into business Johanna F. Gollnhofer and Daniel Boller 6 Distributed agency in food waste – A focus on non-human actors in retail setting Lotta Alhonnoro, Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen and Henna Syrjälä 7 Between kitchen sink and city sewer: A socio-ecological approach to food waste in environmental design Ellen Burke and N. Claire Napawan 8 Creating resilient interventions to food waste: Aligning and leveraging systems and design thinking Danielle Lake, Amy McFarland and Jody Vogelzang PART III: Constituting socio–cultural meanings 9 Assumptions about consumers in food waste campaigns: A visual analysis Ulla-Maija Sutinen 10 From scarcity to abundance: Food waste themes and virtues in agrarian and mature consumer society Outi Uusitalo and Tuomo Takala 11 Mobilising consumers for food waste reduction in Finnish media discourse Liia-Maria Raippalinna Part IV: Innovating practical solutions 12 Insect-based bioconversion: Value from food waste Trevor M. Fowles and Christian Nansen 13 Gleaning: Turning food waste at farms into marketable products Christine M. Kowalczyk, Brian Taillon and Laura Hearn 14 Exploring food waste reducing apps – A business model lens Fabio de Almeida Oroski 15 ECOWASTE4FOOD project: Cases for food waste reduction at city and regional levels in the EU Samuel Féret 16 From measurement to management: Food waste in the Finnish food chain Hanna Hartikainen, Inkeri Riipi, Juha-Matti Katajajuuri and Kirsi Silvennoinen

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This open access book discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by companies in an age that increasingly values sustainability and demands corporate responsibility. Beginning with the historical development of corporate responsibility, this book moves from academic theory to practical application. It points to ways in which companies can successfully manage their transition to a more responsible, sustainable way of doing business, common mistakes to avoid and how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are integral to any sustainability transformation. Practical cases illustrate key points. Drawing on thirty years of sustainability research and extensive corporate experience, the author provides tools such as a Step-by-Step strategic guide on integrating sustainability in collaboration with stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers and investors. The book is particularly relevant for SMEs and companies operating in emerging markets. From a broader perspective, the value of externalities, full cost pricing, alternative economic theories and circular economy are also addressed.

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