One Good Question Business Global Environmental

(A) For Interface Carpets, environmental sustainability has become the core of their business model and the foundation for their growth and development as a company. In line with this, explain what Interface’s Mission Zero is and then briefly describe Mt. Sustainability, the root metaphor they use to guide their pursuits. Explain how the metaphor works as a communication device and source of motivation for Interface employees. How did “one good question” move Ray Anderson and his company to pursue sustainability? What was the question and who raised it? Interface recently claimed victory on Mission Zero. What is your reaction to their claim? Where would you look for evidence to support (or refute) their claim? What is the strongest single piece of evidence you would cite that shaped your opinion? (9 points).

(B) Many business analysts and social commentators are concerned that “legal pollution” from business and industry is often destructive and even lethal. In the mid-1990s, Interface Carpets took this idea to heart in addressing the toxic emissions being legally channeled to the environment through their smokestacks and waste water pipes. Accordingly, they were one of the first businesses to go “beyond compliance” in defining their position on corporate environmentalism. What does “beyond compliance” mean? What specific steps did they take to reduce or eliminate “bad actors” in their production processes, such as benzene, ammonium derivatives, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium), etc.? In answering, comment on how they conducted inventories of raw materials, collaborated with and revised their supply chain, and also on what limitations they encountered in working through firms in their supply chain. Ultimately, what did they have to do to meaningfully clean up their act? (8 points).

(C) The progress on environmental sustainability made by any one business firm is useful as we try to address the environmental challenges facing societies in the 21st Century but collaborations and coalitions are even more necessary to make real progress. As an example of collaborations, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have helped many firms prioritize and make a formal commitment to mitigating climate change. Based on the PriceWaterhouseCoopers study of 729 global companies, what percent of firms have prioritized climate specific action? Visit the SDG website (www.unglobalcompact.org/sdgs/17-global-goals) to review the ‘Caring for Climate’ program and the Science-Based Emission Reduction Targets Initiative. Briefly describe these platforms and state your reasoned opinion about their potential effectiveness. Walmart’s participation in the Science-Based Targets Initiative has been referred to as “A Game Changer.” (https://sciencebasedtargets.org/2016/11/04/walmarts-science-based-target-a-game-changer/). What specific commitments did Walmart make? Do you agree that this is a game changer? Why or why not? (9 points)

You should be able to answer the three-part essay question in 500 words total—no more than 2 double spaced pages (12 point font) but do not be concerned if you need a few extra words to answer the questions to your satisfaction

reference:

Ray C. Anderson(2010).Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist.New York: St. Martin’s Press

[ISBN: 978-0-312-54455-3].