Sustainable Business Planning and Strategy

This article discusses sustainable business planning and strategy with a focus on MAX, a fast food company that collaborated with The Natural Step to reduce their impact on climate change. The article explains TNS framework and how MAX adopted it to improvise their operational process. It also highlights the limitations of TNS and its focus on ecological aspects rather than individual needs.

Running head: SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
Sustainable business planning and strategy
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SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
MAX is a family owned fast food company that sells hamburgers and was keenly inclined in
outperforming and creating a differentiation with other industry competitors like McDonald’s
and Burger King. This scope of differentiation was provided through sustainable leadership that
was made in an attempt to reduce their process impact on climate change. MAX in collaboration
with The Natural Step (TNS) made action plans based on TNS framework that made significant
changes in their actions to create a positive impact on planet. And today MAX is known to be
leader in exploring sustainability opportunities in fast food operations. Earlier before partnership
with TNS, MAX took discretional community development initiatives in Africa and employed
disabled individuals in their restaurant. From very early times MAX success came from
uniqueness in thinking and approach. MAX earlier adopted FIRO theory in their practices where
their operations focused on core human elements aspects of openness, self determination, self
awareness and aliveness. These evolving approaches were further strengthened through
partnership with TNS.
Fast food industry has always faced challenges of reflecting a bad image for unhealthier food,
inappropriate work conditions and extension approaches that pressed local alternatives out of
business. In particular meat industry also faced additional challenge as they were biggest
contributors of global greenhouse emissions, being accountable for nearly 18% of emissions. As
MAX’s business operations is around hamburgers and meat so it was even significant for them to
move towards sustainability and they championed this move with support from TNS.
TNS framework is based on four principles that are scientific based and focuses on cause-effect
correlations and integrates larger environmental-social-economic systems that direct actions and
behaviours to attain sustainability. It is based on: Four system conditions, Backcasting,
Ideological TNS funnel. Four system conditions are principles that are needed to be attained to
meet sustainability and describe basic conditions which are: application of materials derived
from earth, application of materials originated by society, degeneration by physical means and
that society and people are not exposed to situations that undercut scope to meet their needs. The
initial conditions correlate to manner humans interact with planet and last one is attaining
sustainable global society. These principles focus on utilising resources effectively and justly,
replace rare or toxic substances with environment friendly and wider available substances, create
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SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
technologies and preserve ecosystems.1 While Backcasting is applied for planning, making
decisions and innovative outlines through identification of need or product, service or firm,
identification of stakeholders, evaluating existing scenario, establishing future scenario and
identifying and executing approaches. While TNS funnel is illustration of resource availability
and usage. It describes that as population and resources demand or usage rises their availability
levels decreases and freedom get limited. 2However there exists a level when sustainable supply
and demand can be attained and through TNS framework equilibrium is attained.
TNS framework has been utilised by MAX to improvise their operational process so that in
future events of resource crisis they would not have to re-structure their business in alarming
way. So with TNS framework MAX has adopted capacities to become ready for uncertain future
through focusing on approaches based on elementary, infinite science. In this manner MAX
sustained to make initiatives for continued profits in future. 3
MAX in attempt to adopt TNS framework transformed their business to meet principles, such as
to focus on material derived from earth MAX restaurants made initiative to power their chains
1 Lyakurwa, Felichesmi Selestine. "INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY A NEW PATH TO
SUSTAINABILITY: AN EMPIRICAL REVIEW." Independent Journal of Management &
Production 5, no. 3 (Jun, 2014): 623-635. https://search.proquest.com/docview/1661322025?
accountid=30552.
2 Wainger, Lisa and Marisa Mazzotta. "Realizing the Potential of Ecosystem Services: A
Framework for Relating Ecological Changes to Economic Benefits." Environmental
Management 48, no. 4 (10, 2011): 710-33. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9726-0.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/887948362?accountid=30552.
3 Svensson, Gö and Beverly Wagner. "A Process Directed Towards Sustainable Business
Operations and a Model for Improving the GWP-Footprint (CO2e) on Earth." Management of
Environmental Quality 22, no. 4 (2011): 451-462.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777831111136063.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/872345912?accountid=30552.
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SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
with 100% wind energy, removed toys from kid meal that were battery operated and released
toxic substances for planet and ensured all delivery vehicles were low carbon. Secondly, to focus
on applying materials made by society MAX converted their used fry oil into biodiesel,
increased recycling rates for cardboard, food wastage, metals etc and used no Genetically
Modified Organisms in their foods. 4Thirdly, to support third condition of TNS framework,
MAX buys their fish ingredient that are MSC approved and are managed in good ecosystems,
used paper products that are FSC approved and invests in reforestation projects under Plan Vivo
in Africa. Lastly to support fourth principle of TNS framework, MAX does not use transfat, their
product lines are redesigned into healthiest standards in industry, employs at least one employee
with mental disability, delivers sustainable leadership based on FIRO archetype and has
collaborated with TNS Real Change Program to research on social sustainability.
MAX made some invaluable strategic decisions and actions to support sustainability like
Dematerialisation where they down-sized materials by removing cardboard from kid meals
where they attempt was to cut out sustainability violation practices from source which could
result to degradation of land from paper, toxic dyes etc. Also they cut down battery operated toys
to cut violations and have plans to use sustainable wood harvested and carved toys in future.
Other action is De-carbonising and carbon labelling of their products where they label menus
after measuring carbon impacts of food from farmer to customer which provides customers
insight into carbon information and gives them scope to select their menus based on implication.5
This approach has reduced carbon footprint of MAX and made their menus tastier with de-
carbonising and undercutting of beef in their hamburgers to make it more moist and flavourful,
4 Rindell, Anne, Gö Svensson, Tore Mysen, Anders Billström, and Kristoffer Wilén. "Towards a
Conceptual Foundation of 'Conscientious Corporate Brands'." Journal of Brand Management 18,
no. 9 (08, 2011): 709-719. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.38.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/877759060?accountid=30552.
5 Hauser, Regina. "Commentary: Food Chains can be Sustainable, Too." Daily Journal of
Commerce (Aug 24, 2011). https://search.proquest.com/docview/885882856?accountid=30552.
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SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
which increased demand. Also at MAX carbon information is provided at POS to customers
which has boosted sales of their low carbon menus like chicken fingers and veggie chilli.
Limitations to The Natural step
One of the limitations of TNS is its failure to entirely actuate the health of humans though the
framework ensures survival of humanity in concert with business. Principles of sustainable
development focus on equal development of human needs with conservation of natural resources
to meet their needs but TNS archetype does not fully address the correlation amid environment
and rising number of chronically ill staffs that has emerged as vital problem for business and
nations because of previous ecological pollutions.6
In my opinion TNS began integration of social or people element in their dimensions of
sustainability recently so they are too new to impel impact particularly on consideration of TNS
archetypes principle of system conditions as till late theory focused majorly on planet and profit.
TNS archetype fuelled a debate on sustainability approaches and irrespective of essential
interpretations and rectification some of the TNS emphasises does not meet requirement of
business that greatly provides significance to workplace wellness of people and their
implications and evaluations. TNS is more inclined on ecological aspects and directs their focus
on overall organisational well being with less focus on needs of individual or staffs which
describes limitation of TNS in regard to addressing sustainability as there is raising rate of illness
that has resulted to low productivity with higher direct and indirect cost to organisations
Hence the framework is at cross that whether it does well to theory or business. Though value of
TNS in educational perspective is accepted but it involves latent reasoning and value judgement
as because it involves zero growth in physical scale of economies and organisations without
articulating it in particular. Rather TNS is exaggerated in its usage of risk assessment, pointing
out a rise in concentration criteria for consideration of universal debate in the judgement that it is
incompetent for environmental protection.
6 Broman, Goran, John Holmberg, and Robert Karl-Henrik. "Simplicity without Reduction:
Thinking Upstream Towards the Sustainable Society." Interfaces 30, no. 3 (May, 2000): 13-25.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/217137776?accountid=30552.
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SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES
References
Broman, Goran, John Holmberg, and Robert Karl-Henrik. "Simplicity without Reduction:
Thinking Upstream Towards the Sustainable Society." Interfaces 30, no. 3 (May, 2000): 13-25.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/217137776?accountid=30552. [Accessed on 24/9/2018]
Hauser, Regina. "Commentary: Food Chains can be Sustainable, Too." Daily Journal of
Commerce (Aug 24, 2011). https://search.proquest.com/docview/885882856?accountid=30552.
[Accessed on 24/9/2018]
Lyakurwa, Felichesmi Selestine. "INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY A NEW PATH TO
SUSTAINABILITY: AN EMPIRICAL REVIEW." Independent Journal of Management &
Production 5, no. 3 (Jun, 2014): 623-635. https://search.proquest.com/docview/1661322025?
accountid=30552. [Accessed on 24/9/2018]
Rindell, Anne, Gö Svensson, Tore Mysen, Anders Billström, and Kristoffer Wilén. "Towards a
Conceptual Foundation of 'Conscientious Corporate Brands'." Journal of Brand Management 18,
no. 9 (08, 2011): 709-719. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.38.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/877759060?accountid=30552. [Accessed on 24/9/2018]
Svensson, Gö and Beverly Wagner. "A Process Directed Towards Sustainable Business
Operations and a Model for Improving the GWP-Footprint (CO2e) on Earth." Management of
Environmental Quality 22, no. 4 (2011): 451-462.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777831111136063.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/872345912?accountid=30552. [Accessed on 24/9/2018]
Wainger, Lisa and Marisa Mazzotta. "Realizing the Potential of Ecosystem Services: A
Framework for Relating Ecological Changes to Economic Benefits." Environmental
Management 48, no. 4 (10, 2011): 710-33. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9726-0.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/887948362?accountid=30552. [Accessed on 24/9/2018]
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