Sustainable Business: Key Issues is the first comprehensive introductory-level textbook to address the interface between environmental challenges and business solutions to provide an overview of the basic concepts of sustainability, sustainable business, and business ethics.
Fully updated for the third edition to take into account recent developments and trends, such as the climate emergency, Covid-19 and supply chain sustainability, this textbook introduces students to the background and key issues of sustainability and suggests ways in which these concepts can be applied in business practice. Though the book takes a business perspective, it is interdisciplinary in its nature and draws on knowledge from socio-economic, political, and environmental studies, thereby providing a critical understanding of sustainability in the changing paradigm of global business. It goes beyond the conventional theories of sustainability and addresses critical issues concerned with population, consumption, and economic growth. It discusses realistic ways forward, in particular the circular economy and Cradle to Cradle frameworks. The book is both a theoretical and practical study guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students of broad areas of sustainability, teaching ways to recognize opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of environmental, economic, ethical, and social systems. It takes a strategic approach in applying the power of business methods and policy to address issues of global importance such as climate change, poverty, ecosystem degradation, and human rights.
This textbook is essential reading for students of business, management, and sustainability courses. It is written in an engaging and accessible style, with each chapter including case studies, discussion questions, end of chapter summaries, and suggestions for further reading.
About the Author: Helen Kopnina (Ph.D. Cambridge University, 2002) is currently employed at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. Helen teaches sustainable business and conducts research within three main areas: sustainability, environmental education, and biological conservation. Helen (co)-authored over two hundred articles and seventeen books
Rory Padfield is an Associate Professor in the Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Leeds, the United Kingdom. He is programme leader for the MSc in Sustainability and Business at the University of Leeds, and co-leader for the Business and Organisations for Sustainable Societies (BOSS) research group. A trained development geographer Rory's research focuses on the broad themes of supply chain and natural resource governance, communication of sustainability, and sustainability across and between different scales of businesses and organisations.
Josephine Mylan is a lecturer in Sustainability and Innovation at Alliance Manchester Business School. She is affiliated to both the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) and Institute for Innovation Research (MIoIR). Josephine's research engages with questions of how societies can transition to less resource intensive ways of meeting our needs, with interests in: Sustainable consumption and production; Low carbon transitions; etc.
