The concept of sustainability is not recent, having appeared about environmental problems in the 20th century. It refers to maintaining the ecological balance in the world to save the planet and the future generations’ prosperity. Corporations have been taking advantage of the Earth’s resources for too long so that only decisive global measures can help to escape an environmental catastrophe. If each company tries to apply the concept of sustainability to their production and business model, the Earth can recover from all the harm done by humankind.
All the Visual and Listening items presented covered the topic, but Ray Anderson’s speech inspired me the most. As an industrial engineer and CEO of a huge company, he had to deal with the issue to a higher degree than many other sustainability proponents. Having founded Interface, which produced carpets, he reflected on his approach and took it upon his responsibility to fix the traditional business pattern. Instead of wasting resources without a second thought, his company was meant to “take from the Earth what can be renewed by the Earth, naturally and rapidly” (Anderson, 2009, 2:00). For everyone to acknowledge and attribute this idea, one company should lead and show its effectiveness. So, Anderson (2009) decided to make Interface this role model for others and succeeded, diminishing environmental impact and profiting nonetheless. He viewed sustainability as a choice to make for every company and person – “to hurt it [Earth] or to help it” (Anderson, 2009, 15:27). He illustrated that it is possible not only to improve and contribute to saving the planet but also to prosper in it.
Anderson’s TED Talk demonstrated that sustainability is an achievable goal even for an international business that heavily relies on the planet’s recourses. This simple yet effective example, one company’s success, proved that people could make a change and restore the ecological balance if they decide to. Nowadays, when we see clearly how environmental issues affect others, it is time to start moving towards sustainability. This idea should especially concern corporations that have the most impact on the Earth, so their arrangements and methods can significantly improve the ecological situation.
Reference
Anderson, R. [TEDx Talks]. (2009). The business logic of sustainability. [Video]. YouTube. Web.