Although sustainable operations have many benefits for organizations, consumers, and society, they also come with many business risks. In this discussion, you will explore sustainability operations of major organizations to reflect on what they are doing well, the benefits their sustainable operations may bring, and the potential risks associated with their sustainable operations. In evaluating the risks and benefits of prioritizing sustainability, you will also learn the importance of justifying organizational priorities, which will assist you in completing the first section of your course project.
First, take some time to explore a few different organizations’ sustainable operations statements on their websites. You may explore organizations you are familiar with or use the following:
- Starbucks Stories
- Select Social Impact from the navigation bar, then select from the story topics in the drop-down menu to explore the stories. Be sure to explore the Sustainability topic.
- L’Oréal Group: Commitments and Responsibilities
- Dixie Cares: An Eye Toward the Future
- Peabody: Sustainability Approach
In your initial post, address the following questions:
- How did the organizations you explored address sustainability concerns inherent to their industry, if at all?
- For example, a company that manufactures plastic has inherent environmental risks regarding plastic waste and pollution.
- What other sustainable practices did the organizations you explored identify as priorities, and what kinds of business risks may they be taking on to prioritize those sustainable practices?
- Do you think that the business risks the organizations are taking to prioritize their identified sustainable operations are worthwhile from a business perspective? Why or why not?
In your replies to at least two peers, contribute to the discussion by sharing the potential repercussions of not taking risks to prioritize sustainability. Examples of how you could contribute to the discussion include the following:
- Provide examples of organizations that experienced the repercussions of not prioritizing sustainability.
- Reflect on how you or people you know might react to organizations and products that don’t prioritize sustainability from a consumer perspective. Consider how factors such as age, geographic location, and finances might affect consumers’ reactions.
- Name some specific impacts of not remaining competitive in the market based on what you learned from your reading in the Resources section.
- Provide other reasons to justify prioritizing organizational sustainability.