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Beyond pollution prevention: A vision for an integrated environmental business management strategy
Author(s) -
Cohan David,
Gess David
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
environmental quality management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.249
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6483
pISSN - 1088-1913
DOI - 10.1002/tqem.3310040204
Subject(s) - stewardship (theology) , business , pollution prevention , environmental stewardship , dual (grammatical number) , business case , process management , environmental planning , environmental resource management , risk analysis (engineering) , economics , engineering , political science , environmental science , art , literature , politics , law , waste management
Abstract In this article the authors assert that successful long‐term pollution prevention will require changes in the culture and business practices of an organization such that the term “pollution prevention” eventually becomes obsolete. They envision firms evolving to a point where actions that today are referred to as pollution prevention will simply be part of standard business practices and thoroughly embedded in the firms' culture. Although pollution prevention projects and programs need to be highly visible at the outset to communicate throughout the organization and to demonstrate the benefits that can be gained, companies should adopt a long‐term strategy aimed at making fundamental changes in the way they do business, rather than relying solely on piecemeal projects and special plans or programs. Such evolution of the firm will maximize the chances of meeting the dual challenges of business competitiveness and environmental stewardship. This article presents a vision for integrating environmental performance with business objectives and suggests practical steps to begin moving toward that vision.