INDUCTING GREEN IN GROWING ECONOMY
S.Husna Mairaj
1, B.Ismail Zabiullah
2,
1P.G. Student, 2Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies,
Gates Institute of Technology, Gooty, Affl- JNTU, Anantapur, Approved by A.I.C.T.E. New Delhi
ABSTRACT
“Green” is the colour which has found its footprint in business/entrepreneurship too. A lot of companies out there claim to “going green.” Both the service & manufacturing sectors of different categories of goods, like consumables and non-consumables are witnessing change in terms of greening their production processes in the later stages of business life. Many corporations tend to focus on making an eco-friendly product and forget to use an eco-friendly process and even the focus is seen only when the company has reached its profit motive.
This specific parameter of going green is always seen separately but not as an essential part of commencing business.
This paper throws light to the growing economies like India, as the need of hour is to inculcate “green values”
right from the seed-level / root level of the entrepreneurship and to reduce that entrepreneurial footprint which is washing away the healthy mankind and the eco-system. Also this paper aims to propose Government authorities to monitor the production processes from raw materials to finished products and to eco-label the products/services in public interest and to spread “eco-literacy” both to corporate and public. Therefore to bridge the gap between need and supply by the initiative of establishing start-ups like eco-centres, eco labs and eco raw material supply malls can be a boon and thus paving a way to a healthy lifestyle which can save the planet from jeopardy. Thus Green Management is an initiative aiming at continuously improving the foundation of environmental management, such as the development of personnel responsible for environmental activities, environmental management systems, and environmental communication as well as conservation of biodiversity.
Keywords: Green, eco-literacy, eco-label, entrepreneurial footprint, eco- raw material supply mall, green values
I. INTRODUCTION
The notion of ―green business‖ emerged at the end of the 20th century in the wake of the ever increasing public concern about the sustainability of economic development. The latter, in turn, was roused up by the growing awareness of environmental issues such as the accelerating depletion of natural resources and the deterioration of environmental quality. While the origins of the modern ―green movements‖ can be traced down to the middle of the 1960s, it took almost 20 years for business to adapt to the ―greening‖ trends and adopt them into its ideology and practice, coining the term ―green business‖ for that purpose.
1.1. Definition
Brown and Ratledge adopt quite a narrow definition of green business as ―an establishment that produces green output‖ (Brown, Ratledge, 2011). Meanwhile, Makower and Pyke, in a broad-brush way, state that ―a green business requires a balanced commitment to profitability, sustainability and humanity‖ (Makower, Pyke, 2009).
The Business Dictionary indicates that green business is ―a business functioning in a capacity where no negative impact is made on the local or global environment, the community, or the economy‖, and further adds that
―green business will also engage in forward-thinking policies for environmental concerns and policies affecting human rights‖ (Business Dictionary, n.d.).
Wikipedia says Sustainable business, or green business, is an enterprise that has minimal negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line. Often, sustainable businesses have progressive environmental and human rights policies. In general, business is described as green if it matches the following four criteria:
1. It incorporates principles of sustainability into each of its business decisions.
2. It supplies environmentally friendly products or services that replace demand for non-green products and/or services.
3. It is greener than traditional competition.
4. It has made an enduring commitment to environmental principles in its business operations.
A sustainable business is any organization that participates in environmentally friendly or green activities to ensure that all processes, products, and manufacturing activities adequately address current environmental concerns while maintaining a profit. In other words, it is a business that ―meets the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.‖ It is the process of assessing how to design products that will take advantage of the current environmental situation and how well a company‘s products perform with renewable resources..
Quite obviously, all these definitions attempt to embrace a wider impact spectrum of business activities and not only those that could be considered as ―green‖ i.e. as related to the environment. The requirement of commitment to the environmental considerations is here complemented by the imperative to honour human rights and to contribute to the well-being of current and future generations while ensuring the economic sustainability of business itself. Such approach obliterates boundaries between the notions of ―green business‖
and ―sustainable business‖, the latter term referring to business being sustainable economically, socially and environmentally.
Green Management is an initiative aiming at continuously improving the foundation of environmental management, such as the development of personnel responsible for environmental activities, environmental management systems, and environmental communication as well as conservation of biodiversity.
1.2. Objectives:
1. To study the current scenario of production processes adapting green concept.
2. To analyze the factors which are making corporate houses reluctant towards going green.
3. To suggest measures to address the problem.
1.3. Methodology:
The researcher has consulted secondary sources of data available on the concept for the development of the paper. The study is restricted to Indian corporate scenario only.
As awareness of global environmental problems spreads, the natural environment has become an area of high strategic significance for organizational managers and other policy makers. Since scholars turned their attention to the natural environment in the early 1990s, research on corporate environmentalism and organizational greening has become a vibrant field. This major work shows both the variety of rigorous methods being employed in this area as well as the limitations in current research and the need to develop more innovative methods. Providing a general framework for thinking about corporate environmentalism and the greening of organizations, this collection serves as a basic resource for those interested in adapting eco-concerned mechanisms, including researchers and students, as well as environmental policy experts in business and government around the world.
―Green‖ is the colour which has found its footprint in business/entrepreneurship too. A lot of companies out there claim to ―going green.‖ Both the service & manufacturing sectors of different categories of goods, like consumables and non-consumables are witnessing change in terms of greening their production processes in the later stages of business life. Below mentioned figure is the organizational pyramid which shows various evolutionary phases of a company
. 4. Organizational pyramid –Need to Induct GREEN at Basic level
The hierarchy shows the various levels a business craves for through the period of time. The pyramid states that a business of any size or shape should induct green practices from the ―basic operation‖ stage itself. This idea is inspired from popular Telugu saying which says -
―Bending a tree in a stage of plant is easier than trying to bend it at the stage of a tree‖.
Business with Green start
The Maslow‘s Hierarchy of needs not only relates the needs in individual‘s life but also can be related to the
―organizational hierarchy of needs‖ known popularly as Maslow‘s pyramid but businesses irrespective of size and shape of its operations also experience various stages of satisfaction levels in its waking life.
II. 4 GREEN ESSENTIALS TO BUSINESS
A business entity both service and manufacturing should bear the responsibility of 1. What is going inside as raw material?
2. How it is processed?
3. What is deployed as end product / service?
4. How best to deal with residues and wastes?
2.1. Good (economics):
In economics, a good is a material that satisfies human wantsand provides utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase. A common distinction is made between 'goods' that are tangible property (also called goods) and services, which are non-physical. Commodities may be used as a synonym for economic goods but often refer to marketable raw materials and primary products.
Broad Classification of goods:
1. Consumables 2. Non consumables
Consumables (also known as consumable goods, nondurable goods, or soft goods) are goods that, according to the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, are capable of being consumed; that may be destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. John Locke specifies these as "consumable commodities." People have, for example, food and water.
Non Consumables (also known as durable goods or hard goods) are goods that are not capable of being consumed. For example, Electronic appliances etc For instance, sure, the E-waste is double the population in the planet causing severe irreversible damage to the mankind and ecosystem, and the manufacturing processes of natural organic products like milk, oil are also highly destructive.
2.2. Spread of Eco-literacy or Green Literacy:
The knowledge of environmental issues is also known as ―eco-literacy‖. Examination of influence on consumer behaviour leads to controversial conclusions. Several studies have shown that there is a significant link between consumer‘s behaviour and environmental knowledge, while others have confirmed the opinion that knowledge is weakly related to green purchases (as reported by Getzner, Grabner-Krauter, 2004; Laroche et al., 2001). The decision to ―go green‖ is strongly influenced by the attitudes of importance and convenience. Firstly, individuals‘ cognition of environmental problems must be important for themselves, and secondly, ―going green‖ should not be perceived as inconvenient in terms of lifestyle changes or additional costs (Laroche et al., 2001).
1. Primary Education: Concern towards environment should be infused in kids from first grade schooling through a captivating teaching methodology using audio-visual aids.
2. Secondary Education: The Green concept at this level should be more descriptive, scientific & elaborative.
The concept should be demonstrated in sciences lab.
3. Technical Education: Orientation & workshops on designing the devices to combat degrading process.
4. R & D: Research and Development of unexplored areas, Identification of problems and coming up with process and solutions.
2.3. 5 R’s to Go Green in Growing Economy-
Becoming green is a multifaceted process; there are various practices that can be applied when business wants to shift to a green behaviour. Broadly speaking, an environmentally aware business should participate at least in one of ―4Rs‖ – raw revision, reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery
1. Raw revision: The materials that are unprocessed and are considered usable for manufacture should be monitored before using them.
2. Reduction: The consumption of renewable energy and resources should be wise enough.
3. Reuse: The act of using again after salvaging or special treatment or processing something should be practiced.
4. Recycling: The practice of sorting and collecting waste materials for new use can be a boon
5. Recovery: The act or process of regaining or repossession of used renewable sources and renewing the growth.
2.4. Green Labelling & Green Awareness:
The Eco-labelling (also known as green or environmental labelling, or green branding) seeks to take advantage of market forces by providing consumers with information about products‘ environmental profile, e.g., about their environmentally harmless manufacturing and residual disposal processes, recycling potential, consumption quality (Lavallee, Plouffe, 2004). The benefits of providing this kind of information to customers are several:
consumer attraction, public standing, brand awareness, and improvement opportunities. Consumer attraction implies that by informing consumers on the environmental benefits of products, the business can rouse the consumer‘s interest in eco-issues and develop a purposive demand for a particular type of articles.
2.5. Government’s role in inducting green process:
Government bodies can play a critical role in controlling, monitoring and facilitating the green business practices in the developing countries. As government is the policy-maker to a country, it needs to appoint officials to deal with these multi-level environmental issues from the conception stage itself. The green industries should be facilitated in all respects so as to attract other business people. Environmental concerns across the country should be emphasized to look at concrete possibilities to improve the environmental footprint of municipalities with hands-on advice to local bodies also. Thus Government can play a pivotal role to address the current degrading scenario of both ecosystem and mankind.
III. SUCCESSFUL CASES OF GREEN COMPANIES
1. AMUL –Largest producer of milk products received Green Globe Foundation Award .Amul has shown its concern, awareness and commitment for betterment of environment and has set an example for all the cooperatives and other institutions to turn India green in the era of global warming and environmental crisis.
- Founded in 1946 to stop the exploitation by middlemen.
2. GOOGLE A better web... Better for the environment.
Google is creating a better web that's better for the environment. They say ―We‘re greening our company by using resources efficiently and supporting renewable power. That means when you use Google products, you‘re being better to the environment‖.
3. Nike
This footwear giant does more for the environment than encourage people to walk; its headquarters in the Netherlands use recycled aluminium frames and underground energy storage. It also enforces strict emission standards at all of its factories, and has been able to reduce its overall carbon footprint by approximately 80%
since the late 90s. Furthermore, it offers the greenest soccer shoes around.
IV. FINDINGS
1. Government should impose stringent acts/policies/rules that can meet present demands regarding environmental protection.
2. The induction of going green in the vision and mission statements of the company is not given the apt position.
3. Absence of mechanism for reporting the environmental degradation or violation to the consumers.
4. The initiative of establishing start-ups which can become the producer and supplier of eco-materials to the needy enterprises is noticeably scarce in number.
V. SUGGESTIONS
1. ―Eco-literacy‖ campaigns and programmes can be taken up in order to educate and aware both the public and corporate bodies.
2. ―Eco-labs‖ & ―Eco-centres‖ should be established in order to test the raw materials being used in production units of various companies.
3. Customer favourable ―Direct Access Process applications‖ should be developed for ease of querying &
complaining.
4. Eco raw material supply malls can be established which can be a hub of organic material supplier.
5. Government monitoring mechanism should be strengthened and stringent policies and penalties should be levied on the violators.
6. The Start-up ventures based on eco-friendly nature should be established at a larger scale.
7. Rating should be awarded to green products.
VI. CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, it can be said that the concept of green should be inducted from the basic level so that, it will grow along with the individuals, societies, policies and programmes. Further, the respective government should take steps to promote the concept of ‘Go Green’ in all possible ventures. The citizens should shoulder the responsibility of doing everything in green and promoting the same. So that, we can protect the nature from degradation and by doing so we can protect human race and make the mother earth a best place for living.
REFERENCES
[1]. United Nations University: THE GLOBAL E-WASTE MONITOR 2014 – Quantities, flows and resources, 2015
[2]. Business Dictionary, n.d., Accessed 15 July 2016, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/green- business.html
[3]. Calling Green: Green Business Definition and Opportunities (2011). Accessed 31 March 2012,
[4]. Prashant, Nitya (2008-08-20). "Cash For Laptops Offers 'Green' Solution for Broken or Outdated Computers". Green Technology
[5]. Traders to resume buffalo slaughter from WednesdayApril 1, 2015 [6]. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Greenwash' is losing its shine
[7]. "Cash For Laptops Offers 'Green' Solution for Broken or Outdated Computers". Green Technology
OBSERVATIONS
1. Dark and dairy: The sorry tale of the milch animals
Beef and milk are two sides of the same coin, especially in India where cattle and buffaloes are farmed primarily for milk.
The consumption of milk and milk products is a near-universal habit in India, probably more so among vegetarians than others. We revere cows as mothers because we use their milk. But if our dairy practices are any indication, we don‘t treat our mothers well. It‘s clear that meat comes from slaughtered animals. It‘s less obvious that dairy production is as traumatic and lethal to animals.
The dairy system inflicts suffering at every stage, starting with the calving process, for milk comes from a cow or a buffalo that has calved recently. For dairy farming to be financially viable, animals are made to calve at least once a year (for cows) and once in 15 months (for buffaloes). Calves, male and female, are separated or significantly restricted from accessing their mothers three to four days after birth. This separation is traumatic
for both mother and calf, but leads to a 15-30 per cent increase in milk availability for humans. Following separation, calves are mainly fed on milk substitutes and are allowed only limited suckling. The mother‘s milk is instead diverted for human consumption.
Most male calves are either sent for slaughter or let loose to starve. A limited number are used for breeding.
Some are used as draught animals where they are subject to castration without anaesthesia, nose-roping, whipping and hard labour until they are old and weak. At that point, they are sent for slaughter or abandoned.
The economic undesirability of male cattle is evident in the gender imbalance — 64.42 per cent female and 35.57 per cent male in cattle, and 85.18 per cent female and 14.8 per cent male in buffalo. The slaughter of male calves — whether intentional or incidental — is integral to milk production
Healthy females are kept alive for use in the dairy industry, which means a repeated cycle of impregnation, separation, painful milking, oxytocin shots and mastitis. To keep dairy animals productive, animal husbandry manuals recommend re-impregnation around 60 days after calving — a longer calving interval is uneconomical and a shorter interval reduces milk production.
Dairy farming involves the killing of unproductive, infertile and ‗spent‘ cows and buffaloes. Milk production starts to decline after three to four lactations (pregnancies). At this stage, cows and buffaloes are sold for slaughter through middlemen, or to a smaller farmer who will use them for additional two to three lactations before selling them for slaughter or abandoning them. An infertile or unproductive animal shares the same fate, only much earlier. India‘s world-beating output of 132.4 million tonnes of milk in 2012-13 would not have been possible if cattle and buffalo were taken care of for the entirety of their natural life-spans.
The logic, however, is clear: drinking milk causes as much suffering as eating meat, if not more. Indeed, milk involves more cruelty than meat does.
2. Greasy facts of Oil products
Vegetable oils and fats have a big contribution in our diet as cooking or frying oil, salad oil or in food products formulation. They are important from nutritional and economical point of views. Their authenticity is a serious issue since old time. Some edible oils and fats such as olive oil, cocoa butter and milk fat are so expensive which makes tempting to adulterate them with other lower price vegetable oils and fats to achieve more profit.
The need for authentication is a necessity of the food industry. Today, adulterations are more sophisticated.
Therefore, it is necessary to use advanced and suitable methods to detect adulteration. Adulteration can cause several problems in edible oils application and industry. To detect edible oils and fats adulteration, it is possible to use both major and minor components as detection tool. Since each oil and fat may have an especial component at a known level, their presence and amounts should be considered as a detection tool.. Several methods have been used to check the purity of edible oils and fats. There is a necessity for food related organization to develop and utilize reliable methods to detect such adulterations, which can make consumers and markets more certain on authenticity and purity of edible oils and fats.
3. E-waste:
Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal processing of electronic waste in developing countries may cause serious health and pollution problems, as these countries
electronic waste, tossing away about 3 million tons each year. China already produces about 2.3 million tons (2010 estimate) domestically, second only to the United States. And, despite having banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries.
