The Business of Less: The Role of Companies and Households on a Planet in Peril PDF
Preview The Business of Less: The Role of Companies and Households on a Planet in Peril
THE BUSINESS OF LESS The Business of Less rewrites the book on business and the environment. For the last thirty years, corporate sustainability was synonymous with the pursuit of ‘eco-effciency’ and ‘win-win’ opportunities. The notion of ‘eco-effciency’ gives us the illusion that we can achieve environmen- tal sustainability without having to question the pursuit of never-ending economic growth. The ‘win-win’ paradigm is meant to assure us that companies can be protectors of the environment while also being proft maximizers. It is abundantly clear that the state of the natural environ- ment has further degraded instead of improved. This book introduces a new paradigm designed to fnally reconcile business and the environment. It is called ‘net green’, which means that in these times of ecological over- shoot, businesses need to reduce total environmental impact and not just improve the eco-effciency of their products. The book also introduces and explains the four pollution prevention principles ‘again’, ‘different’, ‘less’, and ‘labor, not materials’. Together, ‘net green’ and the four pollution pre- vention principles provide a road map, for businesses and for every house- hold, to a world in which human prosperity and a healthy environment are no longer at odds. The Business of Less is full of anecdotes and examples. This brings its mate- rial to life and makes the book not only very accessible but also hugely applicable for everyone who is worried about the fate of our planet and is looking for answers. Roland Geyer is Professor of Industrial Ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His work has been covered widely in the media, including worldwide appearances on radio and television shows. Learn more about Roland, his work, and its impact on www.rolandgeyer.com. THE BUSINESS OF LESS The Role of Companies and Households on a Planet in Peril Roland Geyer First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Roland Geyer The right of Roland Geyer to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Geyer, Roland, author. Title: The business of less : the role of companies and households on a planet in peril / Roland Geyer. Description: First Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifers: LCCN 2021010332 (print) | LCCN 2021010333 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367755836 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367755850 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003163060 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Industrial management—Environmental aspects. | Business enterprises—Environmental aspects. | Social responsibility of business. | Environmental protection. Classifcation: LCC HD30.255 .G49 2021 (print) | LCC HD30.255 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/08—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010332 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010333 ISBN: 978-0-367-75583-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-75585-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-16306-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003163060 Typeset in Joanna by Apex CoVantage, LLC The price of abundance is restraint. Greg Critser, Fatland, 2003 For Lisa, Lorelei, and Orlando CONTENTS Preface x Acknowledgments xiii 1 Why less? 1 2 A brief history of business and the environment 17 3 It’s not easy being green when you’re color blind 32 4 The problem with eco-effciency 45 5 Why win-win won’t work 60 6 The business of less 73 7 Again 85 8 Different 98 9 Less 111 10 Labor, not materials 124 11 Net green for business 133 12 Net green for households 143 Index 153
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