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Sustainability: new strategic thinking for business

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  • Helen Kopnina

    (Leiden University
    The Hague University of Applied Science)

Abstract

Some researchers insist that sustainability should be represented as a continuous quest, doubting that there is the ‘right’ way to be sustainable. Acknowledging the immensity of sustainability challenges, this article takes a different perspective, arguing that without understanding of concrete barriers and seeking solutions, the challenge of addressing unsustainable practices becomes unsurmountable. This article will summarize research in sustainability literature that indicates that sustainability requires a constant human population, as well as ecologically benign method of production. This article will survey a number of helpful frameworks that address the key obstacles to sustainability, namely population growth, and unsustainable production and consumption. These frameworks are discussed in the context of business-level solutions and production systems. As illustrated by examples of best practices as well as potential pitfalls associated with each system, these systems have the potential to move the quest for sustainability beyond ‘business as usual.’

Suggested Citation

  • Helen Kopnina, 2017. "Sustainability: new strategic thinking for business," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 27-43, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:19:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s10668-015-9723-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-015-9723-1
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    6. Luciano Ferreira Silva & Arnoldo José Hoyos Guevara & Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez & Paulo Sergio Gonçalves Oliveira, 2019. "Evolution toward environment sustainable behavior: search for survival in the plastic industry in Brazil," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1291-1320, June.
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    9. Clare D’Souza & Emmanuel K. Yiridoe, 2019. "Producer’s Self-Declared Wind Energy ECO-Labeling Consequences on the Market: A Canadian Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-15, February.
    10. Steven Kane Curtis & Matthias Lehner, 2019. "Defining the Sharing Economy for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-25, January.
    11. Chandra Prakash Garg & Archana Sharma, 2020. "Sustainable outsourcing partner selection and evaluation using an integrated BWM–VIKOR framework," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1529-1557, February.
    12. Sanghita Basu & Mousumi Roy & Parimal Pal, 2019. "Corporate greening in a large developing economy: pollution prevention strategies," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1603-1633, August.
    13. Tiago Francisco Camargo & Antonio Zanin & Sady Mazzioni & Geovanne Dias Moura & Paulo Sérgio Lima Pereira Afonso, 2018. "Sustainability indicators in the swine industry of the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 65-81, December.
    14. Anna M. Hansson & Eja Pedersen & Niklas P. E. Karlsson & Stefan E. B. Weisner, 2023. "Barriers and drivers for sustainable business model innovation based on a radical farmland change scenario," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8083-8106, August.
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