Business Ethics: Microsoft's Innovative Approach to Sustainability

This essay examines Microsoft's innovative approaches to environmental sustainability, focusing on initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and promoting clean energy. It highlights Microsoft's efforts in using low-carbon building materials, partnering with suppliers for energy-smart solutions, and developing interactive energy storage batteries. The essay also discusses Microsoft's use of LinkedIn to educate individuals about clean energy and their environmental responsibilities. By using its operations as a test bed and collaborating with other companies, Microsoft aims to reduce global warming and mitigate the long-term effects of climate change, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability that goes beyond mere image promotion. Desklib offers a wide range of resources, including past papers and solved assignments, to support students in their academic endeavors.

Running header: Business Ethics 1
Business Ethics
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation

Business Ethics 2
Table of Contents
Executive summary.........................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Innovative ways Microsoft is helping the environment..................................................................4
Why the initiatives are innovative...................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

Business Ethics 3
Executive summary
Due to change of climate around the world, corporations and governments are
establishing ways on how to assist the environment. Innovation has been the driver for creating
ways for helping the environment. This essay will involve reviewing how Microsoft is using
innovative ways to help the environment through a recent article on “how Microsoft is
accelerating sustainability progress”.

Business Ethics 4
How Microsoft is accelerating sustainability progress.
Introduction.
The planet is changing over time due to extreme weather conditions, and therefore natural
resources are depleting much quicker at a pace that the earth’s ecosystem cannot restore them
(Joppa, 2018). The changes in the climate are causing severe threats in the environment hence
new solutions will be critical in helping protect and preserve the environment. Across the globe,
progress is being seen since governments, corporations and individual citizens are on the
forefront of promoting climate change.
Innovative ways Microsoft is helping the environment.
Microsoft is one of the corporations that is using innovative ways to help the
environment. For example, Microsoft is launching innovative projects that are focused on
reducing emissions in manufacturing and also in environmental research. Besides, Microsoft is
showing more potential in disrupting both the energy and building sectors hence lowering
emission in the future. To begin with the innovative ways, Microsoft is on the forefront of
pushing the creation of low-carbon building materials (Finnerty, Sterling, Contreras, Coakley, &
Keane, 2018). Since choosing such materials is at times challenging due to of lack of data,
Microsoft uses innovative tools in tracking carbon emissions on raw materials called the
Embodied Carbon Calculator for Construction.
Secondly, Microsoft has partnered with different suppliers so as to develop and install
energy-smart solutions that monitor and address concerns on saving energy. Through the
partnerships, Microsoft has been able to fund a solar panel installation which helps generate
above 250,00 kilowatt-hours of power in a year (Joppa, 2018). This solution is estimated to be
instrumental since emissions would be reduced by approximately three million pounds a year.
Thirdly, through a successful pilot project of using an interactive energy storage battery,
Microsoft has been able to support the integration and reliability of renewable energy. In a
partnership with both Eaton and PJM interconnection, Microsoft was able to develop and use a
battery that acts as a backup system in their datacenters. The battery is useful since it has the
potential of scaling energy storage solutions hence allowing data centers to run smoothly in case
of the unpredictability of either solar or wind power. Lastly, through LinkedIn online training

Business Ethics 5
modules, people have learned new courses that enable them to acquire jobs that aid them in
participating in both the low-carbon future as well as the clean energy economy (Joppa, 2018).
Through this project, Microsoft has reached out to many people with the expectation of ensuring
the environment is taken care of. Besides, people have understood their responsibilities as
individuals on the environment hence promising a better future.
Why the initiatives are innovative.
Through these innovative ways Microsoft has initiated to help conserve the environment,
better outcomes are anticipated. This is because Microsoft uses their operations as a test bed for
new insights on what will work. For example, since Microsoft is on the forefront of ensuring the
reduction of carbon emissions is effective, the company is spending huge amounts of money to
ensure this works. This will be beneficial to the environment since global warming will be
reduced hence being able to reduce the long-term effects of climate change (Norhasyima &
Mahlia, 2018). In addition, through the partnerships that Microsoft has with other different
companies, driving the vision of environmental conservation and protection will be much easier
hence ensuring each organization has a stake in helping the environment.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, I believe Microsoft is not after promoting its image as a good citizen since
sustainability is one of the crucial concerns in the company. These innovative ways Microsoft is
initiating will be instrumental in ensuring natural resources are not depleted due to lack of care
by both organizations and individuals. By using LinkedIn as an avenue of teaching people of the
importance of clean energy, the future of environmental protection remains to be secure.

Business Ethics 6
References
Finnerty, N., Sterling, R., Contreras, S., Coakley, D., & Keane, M. M. (2018). Defining
corporate energy policy and strategy to achieve carbon emissions reduction targets via
energy management in non-energy intensive multi-site manufacturing
organizations. Energy, 151, 913-929.
Joppa, L. (2018). Beyond our four walls: How Microsoft is accelerating sustainability progress
–
Microsoft on the Issues. Retrieved from
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/09/12/beyond-our-four-walls-how-
microsoft-is-accelerating-sustainability-progress/
Norhasyima, R. S., & Mahlia, T. M. I. (2018). Advances in CO utilization technology: A patent₂
landscape review. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 26, 323-335.