Sustainable Business (2^nd Ed.)
Key Issues
Key Issues in Environment and Sustainability Series

Sustainable Business: Key Issues is the first comprehensive introductory-level textbook to address the interface between environmental challenges and business solutions to provide an overview of the basic concepts of sustainability, sustainable business, and business ethics. The book introduces students to the background and key issues of sustainability and suggests ways in which these concepts can be applied in business practice. Though the book takes a business perspective, it is interdisciplinary in its nature and draws on knowledge from socio-economic, political, and environmental studies, thereby providing a practical and critical understanding of sustainability in the changing paradigm of global business. It goes beyond the conventional theories of sustainability and addresses critical issues concerned with population, consumption, and economic growth. It discusses realistic ways forward, in particular the circular economy and Cradle to Cradle frameworks.

The book is both a theoretical and practical study guide for undergraduate and postgraduate international students of broad areas of sustainability, teaching ways to recognize opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of environmental, economic, ethical, and social systems. It takes a strategic approach in applying the power of business methods and policy to address issues of global importance such as climate change, poverty, ecosystem degradation, and human rights.

This textbook is essential reading for students of business, management, and sustainability courses. It is written in an engaging and accessible style, with each chapter including case studies, discussion questions, end of chapter summaries, and suggestions for further reading. This new edition is updated throughout, and contains an additional chapter on the circular economy.

PART I. KEY CONCEPTS

Chapter 1. Introduction: key concepts in sustainability and business

Chapter 2. Business ethics

PART II CRITICAL EVALUATION: KEY CHALLENGES

Chapter 3. Environmental challenges

Chapter 4. Social and economic challenges

Chapter 5. Key challenges for making sustainability a reality

PART III. GLOBALIZATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND NEW TRENDS IN BUSINESS

Chapter 6. Globalization and business

Chapter 7. Strategic change for sustainability

Chapter 8. Human resource management, green jobs, and a green economy

PART IV SOLUTIONS

Chapter 9. Creating a sustainable business practice

Chapter 10. New strategic thinking

Chapter 11. Cradle to Cradle (C2C)

Chapter 12. Towards a circular economy

Helen Kopnina is a researcher in the fields of environmental education and environmental social science at The Hague University of Applied Science (HHS), The Netherlands. She is a coordinator of the Sustainable Business program and publishes in areas of sustainability, environmental education, and biological conservation.

John Blewitt was Director of the MSc Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Aston Business School in Birmingham, UK, until his retirement in 2017. He has published widely on education and sustainability issues and is author of Understanding Sustainable Development, 3rd edition (Routledge, 2018) and co-editor of The Post-Growth Project (LPP/Green House, 2014).