Environmental issues faced by business and society

Environmental Issues for Businesses

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Environmental Issues for Businesses

In a world where it has become increasingly important to recognize the damage past and current societies have caused to the environment, the successful business shows social responsibility. In order to prevent further damage to the environment developed countries in the world are taking more responsibility to reduce their impact to the environment which includes encouraging businesses to reduce their environmental impact. While many businesses are willing to take the steps to reduce their carbon footprint they are also required by law to take steps to ensure their actions do not cause unnecessary harm to the environment.

Businesses are regulated by the EPA to ensure the business does not violate environmental laws and create unneeded harm to the environment. It can be a challenge for the business to adhere to all of the regulations laid out in legislation, such as the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act. These steps can be expensive and time consuming. There are many different environmental laws to address every potential environmental danger and put into place the proper health and safety measures to ensure these laws are followed. In order to ensure the business is compliant all employees must be trained on the steps that must be taken to ensure they are adhering to all environmental laws.

Many businesses use chemicals and other products that if spilled or released into the environment can create harm (Stein, 2012). It is important for every business to have safety checklists posted where employees can see them in order to remind them to take certain steps to avoid a potential environmental challenge. For example the steps to avoid a toxic spill should be placed where they can be seen by employees as well as the steps that should be taken in the event of a spill. Businesses that deal with products or equipment that can cause harm to the environment must take additional steps to ensure these incidents do not occur but if they do the employees are trained and ready to properly respond.

Another environmental issue that can face the business or even the individual in society is what to do with the waste. Companies and even just regular members of society accumulate waste. Many businesses create harmful waste that must be disposed of in a way that reduces any potential harm to the business. Environmental laws and good environmental citizenship prohibit the indiscriminate dumping of manufacturing byproduct, so businesses must decide how best to dispense with it (Williams, 2013). The best way to address this issues is first to reduce the amount of toxic products being used applying strategies, such as lean manufacturing, energy recovery, Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and green chemistry.

Another environmental issue that the business must consider is the sustainable development of raw products. This is especially true for businesses that use up a large amount of natural resources, such as wood. When a business uses up a natural resource they are responsible for taking steps to replace this resource. Paper companies will cut down trees in order to create paper products but will replace these trees with new seedlings to ensure the wood supply is not diminished. Businesses have a social responsibility to minimize their impact to the environment for future generations.

Lastly businesses and individual in society must find ways to reduce their carbon footprint. This means taking social responsibility and recycling or using products that cause less harm to the environment over another product, such as energy saving equipment. Every person on the planet has a social responsibility to take stpes to reduce the harm they create to the environment.

References

Stein, K. (2012). Environmental Issues That Matter to Employees – and Employers. Retrieved

October 14, 2014 from http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/403-4-environmental-issues-that

Williams, J. (2013). Environmental Issues That Affect Business. Retrieved October 14, 2014

from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/environmental-issues-affect-business-4175.html