Routledge Companion to Corporate Sustainability.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clarke, Thomas.

Series:

Routledge Companions in Business, Management and Marketing Series

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (587 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Taylor & Francis Group, 2026.

Summary:

This book is about the present and future dangers of climate change and the possibilities for corporate sustainability. The work is intended as a companion for students, researchers and professionals interested in the analysis of climate change, and the many initiatives there are to develop sustainability along corporate value chains.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Series Information

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Contributors

Preface

1 Business and Sustainability

Introduction

The Stockholm Declaration

Our Common Future

The Inter-Governmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC)

The Risks of Climate Change

The IPCC Analysis

The Economics of Climate Change

Strengthening the Global Response to Climate Change

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Achieving the Aims of the Paris Agreement

The Continuous Rise in Annual Emissions

Financing the Transition to Sustainability

The Business Response to Climate Change

The Realisation of Planetary Boundaries

Net Primary Production

Ecological Footprints

Planetary Boundaries

Pathways to Sustainability

European Green Deal

United States Inflation Reduction Act

UK Reversal On Net Zero Strategy

The Destructive Environmental Impact Globally of Donald Trump's Second Presidency

National Failures to Achieve Emissions Reductions Targets

ESG Systemic Weaknesses in Finance and Corporations

Greenlash

Increasing the Systemic Scope of Sustainability

Transitioning to Sustainability

Practical Implementation of Sustainability

New Business Models for a Sustainable Economy

Visions for a New Economy

Sustainable Value Creation

The Routledge Companion to Corporate Sustainability

Bibliography

Part I Corporations and Climate Change: The Ecological Footprint of International Business

2 Achieving Sustainability Requires Systemic Business Transformation

Achieving Sustainability Requires Systemic Business Transformation

Background

Business 'Transformation'

Epimimetics: Thinking Systemic Change

Systems and Business Transformation

Understanding System Transformation.

What Is a System?

Core Aspects of Human Systems Subject to Transformation

Purpose(s)

Perspectives

Power Relationships

Practices (Policies, Processes, and Practices)

Performance Criteria

Conclusion

Note

3 Sustainability Principles and Practice

What Exactly Is Sustainability, and Where Did It Start?

The Paris Agreement and UN Summits On Environment and Climate

The Industrial Revolution

History of Business' Implementation of Sustainability Strategies and Efforts to Achieve More Sustainable Solutions

The Capacity Building in Sustainability and Environmental Management Model (CapSEM Model)

The CapSEM Model and Its History

Different Levels of Cleaner Production (CP)

Life Cycle Analyses Tools

Implementation in Case Studies

Projects in the Norwegian Furniture Industry

Discussion and Conclusion

System Change

Focus On Interdisciplinarity and Trans-Disciplinarity

Net Positive Leadership

Digitalization for Sustainability

Fair and Inclusive Transitions to Sustainability

4 Reflections On Three Decades of Corporate Sustainability

Introduction: The Ever-Moving Context for Corporate Sustainability

Building a Business Case 1: Risks and Rewards for Corporate Sustainability at the Global Level

Building a Business Case 2: Corporate Sustainability at the Individual Business Level

Building a Business Case 3: Corporate Sustainability Perceptions Versus Actions

Building a Business Case 4: Corporate Sustainability Through Disruptive Innovation

Facing Reality

Towards a Better Theory of Change and a New Goal for Corporate Sustainability

Notes

Part II Social and Economic Dimensions of Climate Change: Evaluating the Risks of Environmental Catastrophe.

5 The Social Impact of Climate Change: Increasing Global Poverty and Inequality

A Quadruple Global Crisis of Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Pollution and Poverty?

The Consequences of Climate Change Are More Threatening in the Big South

UN Stockholm Convention (1972)

Brundtland Report (1987) Our Common Future

The International Economy, the Environment and Development

Colonialism

The Greater Exposure of the Big South to Sovereign Risk Due to Climate Change

Entrenched Poverty and Hunger in Africa

The Indebtedness of Latin America and Other Former Colonies

The Burden of Global Value Chains

Sustainable Development

Looking to the Future: A New Low Carbon Pathway for Developing Economies?

Geopolitical Tensions and Prospects for Transition

Changing Populations

The Coming Sustainable Digital Transformation Africa

Realising the Connection Between Environment and Economy and Society

6 Sustainability and Changes to Corporate Governance Theory and Practice

Corporate Governance Theory and Institutions: A Wicked Problem for Grand Challenges

The Obstacle: CG Theory and Institutions

CG Theory and Practice Presents a 'Wicked Problem' in Relation to Systemic Risks

The Business Case for a New CG Model

Regulatory Governance: Company Law, Reporting and Finance

Company Law

Sustainable Finance

Accounting, Reporting and Auditing

Discussion

7 Integrating Changing Paradigms of Business: Resolving Multi-Dimensional Strategies for Sustainability

The Imminent Dangers of Climate Change

Changing Paradigms

The Transformation of Law, Financial Reporting and Regulation: The Changing Landscape of Fiduciary Duty

The Corporate Role in Building a Sustainable World.

Integrating Changing Paradigms of Business

International Policy Development for Sustainability

International Corporate Sustainability Reporting Initiatives

Integrated Reporting

International Market Sustainability Indices

International Business and Civil Society Initiatives for Sustainability

Corporate Greenwashing

Corporate Tax Avoidance

New Business Strategies for Sustainability: Digital, Decentralised and Decarbonised

Corporate Net-Zero Emission Reductions

Definitions of Emissions Reductions

The Pivot From Shareholder Value to Sustainable Value Creation

Part III The Business Response to Climate Change: Defining and Interpreting Sustainability

8 The 21st-Century Sustainable Enterprise Force Field

Helping Force: Pressure From Primary Stakeholders

Hindering Force: Shareholder-Primacy Purpose

Helping Force: Multi-Stakeholder Purpose

Hindering Force: Inadequate Business Case

Helping Force: Compelling Business Case

Hindering Force: Confusion About "ESG"/"Sustainability"

Helping Force: Harmonization of ESG Frameworks

Hindering Force: Lowest-Bid Procurement

Helping Force: Sustainable Procurement

Hindering Force: CEO Mindset/Personal Bias

Helping Force: CEO Passion/Legacy Concerns

Hindering Force: Internal Politics/Culture Clash

Helping Force: Aligned Cards/Wild Cards

9 The Long-Term ESG Performance-And-Engagement Cycle

Using the Four Capitals to Understand Intangible Value

The Global Perspective

The Firm's Perspective

The Investor's Perspective

The Short-Term Financial Performance-And-Access Cycle

The Long-Term ESG Performance-And-Engagement Cycle

Nurturing Capital With Capital Performance

Considering Risk and Opportunity, for Tangibles and Intangibles

Considering Double Materiality.

Deciding What to Do On These Issues

Operational Decisions That Take ESG Factors Into Account

Initiatives That Change the Way You Do Business

When the Four Capitals Are Not Considered

Strategic Decisions to Respond to an ESG Issue

Decisions to Invest in ESG Initiatives

Engagement Accesses More Capital

10 Corporate Sustainability and Organizational Resilience

Corporate Sustainability

Resilience

Corporate Sustainability and Organizational Resilience

Emerging Research Directions

Tensions and Opportunities to Integrate and Advance Insights

Concluding Remarks

Part IV Finance and Investment for Sustainability: Creating a Low-Carbon Economy

11 Redefining Value Creation: Paradigm Changes in Corporate Reporting

Introduction: Value Creation in the 21st Century and the Need for a Paradigm Shift in Corporate Reporting

Three Waves of International Frameworks for Sustainability Reporting

1960s-1970s: Social Accounting as a Tool for National Industrial Relations

1990s-2000s: CSR Reporting and the Rise of Neoliberalism

2010-Date: The Socio-Ecological Crisis and Harmonisation of Mandatory SR

Lessons for the Future: Five Proposals for a Paradigmatic Change in Corporate Reporting

Sustainability Is the Overarching Principle, Not Just a Set of Issues to Be Added to the Annual Report

Overcome the Institutional Analogy Between Reporting for Financial Information and Reporting for Social and Environmental Impact

Corporate Reporting Regulation and Practices Should Be Restructured On the Basis of the Double Materiality Principle

Connectivity of Reporting Reforms With the Other EU Initiatives On Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Social Accountability.

Role of Governments as Primary Users of Corporate Sustainability Disclosure.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-04-047050-5

1-003-05172-3

1-04-072990-8

OCLC:

1584459029

Publisher Number:

CIPO000336389