Social responsibility towards the environment - class-XI

Carbon monoxide is the colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that is slightly less dense than air. It is emitted by vehicles. It mixes with the air and causes air pollution on a large scale. Carbon monoxide is released through emissions through automobiles, thermal power plants,etc. 

Sugarcane is a major crop grown in canal irrigated areas of the country. It was observed that due to climatic aberrations especially rainfall and maximum temperature affect productivity, sugar recovery and burning in sugarcane crop. Burning in sugarcane is found to be inversely correlated with rainfall.

Optimum Utilization of Resources Management utilizes all the physical & human resources productively. This leads to efficacy in management. Management provides maximum utilization of scarce resources by selecting its best possible alternate use in industry from out of various uses.

By taking steps to reduce waste, a business can:-

• save money on supplies
• conserve natural resources and energy
• reduce current waste disposal costs and hedge against increased future disposal costs
• meet customer demand for "green" products and environmentally conscious businesses
• avoid adding to the environmental burden caused by producing and disposing of unnecessary materials
• boost employee morale by giving staff members an opportunity to work together on an environmental project
• reduce the risk of future liability associated with the disposal of solid wastes.

Wetlands are areas of land where the water level remains near or above the surface of the ground for most of the year. India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems distributed in different geographical regions. Wetland systems, directly and indirectly, support lakhs of people, providing goods and services to them. They help check floods, prevent coastal erosion and mitigate the effects of natural disasters like cyclones and tidal waves. They store water for long periods. The scheme on conservation and management of wetlands was initiated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in $1987$ with the following objectives:

Forests cover about a third of the earth’s land area and are essential to the health of our environment. For example, trees and forests absorb and store much of the carbon dioxide that otherwise would be contributing to climate change. Forests are home to about $80$ percent of remaining terrestrial biodiversity. Forests also regulate water cycles, maintain soil quality, and reduce the risks of natural disasters such as floods.Forest ecosystems are sources of wood and timber, of edible products including mushrooms and other fungi, meat (from wildlife), forage for livestock, fruit or honey. Some forest species have medicinal values.

The British introduced scientific management of forests through a centralized approach to forest management and development. The first formal government approach to forestry can be traced to the enactment of the National Forest Policy of $1894$ which stressed on conserving forests for maintaining environmental stability and meeting basic needs of fringe forest user groups. The policy was revised in $1952$ and the new policy emphasized on an extension of forests beyond the traditional forest areas. This gave impetus to social forestry and $agro/farm$ forestry. This policy was the harbinger of the green movement in the country. It also proposed that $60$% of the land in the hills and $20$% in the plains and in all $33$% of the total geographical area should be under forest/tree cover.The National Forest Policy was once again revised in $1988,$ which envisaged community involvement in the protection and regeneration of forests. It accorded highest priority to sustainable management of the forest resource.

The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution, adopted in $1992$ lays emphasis on pollution prevention in place of the conventional end-of-the-pipe treatment also identified the adoption of best available and practicable technologies as the key element for pollution prevention. The focus of the programme is on such issues such as the promotion of clean and low waste technologies, waste minimization, reuse or recycling, improvement of water quality, environment audit, natural resource accounting, development of mass-based standards, institutional and human resource development etc. The whole issue of pollution prevention and control is dealt with by a combination of command and control methods as well as voluntary regulations, fiscal measures, promotion of awareness etc.

To increase consumer awareness, the Government of India launched the eco-labelling scheme known as $`Ecomark'$ in $1991$ for easy identification of environment-friendly products. Any product which is made, used or disposed of in a way that significantly reduces the harm it would otherwise cause the environment could be considered as Environment-Friendly Product. The $'Ecomark'$ label is awarded to consumer goods which meet the specified environmental criteria and the quality requirements of Indian Standards. Any product with the $Ecomark$ will be the right environmental choice.

The British introduced scientific management of forests through a centralised approach to forest management and development. The first formal government approach to forestry can be traced to the enactment of the National Forest Policy of $1894$ which stressed on conserving forests for maintaining environmental stability and meeting basic needs of fringe forest user groups. The policy was revised in $1952$ and the new policy emphasised on extension of forests beyond the traditional forest areas. This gave impetus to social forestry and $agro/farm$ forestry.

Industrial production has grown in India by more than $50-$fold over the past century. Cement, Thermal power plants, sugars and oil refiners are all considered as heavily polluting industries. These  contribute to the environment in terms of suspended particulate matter, gases and effluents. About $77$ per cent of the industries contribute to water pollution while $15$ per cent to air pollution and the remaining eight per cent to both air and water pollution. 

The Central Pollution Control Board $(CPCB)$ of India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, $1986$. Principle functions of $CPCB$ are $(i)$ to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution, and $(ii)$ to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country

The Wildlife Protection Act, $1972$ is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for the protection of plants and animal species. Wildlife Protection Act $1972$ was passed on $August 21, 1972,$ but was later implemented on $September 9, 1972.$

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution.It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Ecological effect or degradation is created by the consolidation of an effectively substantial and expanding human populace, constantly expanding monetary development or per capita fortune and the application of asset exhausting and polluting technology. It occurs when earth’s natural resources are depleted and environment is compromised in the form of extinction of species, pollution in air, water and soil, and rapid growth in population.

A company is said to have adopted fairness in employment practice when it follows a policy of recruiting on the basis of qualification and other merits and not on the basis of bribe, recommendation etc.

An experiment about negotiations conducted with graduate business students revealed that they would misrepresent the truth to gain an advantage.

The Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar is a well-known Indian government award given for significant contributions in the field of environment, which is often linked to corporate environmental ethics.

Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concern matters of value, and thus comprise the branch of philosophy so in today's dynamic environment every small medium or large companies are adopting codes of ethics.

Unethical practices in business are predominantly driven by greed, where individuals or corporations prioritize financial gain over moral and ethical standards.

Primary responsibility of business is towards their employee as they are the most important asset (Human resource) who invest their efforts in favor of the company to better its position. Without employees company cant run.

Mumbai Grahak Panchayat $(MGP)$ is perhaps the largest voluntary consumer organisation in India with a membership of 24,500 families. It has been engaged in activities of consumer protection and education for the last 33 years. Its unique collective group buying system provides a best practice model for sustainable consumption.

The notion of ethics in business can be traced back to the earliest forms of bartering, based on the principle of equal exchange. Countless philosophers and economists have examined the topic, from Aristotle and his concept of justice to Karl Marx's attack on capitalism. But the modern concept of business ethics dates back to the rise of anti-big business protest groups in the United States in the $1970s$. The subject gradually became an academic field in its own right, with both philosophical and empirical branches. Eventually, ethics have been incorporated into businesses, reflected today in corporate social responsibility strategies and codes of conduct. Business ethics is now not only a firmly established academic field, it is something companies realize they need to manage and internalize.

Elements of business ethics 
1. The first element is a strong code of ethics.
2. The second key element to a solid ethics foundation is ethics training.
3. The third key element to a strong ethics foundations is an "ethics coach".

Customer satisfaction is a vital factor in successful business strategy. An organization with a strong ethical environment places its customer's interest as foremost. As customers are the backbone of any enterprises therefore business must be responsible to its customer.

Taking responsibility for the environmental impact of one's products is a core tenet of business ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Whistle blowing is the act of an employee exposing information or activity within an organization that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, officially named the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of $2002$, became law on $July\ 30, 2002$. The law was informally named after its sponsors, Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH).

Insider trading is a word that has many definitions and connotations and which includes both legal and illegal activities. 

Promoting harmful products, corruption and alcohol are not a ethical practice. But promoting harmless product are an ethical activity.

Cultural environments that condone corruption. Such as defending or even admiring crooks. Or rationalizing false arguments with no moral basis . Who ought to promote that culture? Social leaders? Everyone?

following are the measures to improve ethical behavior of business :-

Ignoring employees relations are not ethical because employees are the most important resource of the company .

The European Business Ethics Network $(EBEN)$ is an international network of academics and practitioners that promotes ethical business practice and increases awareness about ethical challenges in the global marketplace. 

Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar ( Indira Gandhi Environment Award) is an environment award instituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India in the year $1987$, in order to encourage public participation in environment. It is awarded to individuals and organizations that have made significant and measurable contributions in the field of environment protection and improvement.The prize is presented every year on an occasion related to the environment.

Make it clear to employees that you welcome — and will implement — good ideas that also foster sustainability. For example, installing motion sensors in your workplace that turn off the lights when nobody is in the room will help save energy and save money. Establish a program that rewards and recognizes employees who come up with ideas that reduce waste and save resources. That's certainly a win for people, planet and profits.

There are many measures which can be taken by businesses to protect environment. All the above 3 are examples of the steps which  businessmen can apply in their business and contribute to the environment which will protect environment to a certain limit.

The latest trend followed by businesses in promoting environmental protection is 

Protecting the environment is itself a business, and many organizations, especially nonprofits, take that as their guiding purpose.Their direct influence over the natural world, however, is slight when compared against all the globe’s for-profit companies chugging away in the name of earning money. Whether the place is Cancun, or China, or the United States, the condition of the natural world depends significantly on what profit-making companies are doing, the way they’re working, the kinds of goods they’re producing, and the attitude they’re taking toward the natural world. Three common attitudes are