Controlling the Environmental Impact of Business

By Ivor Goligher

"Coketown lay shrouded in a haze of its own, which appeared impervious to the sun's rays. You only knew the town was there because you knew there could have been no such sulky blotch upon the prospect without a town." -Charles Dickens, Hard Times (1854)

For over a hundred and fifty years, people have warned about the effects of business upon the environment. While Dickens warned of pollution that was easily seen, with harm that was easily felt, the problems of industrial pollution today are less obvious. As humanity has spread across the world on which it lives, it has become clear that people can have a far greater impact on their home than anyone could have imagined. While politicians and other selfish sorts enjoy denying global warming for their own ends, the fact is that in any broad survey of environmental scientists, over ninety percent will agree with the proposition that global warming is real, and human activity contributes to it.

This is an example of unethical behavior that some might consider minor. It probably occurs tens of thousands of times every day. Aside from the loss of revenue for the software developer, the real problem here was that the employee rationalized their behavior. By not stealing the CD they aren't breaking the ethics policy of the business and might even be helping the business by enabling themselves to work at home. The employee is intentionally overlooked the fact that their behavior was unethical.

What I discovered along my business career is that you gain your customers credibility even faster, if you admit that you've made a mistake or don't know the proper answer when they ask you a question. Why? Because clients are human beings. Customers make mistakes too. It just makes you look human when you admit a mistake. It's nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying do business and don't care about the mistakes, what I'm saying is avoid making mistakes in the first place, but if you make one than be so integer and admit it to yourself and more important, admit it to the client.

Environmental Management Systems For a business which sees the value, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which environmentalism holds, an Environmental Management System (EMS) holds the key to making that change. At its broadest, an EMS is about a four step process: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Make a plan for improving environmental relations, implement it, check for results, and act on those results to optimize them.

The ISO 14001 standard is currently the flagship of this principle. Organized and overseen by neutral, non-governmental entities, it covers all aspects of business, from management processes, to manufacturing techniques, to shipping and delivering. The aim is not just to help improve the environment for its own sake, but also to reduce costs and increase efficiency by eliminating waste. The ISO certification brings great prestige and recognition to any business which earns it.

Don't fall into the trap many business people regrettably do. Respect yourself, show the necessary passion and strength in business and deliver service and value on a constant basis. Appreciation will come automatically and your challenge then will be, to receive the good and keep the proper business attitude upright.

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