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Analysing the use of tools, initiatives, and approaches to promote sustainability in corporations

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  • Rodrigo Lozano

Abstract

Interest in sustainability from the corporate sector is evidenced by over 13,000 companies in 160 countries that have signed the United Nations Global Compact. In this context, a number of tools, initiatives, and approaches (TIAs), e.g., circular economy, corporate social responsibility, eco‐efficiency, life cycle assessment, and sustainability reporting have been developed by and for corporations to engage and promote sustainability within their systems. Each of the TIAs has advantages when addressing sustainability issues and the company system's elements, but it has disadvantages in dealing with their complexities and interactions. Relying only on one TIA results in a limited contribution to sustainability, whereas using too many TIAs wastes resources and energy. The Corporate and Industrial Voluntary Initiatives for Sustainability (CIVIS) has been proposed to better combine the TIAs. A survey was developed to investigate the use of 24 TIAs. The survey was sent to a database of 5,299 organisations (of which 3,603 were companies), from which 202 responses were obtained. The responses were analysed using ratio analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis. The responses show that some TIAs are well known and provide good results when used, for example, corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability, and Global Reporting Initiative reports. The analyses show a number of groups of the TIAs that can help to better combine them. The paper updates the CIVIS framework in order to provide clearer guidance on how to combine the TIAs. A combination of between four and six initiatives appears to be most effective way to promote sustainability. The TIAs can help to promote sustainability in corporations, but they need to be combined correctly in order to address holistically the four dimensions of sustainability, the system elements, and stakeholders, while avoiding duplication of tasks and wasting resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigo Lozano, 2020. "Analysing the use of tools, initiatives, and approaches to promote sustainability in corporations," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 982-998, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:27:y:2020:i:2:p:982-998
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1860
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    2. Ipek Kazancoglu & Muhittin Sagnak & Sachin Kumar Mangla & Yigit Kazancoglu, 2021. "Circular economy and the policy: A framework for improving the corporate environmental management in supply chains," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 590-608, January.
    3. Katelin Opferkuch & Sandra Caeiro & Roberta Salomone & Tomás B. Ramos, 2021. "Circular economy in corporate sustainability reporting: A review of organisational approaches," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 4015-4036, December.
    4. Rodrigo Lozano & Maria Barreiro‐Gen & Afnan Zafar, 2021. "Collaboration for organizational sustainability limits to growth: Developing a factors, benefits, and challenges framework," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 728-737, July.
    5. A. D. Nuwan Gunarathne & Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2020. "Eco‐control for corporate sustainable management: A sustainability development stage perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2515-2529, November.
    6. Raúl León & Aitor Salesa, 2024. "Is sustainability reporting disclosing what is relevant? Assessing materiality accuracy in the Spanish telecommunication industry," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 21433-21460, August.
    7. Carlos Rogério Montenegro Lima & Samuel Borges Barbosa & Ruy Castro Sobrosa Neto & Daniel Goulart Bazil & José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório Andrade Guerra, 2022. "Corporate financial performance: a study based on the Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) of Brazil stock exchange," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 4323-4354, March.
    8. Muhammad Faisal Majid & Muhammad Meraj & Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik, 2022. "In the Pursuit of Environmental Sustainability: The Role of Environmental Accounting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Erik Roos Lindgreen & Katelin Opferkuch & Anna M. Walker & Roberta Salomone & Tatiana Reyes & Andrea Raggi & Alberto Simboli & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Sandra Caeiro, 2022. "Exploring assessment practices of companies actively engaged with circular economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1414-1438, May.
    10. Aitor Salesa & Raúl León & José Mariano Moneva, 2023. "Airlines practices to incorporate circular economy principles into the waste management system," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 443-458, January.
    11. Maria Barreiro‐Gen & Rodrigo Lozano, 2020. "How circular is the circular economy? Analysing the implementation of circular economy in organisations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3484-3494, December.
    12. Rodrigo Lozano, 2023. "Analysing organisations' engagement with and impacts to sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5721-5733, December.
    13. Muhammad Salman Asif & Henry Lau & Dilupa Nakandala & Youqing Fan & Hilal Hurriyet, 2022. "Case study research of green life cycle model for the evaluation and reduction of scope 3 emissions in food supply chains," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1050-1066, July.
    14. José Salvador da Motta Reis & Maximilian Espuny & Thaís Vieira Nunhes & Nilo Antonio de Souza Sampaio & Raine Isaksson & Fernando Celso de Campos & Otávio José de Oliveira, 2021. "Striding towards Sustainability: A Framework to Overcome Challenges and Explore Opportunities through Industry 4.0," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-28, May.
    15. Anna M. Walker & Alberto Simboli & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Andrea Raggi, 2023. "A dynamic capabilities perspective on implementing the Circular Transition Indicators: A case study of a multi‐national packaging company," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2679-2692, September.
    16. Dina Lucia Todaro & Riccardo Torelli, 2024. "From greenwashing to ESG‐washing: A focus on the circular economy field," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4034-4046, September.
    17. Zaheer Alam & Yasir Bin Tariq, 2023. "Corporate Sustainability Performance Evaluation and Firm Financial Performance: Evidence from Pakistan," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, July.
    18. Miguel Soberón & Teresa Sánchez-Chaparro & Julia Urquijo & David Pereira, 2020. "Introducing an Organizational Perspective in SDG Implementation in the Public Sector in Spain: The Case of the Former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-20, November.
    19. Andrew S. Chang & Claudia Canelas & Yi-Ling Chen, 2021. "Relationships between Environmental Initiatives and Impact Reductions for Construction Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    20. Hinrika Droege & Andrea Raggi & Tomás B. Ramos, 2021. "Co‐development of a framework for circular economy assessment in organisations: Learnings from the public sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1715-1729, November.

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