Environmental Management Approaches and Ideologies at the Companies - Coursework Example

?Reference Comparison The conference in Stockholm in 1972 made the entire world to focus its attention on the need to conserveand protect the nature and environmental issues at all the levels of life with an aim of ensuring that life on earth is sustained and supported wholesomely. In later centuries there have been environmental disasters and the state of the environment has deteriorated globally ranging from the depletion of the ozone, reduction of world forest cover and the increase in the global warming. (Davies, 1993) The green supply chain is defined as one which utilizes inputs which are environmentally friendly transforming them into outputs that can be reclaimed and reused at the far end of the lifecycles hence the creation of a sustainable supply chain in the process. Therefore it needs to integrate the ecological factors into the management principles to ensure minimal impact on the environment and related attributes. (Mangers, 1994) Contrary to other types of supply chains ,the green supply chain is designed to ensure that maximum sustainability of all the inputs and outputs are ensured and that the necessary steps are taken by the companies involved to ensure that minimal energy goes to waste at any level of the process green supply chain also puts into consideration the need for absolute recycling and re use .therefore this approach of supply ensures that there is minimal accumulation of waste and maximum sustainability of the resources used. (Forest, 1993) Cooperates therefore have had dynamic response and measures geared towards sustainable running of their entities. Measures have been implemented specifically for the tackling of issues related to rising material prices, environmental degradation and the increasing challenges related to the global supply chains. The relationships between the green supply chains and the conventional supply chains have proved that the green supply chains provide and give better business gains in relation to the conventional supply chains. The sustainability of the green supply chains across the globe is of better economic significance. The in-cooperation of the green supply chain ideologies and principles has recently ensured that the organizations develop sustainable ideologies that sustain them despite the harsh economic and resource deprivation of the current enterprising economy. (Gravey, 1994) Scientific reports and findings have recently indicated that global warming and environmental degradation is happening at a faster rate than the world expected. The changes as a result of this global phenomenon are quite drastic and happening at a faster rate and a greater magnitude than the world initially thought and anticipated. Therefore with the occurrence of all this resource related happenings the world need to develop activities and mechanisms to ensure that all these issues are tackled professionally and the development activities therein become sustainable and environmental friendly causing minimal depletion of the non renewable resource bases. (Haynes, 1997) The green companies not only become sustainable to comply with the legislations and regulations of the relevant environmental management authorities or are they attempting to satisfy and meet the demands put upon them by the customers but most of this companies have a self drive to go green and support sustainable and environmental friendly supply chains ensuring that the natural resources are used in sustainable and clean development approaches. (Ake, 1995) The supply chains comprise of the purchase sector and the inbound logistics and this has the role of achieving and acquiring of products to the company for purposes of providing the raw materials for production. The related activities therefore can have significant effects on the environment and its related protection and conservation. Some of the activities related to this are issues like outsourcing, selection of the use materials and the choosing of the vendors. This might have significant impacts on the health and sustainability of the environment and its resources. For example the implication of outsourcing of recycled materials from distant supplies or the involvement with a vendor or supply who uses toxic materials, these has therefore a direct implication on the nature and sustainability potential of the environment. (Anyara, 1995) In the area of production, companies realise that they have to design their goods in a manner that the raw materials and the related wastes are environmentally friendly and can cause minimal harm to the health and stability of the environment by extracting the minimal amounts of resources from nature. Equally the by-products should deliver the lowest possible wastes with the minimal negative impacts to the environment with the minimal pollution. As it is applied in quality control of the products and services of an entity, environmental degradation and management with sustainability has also permeated and evolved within production entities over the years. Companies therefore have and should make it central to ensure that they employees participate in activities that clean services and product development (Chocker, 1995). Issues like material recovery, remanufacturing and the disassembly of products play a very vital part in the operations and running of industries. Over the years it has been found that companies have failed to enact and ensure environmental sustainability due to negligence, governments have equally failed to enforce laws relating to environmental protection and sustainability due to the incompetence of officials and legislation implementers. All this coupled with weak institutions and implementation frameworks, environmental regulations and requirements have therefore been flouted tremendously and with great impunity. (Chocker, 1988) Today the world is confronted by massive environmental issues ranging from lack of adequate food to shortages of water supply and cases of extreme weather. Due to the evidence related to climatic and environmental issues, many countries have decided to enact legislations and laws related to the protection of the environment like being signatory and ratification of the agreements of the Kyoto protocol on environment and climate change. States and countries which are interested in the enactment of this issues, however, many consumers and shareholders have joined efforts in attempts to ensure clean environmental management in their areas of concern and participation. (Bennita, 1999) Due to the increase in global environmental protection awareness, organizations adhering to environmental management approaches and ideologies will have and posses a competitive advantage over their counterparts. Therefore within the businesses cycles there are attempts to shift the management approach to the green supply chain mechanism for purposes of value addition to the consumers and the shareholders herein. Green supply chain has to ensure that the following goals are achieved; avoidance of traditional costs, protection of the environment, minimization of risks, maintenance of health and the assurance of compliance with the industry norms and regulations. With all the issues if properly and comprehensively factored in within the management and the production processes of the industry, then the supply chain will have competitive advantage over all the other players in that sector. There are always challenges to the industry of supply chains, therefore it is necessary that an industry proven frameworks and principles are necessary to steer forward the green initiatives of the companies. If the green initiatives are monitored and managed properly, it enables cooperates to become responsible citizens achieving profitability and possessing competitive advantage throughout its processes. The responses of cooperates to environmental pollution has over the years not been a rosy affair, and they perceive that pollution is not a real problem to development until lately when companies have realised the threat of environmental degradation to their own existence. Initially unreasonable environmental legislation would always discourage investments and make investors shun away from this territories of strict environmental regulations and adherence to regulations. Some companies have over the years been blaming strct regulation operations in a manner that’s not accepted by international and national legislations. One of the first attempts of the industries to environmental issues is the creation of environmental management and monitoring departments and sectors in their firms. This ensures that all the environmental issues related to production and running of the enterprise are considered thoroughly before and after production so that mitigation and remediation measures are applied as appropriate. Organisations also have decided to take the precautionary principle of Environmental Impact Assessment more seriously ensuring all the expected outcomes are tackled professionally and comprehensively at the most appropriate time possible. The companies and co operations also have to adjust their management procedures in relation to their employment approaches as the employment of children, the standardization of wage rates and initiatives related to anticorruption. So as to be successful in their initiatives, organizations need to apply the following in their greening initiatives; obtaining of the support of the senior management, provision of support directly on the ground to the suppliers, acknowledgement and acceptance of the variety and knowledge base of the suppliers, recognition of the external incentives to the suppliers and also ensuring the working within the national culture with the people. (Gravey, 1994) Bibliography Ake, C. (1995). Cited in Green Peace,Shell Shocked the Environmental Implications of Living with Explorers. New York: Routeledge. Anyara, S. (1995). The Role of Environmental Impact Asssessment in Management. London: Oxford Printing Press. Bennita, M. (1999). Designing the Green Supply Chain. Washington D.C: University of Washington Press. Chocker, B. (1988). Environmental Management as a strategy for Effective Environmental Pollution Control and Assessment. Bennin City: Oxford Printing Press. Chocker, B. (1995). Humanistic Approach to Environmental Assessment. Chicago: Macmillan Press. Davies, E. (1993). Environmental Protection in the New Economies. The European Environmental Review , 2003. Forest, T. (1993). Environmental Management and Politics. London: Oxford University Press. Gravey, P. (1994). The Niger Delta ,Pollution Assessment Study and Sustainability. Washington DC: World bank. Haynes, J. (1997). Democracy and Civil Society in The third World. Cambridge: Policy Press. Mangers, E. R. (1994). Developing Nations Environmental Survey. Socioeconomic Characteristics in The Developing Nations , 13-17. Read More