How U.S. Companies are Embracing Sustainability

This requirement helped prevent soil erosion, but it still upheld the “frontier ethic” as the trees and resources were ultimately used to pioneer dominion over the land. The second wave of environmentalism can be characterized by an emphasis on conservation when people began to question the treatment of the earth in the 1960s and 70s (Washington, 2015). As the counterculture challenged the status quo (Washington, 2015), public perception and policy shifted to laws that mitigated the problems caused by Westward expansion and the “frontier ethic” (Wesner, 2021). They embraced the ecocentric “sustainable ethic” instead and advocated for the realization that the earth’s resources are limited and must be preserved (Wesner, 2021). This era was largely anti- development and anti-business which made it difficult for governments to administer policies (Washington, 2015).

Extensive environmental literature was published during this time such as Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in 1962 (“The Story,” 2015).

It exposed the effects of the pesticide DDT in a way that common people could understand and acted as a catalyst for awareness and change (“The Story,” 2015). Ten years later in 1972, the book Limits to Growth examined population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion to claim the earth would exceed planetary limits by the middle of the 21st century (Washington, 2015). Although there were many skeptics to this prediction, the authors have been very accurate to date and made others consider the consequences of their actions (Washington, 2015).This attention on humans’ relationship to the environment led to the first world environment conference hosted by the United Nations in 1972. Each country reported on its current environmental situation and proposed measures to solve the problems(Washington, 2015). It is worth noting that Washington is actually skeptical of the popular idea of sustainable development, or “green growth” as described in Our Common Future. Growth seems to be antithetical to sustainability as many of society’s environmental problems have been fueled by the endless drive to expand, update, and innovate (Brown, 2015). 

It also revealed that the global North was mainly concerned about pollution and the environmental pillar of sustainability, whereas the South focused on the social pillar and issues of poverty, disease, and hunger (Washington, 2015). 

The South, therefore, valued economic development as the solution which caused clashing approaches because development often means exploiting natural resources. The bridge connecting these conflicting concerns between developed and developing countries was found in the 1987 Brundtland Report also known as Our Common Future (Washington, 2015). It provided the most commonly quoted definition of sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (“Our Common Future,” 1987). The idea of sustainable development allows room for economic and social advancement as long as it avoids over-exploitation and sets the stage for the current, third wave of environmentalism (Washington, 2015).The third, and most recent, wave places an emphasis on businesses as some corporations see themselves as part of the whole society which functions within the environment (Washington, 2015). These businesses are value-driven and are sticking out from the crowd by making sustainability a core priority (Washington, 2015). This wave embraces the idea of sustainable development because it considers businesses’ interests and does not threaten the structure of industrial societies (Washington, 20215). For instance, Swedish youth environmentalist, Greta Thunberg, started the “Fridays for Future” campaign where students rallied in the streets to demand drastic changes in governments’ climate plans. Social media has become a powerful tool to educate and mobilize the masses all over the world. These influencers are building off of years of impactful environmentalism and getting individuals and businesses more involved.

Sustainable development is tied to weak sustainability and disproportionately focuses on the economic pillar (Ruggerio, 2021). 

Economic growth is an infinite process, but the earth has finite resources (Ruggerio, 2021). This oxymoron (Brown, 2015) may show just how far the world is from accurately understanding the essence of sustainability. However, since modern culture does not look like it will slow down any time soon, perhaps the next best thing is to reduce its impact.Many businesses today are striving to reduce their footprint by operating out of the “land ethic” which views humans as part of the ecosystem which has value regardless of its utility (Fisher, 2018). Aldo Leopold is famous for coining this term and advocating for a “mutually beneficial relationship between civilized men and a civilized landscape” (2004). Humans are not conquerors of the land, but rather have an obligation to it beyond self-interest (Leopold et al., 1989). One business that is adopting the land ethic into its business model is the international home improvement chain Kingfisher. They have goals to responsibly source all their wood products and become forest positive by 2025 (“Planet,” 2019). By committing to plant more trees than they cut down, Kingfisher sees the value in nature and honors that while still supporting their business.

These elements from the third wave have bled into the fourth and most recent wave. In this movement, many young activists have also taken a stand against climate change and are demanding action from governments.