Sustainable Development and Business Practices

This assignment delves into the crucial intersection of sustainable development and business practices. It examines how businesses can integrate environmental, social, and economic considerations into their operations to promote sustainability. The provided readings encompass diverse perspectives on topics such as sustainable diets, energy resources, waste management, and corporate responsibility. Students are expected to analyze these concepts and demonstrate an understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable business practices.

Participate in
Environmentally
Sustainable Work
practices

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................................3
Assessment 1...............................................................................................................................................3
Assessment 2...............................................................................................................................................8
Assessment 3.............................................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION:............................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION:
With the use of environment sustainable practice the organisation identifies the
importance of protecting the environment and on the practice of work it will reduce the
environmental impact(Tilman and Clark, 2014). Due to increase in global warming it is
important to control the factors that are affecting the environment. Businesses operations play a
vital role in monitoring it surroundings. This report will throw light on types of resources that are
used in business services and its impact on environment. Also, how legislation laws focus on
this. It will show several hazards and improving resource usage. It will show usage of plastic in
GSE and hazards caused by it. Along with it various environment resources problems and
current policies and procedures in GSE is shown. Furthermore, a resource efficiency
improvement plan is described.
Assessment 1
1.
 Consumption of electricity – A lot of electricity is been consumed in the office due to use
of computers, laptops or other technology
 Excessive use of CPU and memory resources – This will affect the normal service
performance for other customers.
 Resource capacity planning is not proper – To measure the capacity the organisation do
not plan their resources
 Resources are over utilised –When the resources such as CPU, hard disk are used are
more
 The disk space is used in excess- The resource issues is faced when it is used in excess
2.
Item to consider Suggestions for improvements
Every day the lights are left on overnight.  The lights need to be turned off .

 It need to be checked rbfore sleeping that they
are turned off.
People are currently only printing on one
(1) side of the paper even though the
printer has the functionality for double-
sided printing.
 The double-sided printer need to be used
In Summer the air-conditioner is set at 20
degrees.
 It should be at less the energy need to be
consumed
Printer cartridges are not being recycled.  The recycling process need to be used
There is no provision for plastic,
aluminium, paper or cardboard to be
placed in a recycle bin.
 Provision for the plastic, aluminium’s paper
need to be made(Vandermeersch and Dewulf,
2014)
3.
 The natural resource such as land, forest etc. are used
 The technology that is used in business
 The use of electricity in excess
 The waste from the office
4.
 In environment performance GSE believes in and it is important for the success of
business worldwide to balance the economic , social, and environmental needs of
sustainable development.
 To be the company of the chose they aspire due to their environment performance. With
the production they seek to reduce the environment footprint in line while delivering
value for the stakeholders. With the legal obligations they set compliance as the
minimum standard of their performance .The activities are been conducted by them with
objective of minimising adverse effects on the environment.

5.
The Australian environment legislation focus mainly on
 Water
 Climate change
 Biodiversity
6
 The environment protection act 1997 secures the environment from pollution and its
effects. The regulatory framework is been provided by this act in order reduce and
eliminate the discharge of pollutants into the air, land and water.
 The Act establishes the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as the statutory decision
maker for environmental regulation and policy. The EPA administers legislation covering
air and water quality, waste, contaminated land, noise, pesticides and hazardous
waste(Santoyo-Castelazo and Azapagic, 2014.).
7.
 They are responsible for ensuring compliance with pollution of waters by oils an Noxious
act 1986(Ong and Chai, 2016.)
 EPA will make use of injunctions as an enforcement tool
 Invest of all parties and choice of defend tentation of EPA of complicit
8
In order to help the business to comply with their general duty of environment and the
environmental protection act 1994 the industry cod of practice have been developed.
 By the industry bodies the codes are usually prepared and on how to prevent or reduce
the harm to the environment the advise to members is given.
 Mosquito management code of practice
 Concrete batching industry code of practice

9
It is a substance that has a potential threats to the surrounding natural environment .The heath,
well being is affected due to this
The 3 examples related to business sectors are as follows-:
 The pollution
 The natural disaster such as storms , earthquakes
 The dust , health stress etc.
10
To the employer or supervisor the occupational health and safety need to be informed. An action
need to be taken against that hazard if the hazard is identified and in order to reduce the negative
impact o that hazard on the people the potential for that hazards need to be reduced.
The aim of the hazards reporting program is to reduce the injuries from an unaddressed or
un- report hazard by giving clear communication directly. To the supervisor all the hazards need
to be reported immediately (Ong and Chai, 2016.).
In the form the events of that are leading to incidents or injury need to be mentioned. The factors
that may have contribute to such as environment, organisation, materials etc. need to be
mentioned. The action or plan that is been taken to minimise it need to be mentioned.
11
The fives ways of improving resource use and reducing carbon footprints in industries or
business are as follows-:
 The use of energy need to be reduced. To the carbon footprint for most industries the use
of energy is the largest
 More recycling need to be done and to the landfill send less.
 The use fuel need to be made less.
 The sustainable procurement need to be use.

 The fly must be less frequently . The good video conferencing technology can be used.
12
In the workplace the use of electricity need to be reduced in order to save electricity for
future use (Longoni and Cagliano, 2015). The lights need to be turned off when not in use. All
the waste material from the industries need to be recycled so that waste is less. Also the fuel-
efficient technology need to be use so that pollution is less in the business service sectors. The
less energy need to be sued in industries so that carbon foot print is less from industries. In each
of the business decisions the sustainability practices can be incorporated. The environment
friendly products and services can be supplied that replaces the demand for no green products
and services.
13
 Changing its products and series towards less waste protection and sustainable best
practise
 More eco efficiency the business can become so that cost of energy , transport and waste
is cut down.
 More carbon proof they can become by paying less for necessary resources in conducting
business
14
 The printers that print both sides of the page can be used in the business
 The LED lights can be used so that energy can be saved(Longoni and Cagliano, 2015)
 All the waste materials from the office need to be dumped properly .the recycling method
need to be used.
 The triple bottom line accounting can also be used.
Assessment 2
1.

Two issues that is been faced due to the current plastic cup resource use in GSE are as
follows-;
 A lot of waste is been produced from this(Mowforth. and Munt, 2015)
 A lot of carbon foot print is al been produced due this.
There will be a devastating effect on the prevent due to use of plastic cup. The damage that is
been done to the prevent by the plastic need to be controlled. By making us of fossil fuel the
plastic are created and a lot of water and energy is also been need in order to manufacture
these plastics (Johnston, Fanzo and Cogill, 2014). On the environment the negative impact
will be there due to plastics. The risk of flooding will also be increased as the there is a use of
natural resources and waste for production of plastics. In the oceans of the world ten serious
issues is been caused by the plastic resources. On the marine life there have been a negative
impact due to plastic pollution. On the environment and wildlife there is an negative impact
of plastics. There is a huge problem that is been faced globally due to sue of plastics cups. To
the land fills the most plastic cups goes. Once they are being littered the water ways, parks
and beaches and streets are find their ways. They are then burned and with toxic fumes they
infuse the air. Due to these cups the more than 999 animals such as dolphins, turtles, whales
etc are been killed. The plastics are being injected by the animal thinking that it is a food due
to they die. They are non- biodegradable .About 400 years are needed for their
decomposition. The environment need to be saved for the animals as well as for future
generation.
2.
The use of plastic cups in a canteen in each day is about 100 cups maximum and minimum
around it can be 5- plastic cups (Auestad and Fulgoni III, 2015.).
In the week the number of plastic cups has been sued are about 700 cups or around 650 cups.
In a month the number of cups that is been used is about 1500 cups .It can be more and less
also depending upon the customers arriving in the canteen
In the year the number of plastics cups can be around 36500 .
3.

In the canteen the plastic cups are being used in order to neglect the washing of cups. Due
to which a negative impact is been there on the environment as theses plastic cups are not
recycled and are dumped directly in to the dustbins an then again from dustbins they are
thrown in the beaches, land fills etc. due to which there is a negative impact on the
environment. A lot of waste is being there in the environment due to which the roads and the
lands are not hygienic enough and it is also dangerous for the survival for the marine animals
as these plastic cups are being thrown their which is being consumed by them thinking that
they are food. So, the sue of plastic cups need to be reduced by this canteen and they need to
make use of more sustainable products such as biodegradable cold cups can be sued by them.
The plastic cups are also non- biodegradable so a lot of time is been taken for them to
become biodegradable. The staff need to be more aware about the environment as they can
make sue of sustained practice at the canteen by not making use of these plastics instead they
can use of biodegradable products (Auestad and Fulgoni III, 2015.). They can also make use
of green paper products so that there is no negative impact on the environment due to the use
of these product. The suitable practice such as switching off lights, use of LED lights, not
making use plastic bags or anything related plastics need to be done at the canteen.
4.
To,
[e-mail]
Subject - Regarding the solution of making use of plastic cups at the canteen
The solution to the problem that is been due to use of plastic cups are that-:
 The eco friendly cups cold drink cups can be used in the canteen .the look of these
cups are same and they are same as regular plastic cups.
 The “ go green” and environment al friendly practices can be achieved from this.
 The world centric compostable plastics cups cab also be used in the canteen
 They are also suitable as the carbon footprint produce from this cup are less
 They are biodegradable cups that are made from corn grown,
These are the following solution that can be taken into action.

Assessment 3
a) Three environmental resources problems and their issues
Due to increase in global warming the environment is constantly changing. It is affecting the
people as well as industries. The three major environmental resource problems are:-
Water pollution- It is the major problem for every organisation and is increasing day by day.
Many organisations dispose their waste in rivers and lakes by polluting them. It is an issue to be
concerned because polluting water will lead to water scarcity and unavailability of clean drinking
water (Twidell. and Weir, 2015). Water is an essential part of human life. Without water no
human being can survive. This must be controlled in order to provide clean water to people.
Business must implement effective policies and measures to control it. If it fails then government
might take legal action against them and it can lead to closure of business.
Deforestation-With increasing growth and development of business, the areas are been searched
to construct plants away from the city. It is leading to destroying the forest areas due to which
rainfall is decreasing with rise in temperature. This is reducing the number of green areas and
increasing deforestation. Trees are necessary as they provide oxygen to breath. In order to sustain
organisation should contribute towards protecting the environment by planting more trees. It can
be done by organising campaigns, seminars, et to protect environment.
Waste disposal- Due to over consumption of resources there has been increases in garbage and
waste material. It is affecting the environment and creating various health hazards that are very
harmful and dangerous. So to control this it is necessary for the organisation to reduce the waste
by effectively utilising resources (Gleick, 2014). Further, it will help them to operate and
survive in the society.
b) Existing environmental policies and procedures
In order to protect the environment and to survive in the market it is necessary to have strong
policies to create a healthy and safe atmosphere. These policies ensure that GSE is focusing on
managing its external environment. Moreover, GSE is doing its operations according to set
standards therefore providing quality products (Kshetri,, 2014). To ensure its business success
they follow many policies like minimising pollution, reducing waste to improve its efficiency by
designing its practices. They have set targets which is helping them to reduce waste and

improving performance. Reports are been made to regulate business factors that is affecting the
climate. Also, presenting reports to employees and community to take their views and opinions
on how to reduce pollution and creating sustainable environment.
GSE is achieving its objectives by following the various environment policies and procedures
that are described below:-
 They apply all the laws and regulations that are made and identifying the areas where it is
not followed. It helped them to apply in these areas where laws do not exist.
 They have minimised pollution by reducing the activities at local and global level that
lead to pollution.
 Reducing waste by improving resources in designing and operating practices.
 Doing research to understand the current situation and improve the environment. For this
they take the help of science and technology.
 Monitoring the effects of business operations on environment and changing practices to
minimise the effect.
 Disclosing and presenting reports to customers and society openly and transparently.
 Frequently making innovations in process and practices to enhance the production
process. Also, sharing useful information and learning from other on how to sustain
environment (.Revetz, 2016).
 Effectively listening concerns from society about current situation.
 Contributing to several organisations that is helping business to reduce global warming.
 Providing support to an organisation namely conservation international (CI) by
reforesting particular area.
c) Amount of resources used by GSE
Water Month Amount of usage

1 January 27
2 February 30
3 March 35
4 April 39
5 May 40
6 June 41
Total use of
period
211
Average 35.16
Electricity Month Amount of usage
1 January 1650
2 February 1740
3 March 1534
4 April 1578
5 May 1456
6 June 1845
Total use of period 9803
Average 1633.83
The information received was that a lot water and electricity was wasted in the organisation. It
showed that employees was not able to effectively utilise the resources. This lead to wastage and
increasing expensed of GSE. This information was received from environmental report that was

presented. Moreover, a resource calculator was used to measure the average amount of resource
been used (Rothenberg. and Maxwell,., 2001) It was found out that organisation was not able to
properly utilise water that can lead to scarcity in other areas. Same case was seen in electricity as
it used more than required. This information helped to identify the areas where resources was
wasted.
d) How to improve environmental performance in GSE
From the above information it was found that resources like water and electricity was not
effectively used and it was wasted. This lead to reduce in business performance and reducing
environmental sustainability. So it was necessary to control and monitor the usage of these
resources in order to improve business performance. For this problem the solutions that can be
followed are as follows:-
For reducing wastage of water:
 The first and foremost thing that can be done to reduce wastage of water is identifying
areas where it is been wasted and implementing automatic water saving technology. For
monitoring this technology a experienced person can be hired that will manage this.
System. It will be useful in monitoring the water usage and allowing each department to
properly utilising the resources. It will enhance each department productivity and lead to
improve business performance (Kates, and et.al, 2005).
 Secondly a circular can be issued in all departments regarding the use of water resources.
This will provide a clear vision in the minds of employees and managers to reduce the
wastage of water. Moreover, a strict fine should be imposed on person who is found
wasting water. With this they will know the importance of water and will give the best
efforts to reduce wastage. Effective utilisation of water will motivate everyone to work
hard and in this way they can increase business performance.
For reducing wastage of electricity:
 To reduce wastage of electricity the areas must be identified in which there is more
consumption than required. It can be done by measuring the electricity required and
consumed (Coaffee,, 2008). It will give an insight of wastage and then proper actions can
be taken. Moreover, power must be cut off where electricity is not required. This will

reduce the expenses that are incurred in paying bills and it will result in increasing
profits.
 The second think that can be done is to replace machinery that are consuming high
volume of electricity with low power consumption. Those machineries can be used in
places where all the work is automatically. It will help in reducing power and improving
business performance.
All the above solutions will help in improving the efficiency of employees and they will be able
to enhance their performance. If they will know about the importance of water in their life it they
will automatically make efforts to reduce its wastage in organisation. Furthermore, proper
utilisation of resources in all departments will lead to increase in productivity, thus improving
overall business performance and sustaining environment.
e) Role and responsibilities of administrative assistance in GSE
As a administrative assistance in GSE organisation, the roles and responsibilities are defined in
very broad way. It is required that the plan made is effectively implemented by team members
so that it will be helpful in efficient resource usage . The role of team member is to follow the
instructions that are given and to apply them while working. They must also ensure that each
member is following the plan. If not then they must insist others to follow it. As a part of team,
the assistance should also strongly follow the plan. It will encourage its team members to follow
it . Assistance must also provide resources to each one to measure the effect of plan on team.
Through this each team member performance will be obtained and this will help in improving
their efficiency in using resources (Kshetri, 2014). They will enhance their capability to think
and they can come up with new solutions on how to further improve it. This will have an impact
on GSE business performance as they will be able to reduce wastage by effectively utilising
resources.
CONCLUSION:
It is concluded that organisation is consuming a lot of resources in water and electricity.
Further, the legislation focuses on policies regarding water, climate change and biodiversity. For
this they have made several acts that has to be followed. It shows five ways of effective
resources use and reduce carbon di oxide. The two issues are described related to use of plastic

cup. At last issues like water pollution, deforestation, etc. along with GSE environmental policies
is discussed. An effective resource plan is made and role of administrative assistance is shown.

REFERENCES:
Books and Journals::
Auestad, N. and Fulgoni III, V.L., 2015. What current literature tells us about sustainable diets:
emerging research linking dietary patterns, environmental sustainability, and
economics. Advances in Nutrition. 6(1). pp.19-36.
Coaffee, J., 2008. Risk, resilience, and environmentally sustainable cities. Energy Policy. 36(12),
pp.4633-4638.
Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing
and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
Gleick, P.H. ed., 2014. The world's water volume 8: The biennial report on freshwater resources
(Vol. 8). Island Press.
Johnston, J.L., Fanzo, J.C. and Cogill, B., 2014. Understanding sustainable diets: a descriptive
analysis of the determinants and processes that influence diets and their impact on health, food
security, and environmental sustainability. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review
Journal. 5(4). pp.418-429.
Kates, and et.al, 2005. What is sustainable development? Goals, indicators, values, and practice.
Environment(Washington DC).47(3). pp.8-21.
Kshetri, N., 2014. Global entrepreneurship: environment and strategy. Routledge.
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Management.35(2). pp.216-245.
Mowforth, M. and Munt, I., 2015. Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalisation and
new tourism in the third world. Routledge.
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artificial photosynthesis and environmental remediation: are we a step closer to achieving
sustainability?. Chem. Rev.116(12). pp.7159-7329.

Revetz, J., 2016. City-Region 2020: Integrated Planning for a Sustainable Environment.
Routledge.
Rothenberg, S., Pil, F.K. and Maxwell, J., 2001. Lean, green, and the quest for superior
environmental performance. Production and operations management.10(3). pp.228-243.
Santoyo-Castelazo, E. and Azapagic, A., 2014. Sustainability assessment of energy systems:
integrating environmental, economic and social aspects. Journal of Cleaner Production.80.
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Tilman, D. and Clark, M., 2014. Global diets link environmental sustainability and human
health. Nature.515(7528). pp.518-522.
Twidell, J. and Weir, T., 2015. Renewable energy resources. Routledge.
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Online:
Policies and procedures., 2017. [Online].Available through:
<hhttp://www.globalstarenterprises.com/staff/intranet/policies.html>