Corporate Sustainability in the 21st Century

Book excerpt: Corporate sustainability needs a rethink. We have entered the human-influenced Anthropocene age, and we are witnessing accelerating changes in earth system processes. Businesses’ current initiatives, such as product innovation and pollution reduction, are not enough to combat the intensifying social-ecological challenges that face us. Corporate Sustainability in the 21st Century is an innovative new textbook which provides a fresh conceptual framework for understanding and engaging with sustainability, now and in the future – "Business In Nature." This book critically discusses key concepts and topics related to corporate sustainability, with a focus on corporate sustainability strategies and corporate value chains. Setting itself apart from existing books, it introduces ideas from global ecology and the natural sciences to provide readers with a new language for discussing business and sustainability. This book maintains an international perspective throughout, with a wealth of examples, case studies and discussion questions. It will be a valuable text for students of corporate sustainability; business, nature and society; and environmental studies, and will also be useful for managers seeking a new perspective on how being "green" can fit with business goals.