Sustainable Business: Manner of Consumption, Essay Example

Sustainable business can be said to directly address levels and manners of consumption, to the extent that the very sustainability of business is directly linked to issues of how consumption is treated: the two elements are thus ultimately inseparable. Sustainable business affects consumption, in numerous ways, for example, by taking solution-oriented approaches that take a long-term view towards consumption practices in terms of immediate realizing intentions for a green-based economy. More specifically, traditional models, such as the value chain model have to be re-thought, as not only is the goal to posit so-called low value materials in terms of eventual high value materials, but the low value materials gain a newfound prominence in terms of the extent to which they must be now viewed as materials that are to be made sustainable. Namely, their value is now modified, as their value increases because of the need for sustainability. Sustainable business therefore affects consumption, in this sense, by radically re-thinking the presuppositions inherent to the theory of the supply chain.

This is not only a business decision, but carries with it an ethical dimension, as materials are not only thought in terms of their place within an economic theory, but within a broader social theory. Re-thinking the supply chain is as much a business imperative as it is an ethical imperative. In this regard, the clear positive is that it humanizes the business paradigm, extending its concern beyond profit, so that businesses may once again be construed as a positive member of a community from multiple perspectives. The negative impact of the importance of this ethical context would seem to exist only from the side of business alone, when the latter is reduced to concepts such as profit margins.

One my own personal examples of encountering this phenomenon comes in the form of various products produced by IKEA, such as LED light bulbs or SUNNAM solar-powered lamps. This is part of a growing trend within business that stresses sustainability, using less energy and incorporating recycled materials in products. In this case, IKEA has demonstrated a clear ethical commitment to reducing energy usage to its clients, presenting itself as an environmentally-conscious entity to the general public. At the same time, through its very products, IKEA promotes the values of eco-friendly business practice, placing issues of sustainability and consumption at the heart of the latter. Furthermore, this approach can be said to have a greater effect on the business sector as a whole, in so far as any company that does not consider these concepts in our current zeitgeist will be looked upon as hopelessly backward as well as ethically suspect.