The contemporary business enterprises have been able to make a substantial amount of contribution towards the growth as well as the development of the various countries of the world. According to Davcik and Sharma (2016), one of the most important contributions that these enterprises have made towards the modern nations is the fact that they have helped in the economic or the financial growth of these nations in a substantial manner. Furthermore, these organizations have at the same time provided various kinds of employment opportunities to the individuals and thereby helped them to earn the requisite amount of capital, which are likely to help these individuals to sustain themselves (Herrera 2015). More importantly, Saeidi et al. (2015) are of the viewpoint that the contributions made by these organizations towards the national and also societal development of the various countries can in no way be denied.
Huang et al. (2015) are of the viewpoint that the adverse impacts of these business enterprises on the environment as well as the planet can in no way be overlooked. This becomes even more pertinent when the damage done by these enterprises are analyzed through the lens of the currently faced problems by the planet like climate change, global warming, pollution and others are analyzed (Laszlo and Zhexembayeva 2017). West, Ford and Ibrahim (2015) even go on the extent of saying that these business enterprises have done more harm than good to the planet as well as the society in the recent times. This report will discuss the concept of sustainability, the impact of activities of business enterprises on the environment and also ways of mitigating it through an analysis of the company Plastic Collective and their business activities.
The business activities of Plastic Collective become important when an analysis of the global plastic pollution is undertaken. According to an estimate, there is more than “8 million tonnes of plastic” in the various oceans of the world currently and this is not only affecting the marine life but at the same time impacting the human beings as well (Plastic Collective 2018). Furthermore, every year it is seen thousands of fishes, sea turtles and other aquatic animals die through the consumption of these plastics which are disposed off in the water bodies regardless of the damage that it causes (Plastic Collective 2018). A similar incident of a green sea turtle dying because of poisonous plastic wastes that it has consumed, near “the small coastal village of Woolgoolga, Nth NSW (Aust.)” motivated the Zoologist/ Chemistry teacher, Louise Hardman to develop the Plastic Collective business (Plastic Collective 2018).
The organization Plastic Collective is reputed for providing various kinds of equipment and other devices to the inhabitants of the coastal villages of Australia which enable them to not only recycle the various kinds of plastic wastes but also offers them the opportunity to convert them into something useful (Plastic Collective 2018). In this regard, the various “Plastic Neutral workshops” are important since these workshops besides offering the required information to the villagers about the harms of plastic pollution also educates them regarding the manner in which these plastic wastes can be converted into something useful (Plastic Collective 2018). Furthermore, the organization through its “‘Know your Plastics’ seminars” imparts the necessary knowledge to the business enterprises regarding the kinds of plastic which are less toxic and that can be used by them for the process of the manufacture of the products or the services offered by them to the customers (Plastic Collective 2018). In its initiative to reduce the amount of plastic pollution, the organization started its “Shruder program” which educates the villagers and the other individuals regarding the manner in which the individuals can convert the plastic wastes into diverse kinds of commodities and thereby earn a means of living (Plastic Collective 2018). Needless to say, that these initiatives and also the products offered by the organization have contributed in a substantial manner to mitigate the harmful or the adverse effects of the evil of plastic pollution by offering a sustainable means of converting these wastes into something useful and at the same time earning revenue from the same.
Eloranta and Turunen (2015) are of the viewpoint that business enterprises of the contemporary times needs to take responsibility for their business activities and also the damage that they are causing to the environment and the society at large. Furthermore, they also need to take ethical as well as moral responsibility for the adverse effects of the products or the services that they offer to the customers. As per the opinion of Leonidou et al. (2015), the net result of this fact is that the various organizations are actively taking the help of the construct of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The various organizations thus try to help in the process of mitigation of the various pressing issues which are adversely affecting the well-being of the society and also the individuals of the contemporary times.
Sustainability has emerged as one of the most important concepts within the framework of the modern business world (Epstein 2018). Sustainability can be defined as the process which enables a particular organization to not only maintain change but also facilitate its growth in the present times but also in the future times as well (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2014). This is generally attained through the effective integration of the resources of the organization, the technology of the organization, investments, organizational structures and the factors which might help it in the process of its growth (Santos, Carneiro and Ramalho 2015). Needless to say, that this is an important concept from the perspective of the business organizations and helps them to gain competitive advantage or leverage over their competitors. In this regard, the construct of CSR is an important one and is increasingly being used by the various organizations for the attainment of sustainability.
Another important emerging trend within the business world is the fact that the customers are increasingly taking into effective consideration the factor of brand or market image of the organization before opting for the products or the services offered by them (Lee et al. 2015). The effective utilization of the sustainability strategy of CSR not only helps the organizations to contribute in a meaningful manner towards the development of the nation in which they are operational but at the same time helps in the process of the improvement of their brand or market image as well (Giunipero, Denslow and Hooker 2016). This is closely associated with the process of the enhancement of the sale of the products or the services offered by the organization to the customers and thereby the improvement of its financial performance as well. In addition to this, experts are also of the viewpoint that the effective utilization of this construct can help an organization in the process of attainment of competitive advantage and also sustainability in the longer run (Su et al. 2014). Thus, it can be said that the construct of sustainability is an important one for the business organizations by virtue of its association with the correlation with the concepts of competitive advantage and also long-term growth of the organization.
In the contemporary business world it is seen that various strategies have gained prominence which are been utilized by the diverse organizations for the attainment of sustainability. Some of the most common examples of the strategies related to sustainability utilized by the organizations are corporate social responsibility (CSR), resource based-view strategy, capability lifecycle and others (Hoffman et al. 2014). The focus of the “resource based-view” strategy is on the effective utilization of the resources as well as the competencies of the organization which in turn not only help the organizations to earn a higher amount of profitability but also competitive advantage as well (Bansal and DesJardine 2014). This is important since the long-term usage of this strategy helps the organizations to attain sustainability as well. The use of the strategy of CSR, on the other hand, requires the organizations to take various kinds of initiatives for the resolution of the issues faced by the planet and thereby contribute in a meaningful manner towards the planet (Epstein 2018). The organization Plastic Collective through its initiative to mitigate the problem of plastic pollution has been able to gain a substantial amount of success in the recent times.
Louise Hardman after watching the painful slow death of the green sea turtle undertook an analysis of the damage cause by the evil of plastic pollution on a global scale and found that more than “370 million people on 4000 islands in the Asia Pacific region lacking safe waste management” (Plastic Collective 2018). In addition to this, another research undertaken by Hardman revealed the fact that every year more than “11 million tonnes of plastic wastes” are being disposed into the seas and other kinds of water bodies which adversely destroys the flora as well as the fona of the water bodies (Plastic Collective 2018). Harman’s organization Plastic Collective and its business activities become especially important in this regard.
The equipment that the organization offers not only to the inhabitants of the coastal villages but also to the business enterprises for the recycling of the plastic wastes besides helping in the reduction of the plastic wastes and its adverse effects also helps in providing employment options to many people (Hoffman et al. 2014). In the earlier times, it was seen that unemployment and also lack of wealth were the two major problems that the inhabitants of the various coastal villages of Australia faced. However, through its business activities and also the utilization of the sustainability strategy of CSR, the organization has contributed in a substantial manner towards the mitigation of these two issues. Thus, it is seen that these activities offers employment options and also the much needed capital that they earn from the sale of the products that they have made from the remolding of the plastic wastes have contributed towards the improvement in the standard of living of these individuals in a substantial manner.
The organization under discussion here enjoys a positive brand or market image because of the initiatives which it has taken for the mitigation of the problem of plastic pollution, which is one of the major issues that the world is facing currently and also because of the effective utilization of the sustainability strategy of CSR. This is important since it not only lends credibility to the business operations of the organizations but at the same time has helped it to gain the trust of the customers regarding the effectiveness of the products that they offer to the customers (Bansal and DesJardine 2014). This trust in turn had motivated thousands of coastal villagers to opt for the equipment offered by the organization. Furthermore, the various workshops as well as the seminars that the organization offers to the villagers and also the other organizations had not only helped these individuals to realize the importance of the products that the organization is offering but at the same time has created a demand for the same as well (Kotabe and Kothari 2016). This is important from the perspective of the continued growth of the organization and has also helped it to attain sustainability and competitive advantage in the business market.
As per Bansal and DesJardine (2014), planning is an important step for the various business enterprises not only in terms of the promotion or the marketing of the products or the services offered by them to the customers and but also for the attainment of sustainability as well. The effective utilization of the construct of planning is evident in the business operations of Plastic Collective and also the product offered by them to the customers. Plastic Collective through its effort to resolve or mitigate the problem of plastic pollution has been able to reach out to a larger customer base and at the same time has ensured the process of its long-term growth (Epstein 2018).
The Plastic Collective by means providing the relevant education to the inhabitants of small coastal villages and other organizations by means of the seminars and the workshops not only ensured a stable customer base for its product but also the undertook the process of organizing as well (Hoffman et al. 2014). This step was important from the perspective of the organization since the prospects of the products offered by the organization and also the attainment of sustainability depended to a large extent on this stage (Chin, Tat and Sulaiman 2015).
Louise Hardman, the founder of the organization provides active leadership to the organization and has ensured the success of the organization (Plastic Collective 2018). The effective leadership provided by her is not only evident in the unprecedented success attained by the organization but also in the utilization of the business opportunity presented by the problem of plastic pollution but also in the promotion of the products offered by them through the various seminars and also the workshops (Lee et al. 2015).
The business operations of the organization are directly controlled by Louise Hardman and the other executives of the organizations (Plastic Collective 2018). In addition to these, the promotion of the products offered by them to the customers which is done through the various seminars and also the workshops is directly regulated by the CEO of the organization and also by its other top executives (Plastic Collective 2018). Thus, it can be said that the organization by exercising a stringent hold over its various business operations and also the means of promotion and marketing have been able to attain a steady growth and also sustainability.
The organization under discussion here has been able to attain a substantial amount of success in the recent times yet there are certain measures through which they can further enhance the prospects of their business. Some of the measures that they can follow are listed below-
Conclusion:
To conclude, the concept of sustainability has become of the focus of the modern business world and it is seen that the diverse organizations rather than focusing on the aspect of profitability and others are focusing on this particular construct. Furthermore, it is also seen that the organizations are taking the help of diverse sustainability strategies like CSR policies, business ethics and others for the attainment of sustainability. In this regard, the cause of the organization Plastic Collective becomes an important one since it is seen that the organization has been able to attain sustainability by virtue of the nature of the products offered by them. For example, it is seen that the products offered by the organization are directed to mitigate the problem of plastic pollution and thus by helping the world to address this issue the organization has not only been able to attain success but also sustainability as well.
References:
Bansal, P. and DesJardine, M.R., 2014. Business sustainability: It is about time. Strategic Organization, 12(1), pp.70-78.
Chin, T.A., Tat, H.H. and Sulaiman, Z., 2015. Green supply chain management, environmental collaboration and sustainability performance. Procedia CIRP, 26, pp.695-699.
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Eloranta, V. and Turunen, T., 2015. Seeking competitive advantage with service infusion: a systematic literature review. Journal of Service Management, 26(3), pp.394-425.
Epstein, M.J., 2018. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Routledge.
Giunipero, L.C., Denslow, D. and Hooker, R.E., 2016. Environmental Sustainability in the Supply Chain: A Review of Past Literature and Discussion of Potential Drivers and Barriers. In Sustainable Value Chain Management (pp. 51-66). Routledge.
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Hoffman, A.J., Corbett, C.J., Joglekar, N. and Wells, P., 2014. Industrial ecology as a source of competitive advantage. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 18(5), pp.597-602.
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Laszlo, C. and Zhexembayeva, N., 2017. Embedded sustainability. In Embedded Sustainability (pp. 116-140). Routledge.
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