Research Paper on Importance of Corporate Philosophy to a Company's Pollution Prevention Effort

Introduction

An organization's beliefs and principles play a crucial role in shaping the path that a company or business takes. The term 'corporate philosophy' refers to the various values that a company sets out to achieve. It entails elements such as an organization's vision, goals, mission, and the purpose of the establishment. Pollution prevention, on the other hand, refers to efforts aimed at minimizing or eliminating contamination of resources such as the environment and ecosystems (Hazelwood, 1998). Preventing further pollution is a top priority due to the adverse effects realized on human health as well as on the environment. Thus, corporations have a significant role to play in the campaign towards pollution prevention.

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The corporate philosophy of a company is an influential force of the action that the company pursues. It provides an outline of values that are of importance to the organization. A business' philosophy should be communicated to all parties in the company as it provides a guideline, a map, which shows the desired course (Hazelwood, 1998). As such, both the administrators and employees are aware of what is expected of them. This may include a code of ethics and standards, which all staff must adhere to. For instance, the Google company uses the statement 'you can make money without doing evil' as a reminder to uphold integrity. Consequently, adherence to such standards breeds a desirable business culture that promotes business.

There is the need to establish various approaches that aim at reducing pollution rates of different corporate players. Currently, the energy and agricultural sectors are the great contributors to environmental pollution. Rapid degradation of the environment and ecosystems has been witnessed. Human health and the longevity of natural resources have been compromised by the high demand exerted on the existing resources. Therefore, pollution prevention efforts by companies should be focused on safeguarding the environment through conversation projects (McDaniel, Culpepper, & Ardiente, 1993). This entails proper waste management and considerate exploitation of natural resources. Unlike controlling, prevention seeks to control the sources of pollution by incorporating more efficient production techniques as well as business practices. This ensures that the end products do not pose a threat to the environment.

The impact that a corporate policy statement has on pollution prevention is crucial. It shows the commitment by the top leadership of an organization to curbing pollution. A strategy in support of programs and ideas leading to prevention portrays the management as being environmentally conscious (Hazelwood, 1998). Such support from the administrators in a company creates a sense of enthusiasm among employees. As such, workers feel motivated to pursue ideas, programs, and projects that can help the company's plan. The personnel take pride and comfort in these pursuits.

A policy statement on contamination explains the need for members of a company to take the initiative and assume responsibility to respond to the task at hand. A declaration of beliefs and values of a business are crucial to the initial development of a task force, to steer contamination prevention efforts. The statement serves as a criterion upon which such a taskforce sets the goals it plans to achieve, as well as design an action plan. For instance, a company can have a statement such as 'we are committed to promoting the reusing and recycling of inputs and by-products to ensure sustainable development' ("Pollution Prevention," 2013). This mission statement can be vital in creating awareness and forging the path a business may take to ensure pollution prevention.

The attitude and beliefs of a company will impact processes related to prevention of pollution. Vital activities such as creating awareness among the employees, motivating and rewarding of innovative personnel, offering educational and training sessions, and providing incentives cannot be supported unless advocated for in the corporate policies (McDaniel et al., 1993). Therefore, the success of various efforts aimed at curbing pollution is influenced by the attitude that a company holds regarding pollution. If a business does not take into consideration the threat posed to the environment, any activity aimed at dealing with pollution cases may not be taken with seriousness. For instance, the 3M Company in St Paul, Minnesota, has been able to successfully finance a pollution prevention program by being true to its mission statement (Zosel, 1990).

The corporate philosophy is also crucial in the characterizing of processes that take place in a company. This entails collection of background data to determine the sources of pollution in a business. The information will be essential in the selection of alternatives ways and decision making regarding processes that may need modification. Analysis of the inputs required in a company and the amount of pollution they cause regarding wastes generated is facilitated by corporate philosophies (Allenby & Richards, 1994). Opting for raw materials with lesser pollutants is influenced by the values of an organization. Thus, contamination prevention is reliant on the existing value system.

Conducting assessments on end products, by-products, and waste to check if they are hazardous, is essential. However, such tests and assessment procedures cannot be carried out unless a company believes that the environment should be protected. In the absence of serious commitment to safeguard and conserve the environment, quality standards would not be adhered to (Hazelwood, 1998). Companies with a policy that allows checks and balances regarding the quality and safety of their products significantly contribute to the struggle towards safeguarding the environment. For example, the Navistar International Transportation Corp. implemented a Green pollution prevention program. It is aimed at reducing hazardous and non-hazardous waste released into the environment.

Alongside facilitating tests, corporate philosophy on contamination enables a company to conduct research. It allows a business to critically review the existing processes and structures to establish flaws as well as suggest possible remedies. For example, IBM's basic philosophy is 'Pollution prevention is best done by reducing the generation of hazardous waste at the source' ("Pollution Prevention," 2013). Hence, the company has openly funded research on how to reduce the impact of its harmful waste. Companies without similar policy statements and values are often reluctant to carry out costly research activities to establish better ways of reducing pollution at the source level.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the role that corporate philosophies play in a company's efforts to reduce pollution cannot be overlooked. The value system in a company impacts not only the leadership and employees but also the community in which a business is set up. Therefore, it is prudent that the company's philosophies should be conscious of the need for protection and conservation of the environment. Efforts geared towards at reducing and eliminating pollution should be encouraged. Corporations, as well as the government, ought to show support for creative and innovative initiatives likely to provide a remedy to the pollution menace. Only then will nations be assured of economic prosperity, healthy citizens, and life-supporting ecosystems.

References

Allenby, B., & Richards, D. (1994). The greening of industrial ecosystems (pp. 98-107). Washington, D.C: National Academy Press.

Hazelwood, Dr. (1998). Implementing a pollution prevention program. Retrieved from https://www.istc.illinois.edu/UserFiles/Servers/Server_427403/File/98-025.pdf

McDaniel, T., Culpepper, M., & Ardiente, E. (1993). Pollution prevention is the answer. Target, 9(5), 6-14.

Pollution Prevention. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/2013/environment/pollution-prevention.html

Zosel, T. (1990). How 3M makes pollution prevention pay big dividends. Pollution Prevention Review, 1(1), 67-72.