UoS BA Business Studies: Building a Sustainable Organisation Report

This report, prepared for a BA in Business Studies at the University of Sussex, explores the critical importance of sustainable innovation within organizations. It begins with an introduction to sustainability and its growing significance, followed by a detailed analysis of sustainable innovation, highlighting its advantages such as energy saving, pollution minimization, waste recycling, green product development, and corporate environmental management. The report provides real-world examples of sustainable innovation, including Bio-Bean and FairPhone. Furthermore, it includes a reflective section on how to implement sustainable ideas into daily life, discussing changes in transportation, waste management, and awareness of sustainability programs. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations for sustainable living, emphasizing the need for individuals and organizations to adopt sustainable practices to mitigate climate change and conserve resources. References to relevant books and journals are also included.

Building A Sustainable
Organisation

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART A...........................................................................................................................................3
Critical analysis about the importance of the sustainable innovation..........................................3
Examples about the sustainable innovation.................................................................................5
PART B...........................................................................................................................................6
Reflective document on how to implement the relevant sustainability ideas in lifestyle............6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The concept of sustainability has been in existence for a significant period of time and currently
is hyped due to the current climate crises. The methods and procedures which are required to be
followed for this purpose will be discussed in the following report which will aid in
comprehending the various sustainability factors and how an individual can follow the approach
to live a conscious and environment friendly life. Through adequate research and analysis, the
concept of sustainable innovation can be understood along with the examination of current living
practices and what methods can be used to innovate and improve such lifestyle to lower the
negative impact of the population as a whole. Furthermore, the techniques followed for the
achievement of the sustainable life style will also be discussed in the report through examination
and research about the current environment which is extremely dynamic and volatile in nature.
PART A
Critical analysis about the importance of the sustainable innovation
The innovation techniques or the methods which are applied in the company are extremely
crucial and vital for the organization’s survival in the long run. The concept of sustainable
innovation seeks to address the various social or environmental impacts which are present in the
company through the management of the available resources. It indicates that the company will
have to concentrate on the providing various products and services to the consumers through the
sustainability approach (Mohan and Katakojwala, 2021). Furthermore, the intentional changes
which are made towards the production, manufacturing and business process should be as per the
rules and regulations which follow the sustainability process. Following are the advantages
defined for the sustainability innovation and business model:
 Energy Saving – The concept of energy saving is defined as the idea to use the resources
available, economically and in a manner where the electricity, gas and other forms of
energy will be saved by the individuals using such technology. The problems faced due
to the climate crises will be easily mitigated if the economy follows the concept of
conservation of the energy. Moreover, to impact the overall idea for sustainable
businesses, the employees along with the management of the company should be able to
follow the environment friendly methods and henceforth influence the population. The

energy cannot be saved through simply concentrating on the bigger picture that is on the
activities which are larger in size or are more visible, instead, to achieve the real outcome
through saving energy, the individual lifestyle should also be changed by adopting the
idea of sustainability in day to day operations performed in the lifestyle. (Kumar and
et.al. 2020)
 Pollution Minimization – The concept of pollution minimization is related to the idea
that the masses will adopt travelling and transportation methods which do not emit
harmful gases or other chemicals along with other workings of the industry such as the
pollution emitted by the factories and other similar sites. For controlling the pollution, the
population should follow and carefully assess each step which they take in their lives,
such as the individuals who tend to travel by car or other vehicles should reduce the
number of trips, reduction of the usage of wood or coal based products, avoiding the
burning of leaves or trash and not using the gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
 Waste Recycling – The recycling method is identified as the process of re-using the
items which have the property of being recycled through application of critically analysed
procedures. In this manner newer forms of raw materials will not have to be extracted
from earth and therefore, the condition of scarcity could easily be reduced. Furthermore,
the waste recycling process can be of three types namely the mechanical process where
the plastic waste is made useful by processing the same through grinding, washing,
separating, drying, re-granulating and compounding. The next process which could be
adopted for this purpose is the energy recycling technique where the plastics are
converted into both the thermal and electric energy resources. (Kour and et.al 2020)
 Green Product Development – Similar to the concept of re-cycling, the green product
development concept aims at the production and manufacturing of the products by way of
opting the methods and materials which has minimal or zero impact on the sustainability
of earth and helps the environment maintain its stability. Many researches have also been
researching the concept of Green Product Development which will help minimize the
effects of the industrial growth on the environment across the globe. Thus, the green
development process can be identified as the method which will impact the overall
economy of the company through adopting various principles, practices and tools.

 Corporate Environmental Management – The legislation of any country is expected to
manage the valuable resources which are available at the moment. Through the
application of various rules and regulations in relation to the sustainable and effective
management of the economy, the population will be implied to follow the same and as a
result the situation of over consumption can be avoided. The various problems which
could be solved by the implicating the rules and regulations on the population includes
the climate crises situation and other similar events which leads to over consumption of
the valuable resources. It is obvious that the mass population will not apply the
sustainability approaches until and unless they have a reason to do so. This signifies that
the management will have to apply the various techniques through the adoption proper
planning and performance methods. (Khan, 2020)
Examples about the sustainable innovation
 Bio-Bean, a British company, who has identified itself as a certified “B Corp”, or a
company who has successfully met the high standards of verified performance,
accountability and transparency. The company has also developed an eco-friendly bio-
fuel which has been produced from the eco-friendly products namely the coffee grounds
upcycles and converted the same into the coffee logs or pellets which are alternative to
the carbon heavy fuels such as the coal briquettes or imported wood logs. Moreover, the
company has successfully utilized previously considered waste material and henceforth
implemented the same into production of the products.
 FairPhone, a Dutch company, who specialises in the production of fairly used smart
phones, where the organization concentrates on the production process of such phones
through usage of the responsibly mined materials and providing the workers with the
adequate amount of wages along with favourable labour conditions. Due to the fact that
almost 80% of the emissions of harmful gases belong to the production of the mobile
phones. The company aims towards designing modular devices which makes repairs and
upgrades easier and as a result the e-wastage is significantly reduced. (Hu, Chong, and
Wang, 2019)

PART B
Reflective document on how to implement the relevant sustainability ideas in lifestyle
The lifestyle which I have followed till now includes various methods which are neither
sustainable nor environment friendly and henceforth requires immediate attention towards
implementation of the change. It was important to apply methods which are helpful towards the
environment and which benefits the management through various problems which could be
solved by the sustainability concept. At the time when the sustainability concept was not that
famous and not having that much impact on the audience, I failed to understand that how much
negative impact was made by us, human beings, in the long run, on earth. Henceforth to help
mitigate the effects of the greenhouse gas emissions and climate crises which has been increased
in the currently. I have been researching various techniques and methods which could have been
deployed for the current situation or to aid in improving the lifestyle which has been followed,
however is not environment-friendly, in the least. Along with the adoption of such methods, I
also aimed to inspire and motivate the other individuals namely, those known or unknown to me,
for implementing the same kind of lifestyle for lowering the impact of the overall lifestyle which
they live. Following are the ideas which have been followed to successfully lower the impact of
the overall lifestyle which I have been following:
 Driving through the roads was much easier if I travel through car or any other similar
vehicle, however the impact of the car is extremely harmful towards the environment and
such impact can only be lowered if the travel time or the number of times I use the car.
Henceforth, the idea to travel through the tube or the subway was much more sustainable
and would also impact the overall monthly budget which I follow. Furthermore, the idea
to lower the usage of the car was not only implemented by me but also by my family
members along with close friends, whom I was capable of inspiring through revealing the
various benefits which the environment has to give. (Bolton, 2022)
 The next procedure which I followed for adoption of the sustainable lifestyle is to adopt
the various techniques to save up the available scarce resources or to live a life which
produces zero waste. Here, the idea for me was to implement the concept of recycling
and reusing the products which are developed or produced in such a manner. The various
products which I purchased for personal or professional usage, are reused, so as to avoid
the concept of over consumption. Furthermore, the management of the valuable resources

was also important due to the fact that when I adopted the zero waste life style, I
restricted the consumption amount and ignored all of the wants to simply prioritize the
needs and as a result had lower amount of products or resources to put to use.
 The last step which I implemented was to be aware of the various sustainability programs
which are currently in practice and will be able to help my lifestyle become more
environment friendly and conscious. Through such kinds of programs, I was made aware
about the overall position of the environment through various campaigns which are also
organised and henceforth helps me keep track of all the relevant programs and techniques
which I could adopt for achievement of the conscious living. For better understanding the
art of living the management of the various resources is extremely important and
henceforth through adoption of the methods which I have stated before, the sustainable
living was achieved. (Ates, 2020).
CONCLUSION
In the following report the various methods which are required to be adopted for living a
sustainable lifestyle has been thoroughly discussed, through the assessment of the relevant of the
required techniques and tools. Furthermore, the concept of sustainability has also been involved
through understanding the various techniques which the government along with various similar
organizations have implemented in the economy for impacting various individuals or groups to
follow the sustainable concept so as to lower the emission of the green-house gases and other
similar harmful chemicals which could worsen the effects of the ongoing climate crises situation
along with the negative influence which it has made on various nations especially the third world
countries, due to the fact that the first world countries often indulge in the over consumption of
resources and as a result the third world countries may be impacted by this event.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ates, S., 2020. Membership of sustainability index in an emerging market: Implications for
sustainability. Journal of cleaner production. 250. p.119465.
Bolton, R. N., 2022. The convergence of sustainability and marketing: Transforming marketing
to respond to a new world. Australasian Marketing Journal. 30(2). pp.107-112.
Hu, X., Chong, H. Y. and Wang, X., 2019. Sustainability perceptions of off-site manufacturing
stakeholders in Australia. Journal of Cleaner Production. 227. pp.346-354.
Khan, I., 2020. Sustainability challenges for the south Asia growth quadrangle: A regional
electricity generation sustainability assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 243.
p.118639.
Kour, D. and et.al 2020. Microbial biofertilizers: Bioresources and eco-friendly technologies for
agricultural and environmental sustainability. Biocatalysis and Agricultural
Biotechnology. 23. p.101487.
Kumar, G. and et.al. 2020. Recent developments on alternative fuels, energy and environment
for sustainability. Bioresource technology. 317. p.124010.
Mohan, S. V. and Katakojwala, R., 2021. The circular chemistry conceptual framework: A way
forward to sustainability in industry 4.0. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable
Chemistry. 28. p.100434.
Nishant, R., Kennedy, M. and Corbett, J., 2020. Artificial intelligence for sustainability:
Challenges, opportunities, and a research agenda. International Journal of Information
Management. 53. p.102104.
Rocha, C. S., Antunes, P. and Partidário, P., 2019. Design for sustainability models: A
multiperspective review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 234. pp.1428-1445.
Švajlenka, J. and Kozlovská, M., 2020. Evaluation of the efficiency and sustainability of timber-
based construction. Journal of Cleaner Production. 259. p.120835.
Yadav, P. and et.al. 2021. Environmental pollution and sustainability. In Environmental
Sustainability and Economy (pp. 111-120). Elsevier.