What Does Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Mean?

Thinking '˜green' certainly is not a new concept, but it is a growing one. Since at least the 1960s, people have been recycling, reusing and conserving. There are also those people who are socially conscious and have practiced their social responsibility as part of their lifestyle. Lately, the concept of sustainability and corporate responsibility are key concepts that are built into businesses and corporate development. They are designed to create the better usage of resources, produce less pollution, and preserve human dignity and rights. This can be done by using recycled products and materials, purchasing fair trade products, buying inventory from socially responsible companies that do not pay their employees substandard wages or benefits, and recycling waste products such as paper or paper goods.

The practice of preserving human dignity and rights means not using products that are made in '˜sweat shops', using child labor where the rights of children are not considered or obeyed and employing a diverse group of individuals that eliminates prejudice and discrimination against all races, age and gender.

When we talk about sustainability in business, it means making buildings '˜green'. Green buildings are those manufactured with recycled materials or materials that won't have a significant environmental impact. It also refers to using sustainable processes by using energy efficiently by utilizing solar power or windpower, cutting back on heating or air conditioning by using window treatments or UV reducing film over the windows, reducing and reusing waste materials such as trash, paper waste or recycling aluminum, glass and plastics. By using sustainable landscaping such as xeriscaping and native plants that are designed to thrive in the local area without additional care or water, helps reduce impacts to natural resources by cutting back on water and pesticides.

Businesses that promote corporate social responsibility are conscious of the environmental and social impacts that their business makes. They promote public transportation such as riding bicycles to work or sometimes businesses will offer their employees subsidies or incentives to use buses, trains, trolleys or car pools.

At the heart of creating a sustainable business is to assure that future generations will not be impacted or compromised by the practices of today. They do not limit their planning or corporate strategies to the present or even the immediate future, but look and plan far enough ahead by using conservation techniques, being mindful of human rights and being socially and environmentally accountable to give the generations in the future the same opportunities and advantages that people have in the present time. With more and more businesses taking on the ideals of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the impacts made today should not impinge on our children's or their children's rights to enjoy nature and a pollution-free world.