Business Models for Sustainability

This assignment delves into the concept of business models for sustainability, focusing on the success factors of Interface's sustainability initiatives, industrial symbiosis, and cradle-to-cradle design principles. It examines the challenges faced by companies in maintaining environmental sustainability and explores strategies to overcome these issues, including sustainable supply chains, environmental footprints, and adherence to United Nations sustainability guidelines.

Running head: BUSINESS MODELS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Business Models for Sustainability
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1BUSINESS MODELS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Reflection on the videos
This video reflects on the various things like the waste management and the industrial
symbiosis. The Kalundborg symbiosis is one of the examples of this context. The existing
companies in the Danish city of Kalundborg have been so much innovative that they do not
waste any of their products or used materials. They always recycle their products in a way that
the by-products of one company become the raw materials of the other companies. Thus they
collaborate in the best ways to secure their environment ("Kalundborg Symbiosis", 2018).
According to Lombardi & Laybourn (2012), many challenges have been observed in the
21st century and the companies are trying their best efforts to cope up with these problems. The
aspect of water consumption also has to be controlled as well. The natural resources can be saved
in this method and the companies can opt to make the most of these resources by the recycling
process ("Kalundborg Symbiosis", 2018).. The big power plants in the city of Kallenberg are
trying to collaborate with each other to save the natural resources indeed. The closed cycle they
are trying to create will cater for recycling the energy in the best ways. Thus the companies can
utilize the waste products for saving the environmental degradation (Lombardi & Laybourn,
2012)

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References
Lombardi, D. R., & Laybourn, P. (2012). Redefining industrial symbiosis. Journal of Industrial
Ecology, 16(1), 28-37.
Kalundborg Symbiosis. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved 10 April 2018, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCYGOxnpSY.

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Business models for sustainability
What you consider to be the key factors driving the success of Interface’s sustainability
initiatives?
Interface Company has been facing challenges in the present date. The climate change
has been a major factor in the sustainability issue. Interface has been successful in decreasing the
manufacturing waste to a large level in the last few years. Most of the industrial wastes are
nowadays either recycled or bio-based. Almost 36% of yam and 51% of carpet backing are
completely recycled indeed (Interface.com, 2018). Thus the natural sustainability has been taken
care by Interface to a large level. So the key factor is the recycling of the industrial waste
materials that has earned the sustainability in the organization. The consumed energy should be
recycled for the renewable sources in the environment (Interface.com, 2018).
(b) How Interface has integrated the principles of natural capitalism into the people,
process and culture?
The impacts of industrial capitalism have been huge in this matter. Interface has faced
several challenges in keeping the sustainability of the environment. The industrial waste
management has posed a big challenge in front of them. This is why they need to include some
important strategies to cope up with these issues (Interface.com, 2018). Interface should use a
sustainable supply chain that should be helpful for them in many ways. The natural capitalism
could be retained by putting this sustainable supply chain in practice. They should also develop
an environmental footprint. The ‘Sustainable Framework’ should be put into use for
implementing the natural capitalism. Interface should also maintain the sustainability guidelines
of the United Nations as well (Interface.com, 2018).

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Bibliography
Hawken, P., Lovins, A. B., & Lovins, L. H. (2013). Natural capitalism: The next industrial
revolution. Routledge.
Hawken. P. (2018). Natural Capitalism, Economics of Restoration - Paul Hawken. YouTube.
Retrieved 9 April 2018, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZGkCOEbXak.
Interface.com. (2018). Markets | About | Interface. Interface.com. Retrieved 13 April 2018, from
https://www.interface.com/APAC/en-AU/about/markets
McDonough. W. (2018). Cradle to cradle design | William McDonough. YouTube. Retrieved 9
April 2018, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo.
Spangenberg, J. H. (2013). Design for Sustainability (DfS): Interface of Sustainable Production
and Consumption. In Handbook of Sustainable Engineering (pp. 575-595). Springer
Netherlands.