4' The Challenge of Green Business

1
Politics of Sustainable Development

• 4. The Challenge of Green Business

2
The fundamental assumption is that economic
growth and the resolution of ecological problems
can, in principle, be reconciledMaarten
Hajer, The Politics of Environmental Discourse,
1995, p 26
3
Green Business as Politics

• as activism, or political action
• from protest to cooperation
• from resistance to appropriation
• from movement intellectuals to brokers
• as decision-making, or policy
• from command and control to co-construct
• from end of pipe to strategic innovation
• from lobbying to networking

4
The Emergence of Green Business

ecoefficiency
natural capitalism
ecomodernism
EM
ecological economics
corporate sustainable development
sustainable development
environmental assessment
pollution prevention, cleaner technologies
appropriate technology, soft energy
environmental economics and policy
pollution control, end-of pipe
Environmental awareness, or consciousness
5
Example Automotive Politics

• Phase One Pollution Control, up to about 1975
• lead-free gasoline, catalytic mufflers
• Phase Two Environmental Policy, ca 1975-87
• collective transportation, electric cars
• Phase Three Sustainable Development, ca 1987-99
• sustainable traffic planning, high-speed
  trains
• Phase Four Green Business, from about 2000
• market-oriented differentiation, hybrid cars

6
What is Green Business?

• ideas/discourses the cosmological dimension
• eco-efficiency
• ecological modernization
• natural capitalism
• networks/institutions the organizational
  dimension
• World Business Council for Sustainable
  Development
• Greening of Industry Network, UNEP
• Natural Step, Society of Ecological Economics
• practices/competencies the technical dimension
• corporate environmental management
• environmental and energy planning
• technological management and innovation

7
Eco-efficiency According to DeSimone and Popoff
(1997)

• Reduce toxic dispersion
• Enhance material recyclability
• Extend product durability and recyclability
• Increase service intensity of products
• Improve market opportunities
• Enhance image

8
Eco-efficiency as a Strategy of Appropriation

• Discursive framework
• a story-line of global competition
• a business economics language instrumental
  rationality
• Institutional structures
• transnational business networks
• commercial rules and regulations
• Practical measures
• emission trading, green products
• incremental design and product improvements

9
Ecological ModernizationAccording to
Rinkevicius (1998)

• Flexible, or soft regulation regimes
• Making pollution prevention pay
• Precautionary principle
• Dialogue and consensus in decision-making
• International cooperation

10
The Eco-Modernist Strategy

• Discursive framework
• a story line of deliberative governance
• a political sociological language communicative
  rationality
• Institutional structures
• public-private partnerships, sustainable business
  hubs
• intergovernmental bodies and agreements
• Practical measures
• sustainability indicators, strategic EIA
• life cycle analysis and management

11
Natural CapitalismAccording to Hawken, Lovins
and Lovins, Natural Capitalism (1999)

• Radical resource productivity (eg factor ten)
• Biomimicry redesigning industrial systems along
  biological lines
• Transition to a service and flow economy
• Investing in natural capital, in addition to
  physical, human, and social capital

12
An Eco-Culture Strategy ?

• Discursive framework
• a story-line of cultural transformation
• a systemic language ecological rationality
• Institutional structures
• networks of think tanks and consultants,
  academics and activists
• experimental examples, educational programs
• Practical measures
• industrial and urban ecology projects
• green life-styles, ecological consumption

13
Green Business as Cognitive Praxis

• From movement to institutions
• appropriate technology green products
• organizational alliances competing networks
• ecological society sustainable growth
• popular education entrepreneurship
• knowledge integration specialization
• interpreting translating
• movement intellectuals commercial brokers

14
Types of Brokerage

• Networking/organizing
• vertical (within companies or branches)
• horizontal (across branches and/or countries)
• Mediation/translation
• specialized consultants (often within one sector)
• generalist academics (ecomodernists)
• Facilitation/entrepreneurship
• project managers and consulting experts
• product champions (within business firms)

15
For example

• Networking
• GIN (Schot and Fischer), WBCSD, ISEE
• Mediation
• Amory Lovins, Björn Gillberg, Arne Remmen
• Entrepreneurship
• IIIEE, The Natural Step, Body Shop