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At this stage of the development of modern society, special attention is paid to such an important issue as the preservation of environmental sustainability. Such a path of development should meet all vital human needs and promote the emergence and proper development of future generations. However, there is a tendency to neglect this vector of actions, which negatively affects the environment. Environmental sustainability is considered by many researchers as an integral part of the sustainable development process. It is defined as the ability of the natural system to maintain and preserve important functions under the influence of negative and positive internal and external factors. The main measure of this indicator is the environmental sustainability index. It includes many different parameters, among which the state of ecosystems, the health of the population from the point of view of ecology, the functions undertaken by society and its institutions, including the state, can be highlighted. The study of the literature on environmental sustainability is of particular value, as it can show the importance of adhering to this policy not only for the environment but also for humanity as a whole. Moreover, this analysis will help to identify possible ways of development and improvement that can be applied by various institutions and bodies.
Environmental sustainability can be achieved using several methods:
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efficient use of the resources provided and consumed, which can be achieved through the introduction of environmental and innovative technologies. Moreover, it can be successful in changing such spheres of human life as the economy, production by referring to numerous studies. Such modernization methods include processing and consumption of production waste and recycling of products of use.
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improving the quality of peoples lives by applying such tools as environmental and social security, which contributes to its duration. In addition, such changes will increase the level of health of the worlds population and spread the concept of a healthy lifestyle.
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Reduction of negative anthropogenic human impact on the environment. This can be achieved by reducing emissions, cleaning territories from pollution, and carrying out work to reduce it. Moreover, it is important to involve sustainability management in companies and enterprises to manage production waste and reduce harmful effects. At the state level, it is necessary to improve and implement environmental protection policies in such ways as investments, various sustainable development programs, and laws in this area.
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Preservation and reconstruction, if necessary, of the natural environment, ecosystems, and biological diversity.
The main problem of the modern stage of the formation of industrial technologies is that everything extracted by man for functioning with the help of specialized equipment after some time turns into a waste of consumption and production. This leads to the fact that such a concept as a waste-free industry cannot be achieved ideally since tools have been created that fully have this characteristic. That is why it is necessary to introduce a sustainability policy in order to reduce as much as possible the factors of the negative impact of various industries and human activities on nature and all life on the planet.
All key and important technologies, such as energy, chemical, information, agricultural, or construction, are based on the use of easily exhausting natural resources. An even more pernicious circumstance is that the emphasis is on the consumption of resources but not on their maintenance and restoration. Given the fact that humanity will only exploit the resources given to them, they will subsequently be depleted and will lead to a slowdown and cessation of sustainable development in the world. To prevent this process, it is necessary to find alternative sources for the functioning of human activities and focus on increasing the renewable resources of the planet. This is due to the impossibility of compensating for a particular resource, which cannot be compensated with the help of material means of existence and living space.
Furthermore, due to the high rate of consumption and the low rate of recovery of natural resources, the environment does not have the ability to properly and independently dispose of and recycle human waste. Moreover, now, despite various ways of recycling garbage, such as waste management, cleaning, and restoration of nature, most of them are transformed from one harmful and toxic form to another. The danger is that such garbage can be many times more harmful and dangerous than its original appearance. Thus, the emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the use and restoration of resources, reducing the anthropogenic pressure on nature, and preserving the environment should be the main goals of human activity. Moreover, it is of particular importance to improve the quality and health, and life expectancy of people, which are necessary to maintain the environmental sustainability. In addition, it is critical to constantly conduct various scientific studies on the negative and positive consequences of human activity, ways to optimize its management of the ecological development of the productive forces of nature and the population.
The creation of a safe production that will use inexhaustible sources of resources is quite possible at this stage, but this requires the introduction of new systems that will take into account all aspects of environmental development. This fact is due to the fact that such a relationship of human interests and the good for nature can be satisfied through joint fruitful development, guaranteeing a better future. To do this, it is also necessary to take into account historical aspects and data in the process of studying environmental sustainability. In this case, the process will be based on the involvement of methods of organizing intellectual and material production. Moreover, machine production, which is financially and resource-intensive, while exhausting the forces of nature and man, should be transformed into a new industry, taking into account humanity and compliance with the ecological development of all living things.
One of the most outstanding aspects that has the most significant impact on environmental sustainability is the business industry. As already mentioned, it is this sphere of human life that leads to the strongest environmental pollution. To prevent such an impact, it is necessary to develop a special sustainability policy with the involvement of qualified specialists. Moreover, this directly affects the attitude of consumers, as people expect companies to take a responsible approach to do business. The positive aspect of this opinion is that more and more companies are ready to follow the expectations of customers and stakeholders.
One of the most effective and widespread tactics that bring the level of environmental sustainability closer is the principle of creating integral non-waste Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) systems. It can prove to be an effective and efficient way for the business industry to integrate environmental sustainability. Data shows that C2C methodology builds on the concept that waste = food, meaning that what is considered waste can become food in a new product cycle ( Cradle to Cradle ). It is worth noting that used for the first time in the field of industry, C2C has spread in the industry of products, cosmetics, chemicals, and even clothing.
Another advantage of conducting C2C policy is to provide a systematic approach to the conduct of industrial production. This way makes it possible to comprehensively analyze the picture of reality, weigh all the minuses and pluses and consider from all sides such aspects as the selection of resources, the technology of packaging production, and its disposal. Thus, C2C as a method of maintaining environmental sustainability has huge potential but is characterized by relatively little use among companies. Despite the existence of an extensive choice of policies to improve the situation with environmental sustainability, many industrial enterprises and organizations are characterized by an unwillingness to fully implement such changes. This fact, however, is compensated by the fact that companies are gradually introducing eco-friendly steps, selecting more ethical sources of raw materials, eco-friendly packaging materials, and other examples.
For a better understanding, it is necessary to deduce the main provisions that exist in the policy of environmental sustainability.
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Conducting an assessment of the effect of production from the point of view of environmental impact. This should be done at all stages of the production cycle and at the level of decisions made by the company. Moreover, it is necessary to actively involve qualified specialists and all interested parties of the company in these procedures.
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Implement and support the management measures introduced affecting the impact on the environment. To do this, ongoing analysis and monitoring of the goals and objectives of the organization and how they are implemented should be carried out. To obtain more complete data, it is possible to analyze the policies of rival companies, which are in great demand among customers due to their environmental strategy. This method can contribute to reducing the overall negative impact of the companys activities on the environment.
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The above provisions imply the need for constant consideration and adaptation of the resources that the company uses in the life cycle of its products. This implies constant monitoring of the necessary data. This includes the analysis of the extraction of necessary natural resources and other factors of production, such as processing, delivery, use, and recycling. At the same time, it is of particular importance to take into account the uniform distribution of the environmental load between all stages of production and the use of products.
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The use of such an effective method of assessing the life cycle of products used in the framework of C2C as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). It has become widespread in the industrial sphere of human activity and is gaining popularity among other bodies. The literature emphasizes that the purchasing department of a company can learn which suppliers have the most sustainable methods and product designers can explore how design choices affect the sustainability of the products ( Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) explained ). It also makes it possible to fully assess the results and consequences of using various resources in the organizational activities of the company.
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The following provision puts emphasis on the care and protection of the planets natural resources. Thus, multiple sources show that the main negative impact comes primarily from the process of production and disposal of industrial materials and semi-finished products. Thus, it is critical to resort to the use of environmentally friendly resources and contents that will cause minimal damage to the environment. At the same time, it is also necessary to carefully check suppliers for compliance with the rules of environmental sustainability and environmental conservation.
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Control of the negative impact through the use of the method of environmental labeling. For its creation and successful implementation, it is necessary to conduct an assessment of the product life cycle, after which this method is introduced. The name Environmental Product Declarations or EPD has been established for this process (M Galindro et al., p. 2418). It consists of an established specialized declaration of the product in the form of an international label made on the basis of a certain standard. With its help, organizations can easily determine whether the company is eco-friendly.
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The development of the logistics of the enterprise, which implies ensuring the effective disposal of products, its sales system, the establishment of an appropriate level of service, and distribution of the product being developed. To do this, it is necessary to search for the closest suppliers to reduce gas emissions when using various vehicles.
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The last factor of value for the preservation and maintenance of environmental sustainability is serious reporting and monitoring of packaging and processing of the manufactured product. The way a particular product is packaged is important during its transportation, as it serves as a protection against contamination. Moreover, with the loss of the properties of the product, we can say that the production process was ineffective and inefficient. Thus, the company is financially responsible, which encourages it to find more effective ways to produce and process packaging.
It is worth noting that the main difficulty in monitoring and analyzing trends in the companys environmental indicators is the lack of a single established legislative framework for industrial enterprises. This is due to the fact that, despite the existence of general laws on environmental conservation, organizations may have loopholes in the rules that allow them not to comply with them. Moreover, this factor and the lack of interconnections between various environmental monitoring services leads to the fact that the assessment of these indicators at various enterprises does not have a single system and often does not fully reflect the real situation related to sustainability.
Another obstacle to the introduction of legislative norms is the necessary adherence to the openness of enterprises that undertake an environmental sustainability policy. This factor is due to the fact that confidential information is affected, which is a limitation when checking potentially dangerous industrial companies. However, openness is critically important for the development of competitiveness and demand for the organization among customers, as it is invested in creating the image of the company.
The way to solve this issue is to introduce a certain system of ratings of organizations based on the conduct of the industry. This policy may contribute to ensuring the openness of information while observing the necessary confidentiality measures. It makes sense to introduce a rating system, but it is advisable to form ratings based on the cumulative indicator of the sustainable development of a particular industry. In addition, the state of the companys subsystems, which are components of an environmentally sustainable development strategy, can also be taken into account. These components include directly environmental, social, and economical.
As already mentioned, when implementing this system, it is very important to take into account the fact that the available assessment methods can create different economic behaviors of the subjects under study. The use of special indicators in the cumulative aspect characterizes them as aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of the scheme of an industrial enterprise. Thus, the analyzed economic systems as a whole will contribute to the resource-saving economic trend. On the other hand, indicators such as emissions, garbage, high consumption of environmental resources can show a significant negative impact on the environment. The complexity and detail of the analysis and evaluation used in rating systems and the availability and openness of data are critical to the effectiveness of the measures implemented. It is worth noting that all the data obtained during the study should be applied when making certain management decisions while not requiring the significant expenditure of any resources.
The main and essential indicators that should be taken into account when introducing a rating system among companies choosing environmental sustainability can be distinguished:
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the number of harmful emissions into the atmosphere of a number of harmful substances;
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the volume of waste resulting from the production and consumption of resources;
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the amount of energy consumed by industry;
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the level of waste used in the course of production and resource consumption activities;
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the degree of disposal of pollutants and negatively affecting substances;
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the amount of disposed and recycled waste disposal of industrial activities.
Speaking about sustainability, it is also necessary to take into account such an aspect as suitability for the environment and be able to distinguish them from each other. Their main difference is that environmental sustainability is a direct factor in ensuring the suitability of the planet for the habitation of all living beings. That is why this aspect is critical when forming the environmental policy of industrial enterprises to reduce the negative impact of their activities. In addition, the differentiation of such concepts as human-oriented narratives in comparison with narratives about the preservation of life, in general, is of particular value. This is due to the fact that other living beings live on the planet besides humans. All these constituent aspects of the planets ecosystem are interconnected, and it is impossible to focus only on improving human life. It is important to aim at improving the condition of all the planets in order to avoid harmful consequences.
The Climate of History in a Planetary Age by Dipesh Chakrabarty
The first source that was analyzed when writing this work is a book written by Dipesh Chakrabarty named The Climate of History in a Planetary . The author of the book studied the climate of the planet and how changes occurring in it can affect the ecology. Thus, the changes taking place with the climate radically change the historically and scientifically established ideas about history, modernity, and globalization. In the work under study, Mark also examines how human activity has a serious impact on the ongoing transformations (Chakrabarty 219). The researcher sees his main task in resolving the issue by attracting the attention and efforts of various scientists who have ignored this issue for a long time.
The main idea of Chakrabartis book is to emphasize that people should evaluate their actions from a global and planetary point of view. A significant advantage of this book is that it provides answers to questions about what actions should be taken and how to respond to current and future environmentally difficult situations. Moreover, the study notes that in an era of such high human activity, it is important to be able to predict the consequences of individuals activities in order to form a clear and concrete vision of what may happen to the environmental situation in the future.
Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime by Bruno Latour
The book examines how the environmental situation in the world has an impact on the political sphere of human life. The main factors shaping this process, according to the author, are a deadly mix of exploding inequality, mass deregulation, and turning the dream of globalization into a nightmare for most people. This is due to the ingrained opinion that an environmental catastrophe is inevitable, which is especially vividly promoted among opinion leaders (Latour 18). They see a departure from the idea of a shared future with the rest of the world as the only correct solution to this problem. The consequences of these actions are an even greater consolidation of the idea of the need to leave certain territories. Moreover, it contributes to the denial of the acceptance of information about irreversible climate change and its consequences.
People who hold a different point of view treat this situation less fiercely. This cluster smolders with hope about the power of globalization, which focuses their attention on protecting not the environment but national groups of representatives of humanity. However, this vision is incorrect since, in order to preserve all living things, it is important to focus on strengthening environmental sustainability and shift the attention of the masses to this aspect. Undoubtedly, the ethnic issue is of no small importance for humanity; however, a certain belonging to the territory needs to be re-evaluated visions about this problem and a thorough rethinking. The development of environmental sustainability and the simultaneous study of new ways to increase the occupancy of the planets territories are two important aspects of this study.
Planetary Social Thought-The Anthropocene Challenge to the Social Sciences by Nigel Clark and Bronislaw Szerszynski
In this source, the influence of the development of the Anthropocene epoch on the ecosystem is considered under the study. It is compared with other stages of the development of human activity and is perceived as a scientific concept of development. This relatively young science claims that human activity affects the occurrence of unforeseen consequences in relation to the environmental situation. The main component, which receives the most attention, is the social life of a person, which is the driving force of the development of the planet.
In addition, the author wonders what kind of reaction the Anthropocene should receive from other branches of social science on the topic of the development of the environment. Clark and Shershinsky emphasize the need to rethink the ideas and views of researchers about what society is (Clark and Bronislaw 13). It is noted that it should be considered in the context of a product of a constantly changing planet, which has the ability to self-organize and self-determination to perceive it as a product of a dynamic planet, self-organizing over time. Another important idea of this work is the derivation of such a term as planetary social thought. In this context, it is considered as a problem field for considering the issue of interaction between society and the Earth. Thus, the authors argue that there is a need to revise and change everyday social actions to preserve the environmental sustainability of the environment. Thus, the fact of being free to live and to consult about the preservation of all life will be preserved. Moreover, when considering the importance of ecology through the prism of social life, humanity can significantly improve the state of the environment in which it exists.
Managing Corporate Social Responsibility- A Communication Approach by W.Timothy Coombs and Sherry J.Holladay
In the course of the research, many sources were also found that consider the problem of maintaining environmental sustainability by modern business. One of the effective ways to support it is the involvement of such policies as corporate social responsibility management. This method is conditioned by following a certain strategy, which is developed focusing on a communication approach and awareness of responsibility to society. Thus, it should be important for companies not only to maintain a competitive position among rivals but also to maintain the environmental sustainability. The second aspect can contribute not only to improving the overall state of the environment but also to maintaining the level of loyalty among the clients. The main purpose of this work is to demonstrate the advantages of using a corporate social responsibility strategy and its possible consequences. Moreover, the benefits of using various social networks to spread information and awareness are emphasized. The study provides examples of such successful companies as the Forest Stewardship Council, Starbucks Coffee, and IKEA (Coombs and Holladay 110). Thus, it can be concluded that the solution of topical environmental problems is an integral part of the corporate and social responsibility of companies, which requires special attention in the modern world.
Sustainability by Leslie Paul Thiele
The book Sustainability by Leslie Paul Thiele also examines the need and value of environmental sustainability in the modern world. Thus, the author argues that this trend has an impact on peoples way of life, creating a large volume of financial and labor investments, changing the policy and legislation of the counties, and creating various international and national agreements. Moreover, sustainable environmental development has contributed to the unification to combat a common problem (Thiele 15). However, the author notes that the main goal and task of such a growing trend is still quite abstract and ambiguous. This is due to the fact that other companies use this term for personal purposes, such as cultivating a customer base, without caring about the environmental friendliness of their actions in relation to the environment.
This work positions itself as a guide that helps to bring a clearer understanding of the concept of environmental sustainability in the modern world. Thus, the study examines the history, scope, and significance of sustainability as an ethical ideal and approach that is based on the creation of awareness in an era of the widespread inconsistency of information. The author emphasizes the importance of introducing innovations into this sphere of human activity and its positive consequences, especially for the maintenance and preservation of easily depleted resources. Topics such as the state of the environment, prospects, and consequences of the use of certain production technologies play a key role in this book. Along with them, such problems as political, legal, and economic constraints that prevent the consolidation of environmental sustainability policy are considered.
Sustainability: A Systems Approach by Tony Clayton, Nicholas Radcliffe
This study raises the question of how environmental sustainability has affected various spheres of social life. Moreover, there is a special complexity and versatility of this issue, which simultaneously affects a large number of different sciences and disciplines (Clayton and Radcliffe 17). It is noted that for more effective development, it is necessary to constantly replenish the stock of knowledge on this topic and monitoring and analysis of trends in its development. This is due to the fact that in order to fully understand this concept, it is necessary to involve complex adaptive systems, especially the branch engaged in the study of society. This book is a valuable source as it clearly and systematically shows the benefits of applying environmental sustainability in social and economic aspects.
Sustainability: If Its Everything, Is It Nothing? By Heather M. Farley, Zachary A. Smith
This study is a two-part work about the second part, and the authors focus on developments in the field of environmental sustainability. It is emphasized that the need for their implementation is due to the importance of attracting positive changes to the state of the modern environment (Farley et al. 170). Moreover, the role of modern man in shaping the future for future generations and their well-being is noted. Like many previously mentioned studies, the authors note the vagueness and lack of specificity of the concept of sustainable development. Thus, they also focus on rethinking this concept as a fundamental aspect of human life. This is of particular importance not only in the individual life of an isolated individual but should also relate to the strategies of industrial enterprises and businesses.
A valuable aspect of this work is not only the fact that it studies the negative consequences of improper use of environmental accounting but also in what changes its use can lead to in practice. Thus, the authors introduce the concept of neo-sustainability, which is aimed at improving the application of the concept. In this case, the need to take into account such factors as respect for the environment, consideration of the limits of its use, and the relationship between all human functioning systems with it is determined.
Sustainability Principles and Practice by Margaret Robertson
Another source raising the issue of the development of environmental sustainability is the book Sustainability Principles and Practice by Margaret Robertson. It contains the main principles and practice of the concept under study, which give its full justification. The main task of the study is to provide solutions to prevent the problem. The authors present the problem from the point of view of social equality, environmental justice, manufactured products, and their life cycles. Moreover, it is worth noting that in the study, the author also raises the issues of the Anthropocene as a decisive factor affecting the environment. The importance of sustainable consumption, recycling of some materials, such as textiles, or the concept of clean zero is noted (Robertson 675). Thus, it can be concluded that the concept of environmental sustainability is a more complex aspect that requires a broad and detailed study to bring fundamental changes to the life of humanity.
The Three Levels of Sustainability by Elena Cavagnaro, George Curiel
This work by authors Ben and Jack examines the spread of awareness at the level of individuals. It does not deny the importance and validity of the actions of such bodies as businesses, governments, and other institutions. However, the authors emphasize the lack of emphasis on the awareness of people themselves about the impact they have on the environment at the individual level. The chosen approach in this book is a holistic approach. Thus, the work of ones own mind aims to get rid of neglect in relation to environmental sustainability and calls for greater dissemination of knowledge about it. This is due to the fact that it is in the context of commitment that the most effective and efficient displays can be achieved. All conclusions in this study are based on the concept of three levels of sustainability (TLS) (Clayton and Radcliffe 2). This method is considered the best to eliminate a certain number of shortcomings in the system of sustainable development. Moreover, its value lies in the fact that it considers the social, organizational, and individual levels.
Environmental sustainability and peoples commitment to it is also seen as a driving force for the formation of successful opinion leaders who will be able to lead people and thus come to positive results. To support the opinions expressed by the authors, the book uses explanations of the most important theories of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and personal leadership. Of particular value is also represented the methods of solving problems given by the authors, such as the latest developments and interpretations of the application of the concept, depending on the scope of application, are used.
Having studied many sources, it can be concluded that one of the most effective methods of preserving environmental sustainability is a non-resource approach. This transformation can make it possible to raise the level of this concept in the countries of the world and ensure a housing and communal services stable future. Thus, there will be an improvement in the process of using and disposing of environmental resources and reducing the burden on the environment. Among all the criteria for sustainable development, one of the most important is the way to increase aggregate capital. This method involves relying on human, physical, and natural factors. It is suggested that such an approach will strengthen the link between complementarity and the interchangeability of the above-mentioned components of capital. It is also worth noting that reducing the level of exposure to one of them can timely and fully compensate fo
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