Sustainable practices

In the 20 years since the Brunddand report, great developments have taken place in industries toward sustainable practices. As a case in point, the problem of acid rain, an issue of concern in 1987, has improved to a large extent, thanks to catalytic pollution abatement both in stationary and automotive emissions. Catalysis for Green Chemistry and Engineering will continue to have a cracial role in improving the environmental performance of industry [25-27]. Nowadays, catalytic procedures are often implemented according to the green chemistry... 

The European Commission, as part of its policy to encourage industry to adopt more sustainable practices, created the EMAS system in 1993. EMAS was also seen as a move towards stated the EU goal of encouraging industry to adopt more self-regulatory practices and a move away from command and control type central legislation. 

Guidance on Sustainable Practices (e.g., the 12 Principles of Green Engineering). 

Farming systems Design sustainable practices Bockstaller et al. (2009a, b)... 

Kinnucan et al. (1990) observed that there is a relationship between age and farmers adoption behavior. While younger, less experienced farmers are expected to be more environmentally aware and more likely to adopt sustainable practices, there is no consensus regarding the relationship between farmers age and environmental concern. 

Tenancy (rather than ownership) has been found to be negatively related to the adoption of sustainable practices. However, economic pressures may override incentives for conservation associated with land ownership. Membership in different types of farm organizations may be representative of, or may influence, farmers perceptions of acceptable farming practices and knowledge of sustainable practices (Nazarko et al. 2003)... 

The costs and benefits of various agricultural practices must be based on local values and local constraints, causing sustainable practices to be region and culture specific (Tilman et al. 2002) no universal recipe exists. 

Parsons JE, Gilliam JW, Dillaha TA, Munoz-Carpena R (1995) Sediment and nutrient removal with vegetated and riparian buffers. Clean Water-Clean Environment-21 st Century Conference Proceedings Kansas City, Missouri, 5-8 March 1995 ASAE publishing 2-95 Peet M (2001) Sustainable practices for vegetable production in the south. Focus publisher. 

The future image of the industry and society s respect for it will hinge upon a clear demonstration of its belief in and stewardship of the principles of Green Chemistry. Indeed, there is nothing more worthy than our desire to improve our ability to meet healthcare needs for the betterment of everyone through sustainable practices. 

Can industries be trusted to self-regulate the amount of pollution they produce Is government really necessary to enforce these regulations Shouldn t the opinion of the consumer and the economic advantages of sustainable practices be sufficient to motivate industries to protect the environment ... 

Pearce, P.L. and Hyvonen, T. (2003) Litter in the city Visitor perceptions and sustainable practices for urban tourism. Tourism 51 (2), 193-204. 

Diamond, M. L., Helferty, N., et al. (2002) Natural heritage systems in urbanizing settings -sustainable practices for the Oak Ridges Moraine, Toronto. Prepared on behalf of Save the Rouge Valley System Inc. and the City of Toronto. 

The Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) and Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) have developed and applied composite indices to assess corporate sustainability practices based on company questionnaires and analysis of public information. The Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) pointed out the value-chain perspective that analysts increasingly apply, considering risks beyond the company s immediate sphere of control. 

Implementation of green chemistry education at the undergraduate level is key to adopting more sustainable practices and hence a more sustainable society 4), This education should be for both science and non-science majors. While certainly those students who are science majors may have a direct route to action in applying green chemistry principles in both research and development, nonscience majors can also benefit since they become aware of the importance of sustainable practices, learn about positive every-day habits, and come to realize that the chemical industry, which in the past (and even currently) was viewed as a major contributor to environmental degradation, is also part of the solution to the problem. 

Today, leadership companies are expected to respond to a proliferation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investing (SRI) standards. Leading companies report not just their return to shareholders but also their return to stakeholders. But with more than a dozen major standards organizations - each representing a variety of stakeholder perspectives - and even more questionnaires for reporting on CSR/SRI accountability and sustainability practices (see the Standards Directory Appendix Item A), how should a company approach this emerging field And, even more critical for the business bottom line, what strategic opportunities are indicated ... 

A considerable number of publications have been written about the use of metrics to drive business, government, and communities towards more sustainable practices. The reader is referred elsewhere for a discussion of what metrics have been proposed. There has also been much written about the characteristics of metrics, or what constitutes a good metric (Bennett and Jones, 1999 NRC, 1999 Corporate Environmental Performance, 1999). It is generally agreed that metrics must be clearly defined, relevant and meaningful (easily understood and accepted), easy to reproduce, few in number but sufficiently diverse, cost-effective, measurable, and objective rather than subjective. They must also yield nonperverse results, should... 

Pursuing a metric such as yield, a ubiquitous metric that chemists utilize to evaluate reaction efficiency, will not by itself drive business towards sustainable practices. However, from an economic standpoint, yield remains a very good metric, especially for high value-added materials such as pharmaceuticals. 

Many sustainable practices have long been ingrained in PotashCorp s culture and values. However, before the Company published its first Sustainability Report in 2003, there was no central place or common voice for communicating its efforts, progress, and remaining challenges in sustainable development. 

The key question asked by companies considering pursuit of sustainability practices is what is the business case - a profit or shareholder value case - that can create justification for allocating resources and the attention of corporate boards and executives. As was written in Walking the Talk (Holliday et al., 2002), companies tend to get involved in activities long before they can prove the business case for doing so. 

Figure 8.15. What are the most significant developments or events that have influenced the chemical industry to consider sustainability practices (Check the top 3.) (Question 12). (Source PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.)...

Factors that influenced the decision to implement sustainability practices included ... 

Factors that influenced decision not to implement sustainability practices included limited Resources, and the lack of a clear business case. 

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