Sustainability in Business: The Principles and Implementation

This presentation explores the principles of sustainability in business and how to implement them. It discusses the TNS framework, backcasting, and the TNS funnel. It also examines IKEA's sustainability initiatives and their relation to the TNS model. The presentation addresses the importance of addressing climate change and resource regeneration for a more sustainable future.

Sustainability in Business
References
TNS A-B-C-D process of implementing
sustainability
Building awareness and comprehension:
organizations are aligned with common
understanding in relation to sustainability.
Baseline Mapping: materials and energy flow are
assessed by materials and energy flow besides
affecting the society by making use of the four step
condition discussed in the earlier section.
Creating vision and strategic plan: for achieving
sustainable society organizations develop long-term
vision followed by facilitating a strategy from this
point of view in order to attain sustainability and look
backwards. Backcasting is been used by this step of
A-B-C-D process with intent of recognizing step by
step solution for bringing organizations from their
prevailing condition towards a sustainable situation.
Down to action: actions are implemented by the
organizations in the final step of this process and
backcasting process used for evaluating the
decisions constantly thereby, encouraging that they
attain the vision that was created in the initial stage.
Müller & Pfleger (2014)
IKEA’s Sustainability initiatives
• Usage of LED solutions for lighting across its
premises and other business units into under
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
Green Lights Program
• Acquiring raw materials like cotton and timber
through sustainable resources.
• Fat packaging and use of chlorine-free paper
in catalogue and advertising flyers
• Working towards 100% renewable energy and
create energy equivalent to its operational
consumption
• Providing economical solutions for achieving
effectiveness in the use of scarce natural
resources like water and energy besides
solutions for renewable energy and waste
sorting.
• Working towards the implementation of its
newer commitments towards environmental
policies.
Chabrak (2015)
TNS Funnel
It is a theoretical interpretation of the resources
availability and utility. It significantly contributes
illustrating that with rising population and resource
demand or increased use of resources, it is likely that
the availability of resources will decline thus,
confining the freedom owing to individuals and
organizations having lesser scope for moving.
However, by achieving sustainable demand and
supply to a certain extent this can be averted.
Alexius, S., & Furusten, S. (2019). Enabling sustainable
transformation: Hybrid organizations in early phases of path
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Eswarlal, V. K., & Vallesi, M. (2014). Different stages of
business sustainability: A visual metaphor. Management
Research, 12(3), 308-325. Retrieved from
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Müller, A., & Pfleger, R. (2014). Business transformation
towards sustainability. Business Research, 7(2), 313-350.
Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40685-014-0011-y
Chabrak, N. (2015). Promoting corporate social responsibility
and sustainability: A model of integrity. Society and Business
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The scientific principles of sustainability gives base to
the structure of natural step (TNS), having focus on
the origination of the relationship between cause and
effect besides integrating broader environment and
socio-economic system in its thinking. this framework
has been designed correspondingly to the actions
and conduct that are direct for working towards the
achieving sustainability. Alexius & Furusten (2019)
Elements of TNS Framework
• Four Systems Conditions
• Backcasting
• TNS Funnel
Four System Condition
1. Substances extracted from Earth’s crust cannot
increase into the biosphere systematically
2. Society produced substances cannot increase in
the biosphere systematically
3. Physical base of the nature’s productivity and
diversity should not be consistently degenerate
4. For meeting the earlier three system conditions,
use of resources for meeting the needs of human
should be fair and efficient
Backcasting
It determines the product, service or organization’s
needs; stakeholders identification; analyze the
prevailing situations; develop future scenarios and
identification and implementation of strategies, is
applied on numerous purposes such as planning,
decision-makings, scenarios, innovation. Eswarlal &
Vallesi (2014)
Relation of IKEA activities with TNS Model
• Four system condition: human resources are
used besides resource regeneration while
meeting customer demands
• A-B-C-D process sustainability
implementation: It build awareness in the
society, identifies impact of its operation,
develops vision and strategic plan and take
actions accordingly.
Planetary boundary addressed
• Climate change
For lessening its impact on climate change the
company needs to switch towards
incorporating the utility of renewable energy
sources across its operational functions
besides resources regeneration it uses for
productions.
• Resource regeneration will help to promote
environmental sustainability.
• Initial investment is higher, but the long-term
benefits will make the investment negligible.
• It will increase stakeholders interests and
contributions in IKEA’s sustainability approach