Fwd: 2.ARE THERE BENEFITS ATTAINED BY COOPERATIONS IF SUSTAINABILITY IS ACKNOWLEDGED?

DALE OVERMEYER

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>>> DALE LEONARD OVERMEYER 02/27/06 02:58PM >>>

Industrial development in the last 200 years has brought immeasurable
wealth and prosperity (Shrivastava, 1995). However it has also caused
unintended ecological degradation (Shrivastava, 1995). In 1987 the
Brundtland commission report popularized "ecologically sustainable
development as a means for simultaneously dealing with economic and
ecological problems (Shrivastava, 1995). Government policies and
programs have selectively mitigated many environmental problems
(Shrivastava, 1995). However, because much economic activity occurs
within corporations, these government efforts need to be supplemented
with new voluntary efforts by cooperation's in order to address the
industrially induced ecological problems (Shrivastava, 1995).

Macro-economic benefits are readily identifiable as: reduction in
pollution, lower clean up costs and more effective utilisation of
resources (Ward, 2001). In general, the responsibility for pollution and
other costs has been borne by society as a whole (Ward, 2001). The cost
of cleaning up after the benefits provided to today's generation are
often borne by future generations (Ward, 2001). The principle of
sustainability would place this responsibility on those who have
greatest ability to control these costs: those who are receiving the
benefits (Ward, 2001). According to Shrivastava, 1995, some of the
benefits that can be attached to sustainability are:

There is an opportunity to drive down operating costs by exploiting
ecological efficiencies
Ecological sustainability provides a basis for creating a competitive
advantage
At this early stage of corporate environmentalism, companies have the
potential to create unique and unmatched environmental strategies.

DALE OVERMEYER

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696 0309

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