The growing concerns over climate changes and environmental degradation
Introduction
With intensified competition, many businesses have, over the last few years, consider other aspects that augur well with the consumers in order to increase their market niches and expand their territories. One such strategy employed by many businesses entails seeking positive publicity through ensuring that they comply with both the legal regulations as well as other morally accepted business ethics. The concept of business ethics has existed for several years, but its prominence continues to grow daily, primarily because of the increasing awareness of consumers and the challenges facing contemporary society. The advent and ease of access to technology, as well as various social platforms, makes it even easier for consumers to know the exact types of business ethics that a company is engaging and then compare it with other competitors. The media is also playing a significant role in highlighting and publicizing companies in their various business ethics. Business ethics examines the way that a particular company acts towards myriads of groups including consumers, regulators, competitors as well as the community. It outlines both the legal and moral guidelines that a company is following or intends to follow so that it develops public trust as well as build their reputation. Matters such as insider trading, whistleblowing, and corporate social responsibility (corporate citizenship) are some of the critical areas that define business ethics. The growing concerns over climate changes and environmental degradation should make many corporates prioritize attention over the environment as a critical aspect of its corporate social responsibility and business ethics by reducing company’s environmental footprints, contribute to NGOs and other charitable organizations concerned with environmental matters, and encouraging employees to volunteer for local environmental causes such as tree planting.
Many businesses ought to increasingly aim at reducing their negative environmental impacts as a critical way of enhancing their corporate social responsibility and comply with the dictates of business ethics. One of the most ensuing debates in the public discourse at the moment revolves around climate change and the role that human beings play in ensuring that the climate is protected. At the moment, the negative effects of adverse climatic changes are continuously felt across different parts of the globe, including hunger, droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, and change in the rainfall patterns that affect a myriad of factors such as the food production levels and quality of life. The media, pressure groups, and other organizations have been at the forefront in castigating countries, political leaders, and even companies that fail to take action that would otherwise cater to the mother nature and prevent the high pace of environmental degradation. It is with such pressure that many businesses have resorted to focusing on environmental issues, especially within their locality. One approach that is commonly being practiced and fronted by companies is the reduction of their footprints in the environment through pushing and advocating for safer waste disposal mechanisms that are unharmful to the environment. Companies are increasingly identifying areas of their operations that have a significant detrimental effect on the environment and then devise a mechanism that would help reduce such adverse effects by engaging different communities. In the past,’ companies would concern with producing only the financial reports at the end of a given financial year, illustrating their performances and the way that they have managed to increase the wealth of the shareholders. However, the prevailing trend at the moment and what many other groups are pushing for is the presentation of integrated reports by the companies at the end of the year. Integrated reports indicate much more than conventional financial aspects. They go over and above by illustrating the sustainable practices put in place by a business as part of their corporate social responsibility and in compliance with business ethics. Such sustainable practices prioritize issues such as the use if safe energy, the recycling of wastes as well as other social measures that the company has in place to ensure that they cater for the environment of operation. For instance, many water bottling companies, as well as those engaged in beverage sales, have, over the last few years, initiated a sustainable practice that would see a shift from the use of plastic packaging materials min favor of the use of glass packaging. Plastic is one of the most hazardous compounds in the environment because they are not biodegradable. Their presence in the environment had previously made many businesses look unethical, and that explains why they are encouraging a shift that would deter such a presence. The other example is where many vehicle manufacturing companies are engaged in the innovation of fuel-efficient vehicles including those that are powered by solar as well as electric vehicles to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses associated with the burning of fuel such as fuel and petrol which all contribute immensely to the environmental degradation and climate change. Hence, it is much evident that companies view a reduction of their environmental footprint as an ideal way of ensuring that they engage in corporate social responsibility and entrench a culture that observes business ethics that is morally acceptable.
Many companies also ought to significantly increase contributions to NGOs and other charitable organizations that are concerned with environmental matters as part of the corporate social responsibility and to be part of the morally acceptable business ethics. As noted, the current dominant topic in most public discourses is the way that human beings are treating the environment, and the fact that mother nature has reacted cruelly in most instances makes it impossible for environmental matters to be pushed aside. There are myriads of institutions that have dedicated a large portion of their time and resources towards the research of the environment and conservation matters. Most of these institutions are usually NGOs that concern with researching matters such as the extent of the current problem through publications on issues such as species in the natural habitat that have been forced to become extinct because of the actions of human beings that include releasing harmful substances into the environment among others. Apart from research, many other NGOs have taken the direct approach of making a difference through engaging the communities on conservation matters such as the planting of trees and the protection of species that are increasingly facing the threat of becoming extinct soon. Such activities usually require funding, and that is where companies that are driven by moral business ethics lend a hand. Many companies see contributions to such just cause as an effective way of making a difference in their participation in conserving the environment. The contributions to such NGOs take a myriad of forms, including the direct funding of capital, sponsoring activities that are undertaken to create awareness of environmental problems such as sporting activities like marathons organized to raise funds for the conservation efforts, among other approaches. Partnering with such institutions that are concerned with making a difference in the social context when it comes to matters to do with environmental protection raises the profile of companies among consumers who continue to view the good intentions of such activities and the positive impact. Notably, many of these activities are not legally required but come at the behest of the companies realizing that they have a moral role to play in the upcoming fight towards the protection of the environment. Another fact is that even companies that do not have a history of pollution of the environment or any form of environmental degradation are warmly considering the prospects of partnering with NGOs, which in itself underpins the role of business ethics. As such, the contributions to the NGOs and other charitable institutions are a perfect way of ensuring that companies enhance their morally accepted business ethics.
Many companies also ought to be at the forefront and look for future avenues that will be key in encouraging employees, supplies, investors, consumers among other stakeholders to volunteer for local environmental causes such as tree planting. Given that matters to do with environmental degradation have a direct impact on various stakeholders, companies need to realize that engaging many of its stakeholders would be an effective way of ensuring that they enhance their business ethics. In such arrangements, the role of the companies will be that of facilitating the efforts of its stakeholders whenever they express an interest in being part of the just cause of environmental protection. From an external perspective, a business can engage its employees in trying to establish some of its leading activities that harm the environment and rank each activity according to the risk that they present to the environment. Next, the company also needs to engage the employees and other shareholders in identifying the cause of action that can be taken to ensure that they correct some of the negative impacts. For instance, suppliers to the company should be persuaded to use environmentally friendly packaging whenever they supply commodities to the company and even encouraged them to recycle some of the wastes if possible. Employees should be engaged in activities such as tree planting and effective use of office spaces such as natural lighting, among others. Consumers can also be taken on board by encouraging them to participate in activities that include a donation to the companies whenever they have an extra will to change the environment or even be asked to take part in activities such as tree planting, among others. When a company serves as a fulcrum upon which its corporate social responsibility as a form of a morally accepted business ethics is pursued, it is easier for the rest of the stakeholders to join hands and participate.
In conclusion, companies should be interested in a morally accepted business, even in cases where business ethics is not a legal requirement.