Sustainable Business Practices in the United States: A Survey on Implementation

Abstract

A survey was designed and administered to 172 business professionals in the United States in 2015 to obtain their assessments of both the current status and future development of sustainable business practices at their companies. Despite the recent attention given to corporate social responsibility, we find that only 34 percent of respondents have a comprehensive sustainable management plan currently in place. However, the survey indicates that by 2021 that percentage is expected to increase to 54 percent. We also find that the six most popular sustainable business practices are recycling material, reducing waste, using less paper, employing energy-efficient technologies, conserving water, and adopting energy-efficient building designs. Respondents indicate their firms are likely to increase expenditures or investment in these same six sustainable practices from 2016-2021. This suggests these particular practices are viewed as being more feasible and beneficial to implement. Among the background variables investigated, we find that affiliation with an organization promoting sustainability is the most prominent; respondents affiliated with sustainability organizations are more likely to engage in sustainable business practices. Another significant background variable is firm size; large firms are more likely to be engaged in sustainable practices than smaller firms.

What are the drivers and barriers for green business practice adoption for SMEs?

“…There are various practices that can be applied when a business wants to implement greener behaviors. For instance, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides recommendations on several strategies for businesses to explore, including becoming energy efficient, improving waste management, and utilizing renewable energy (Chang and Slaubaugh 2017 ). Ashton et al ( 2017 ) studied the adoption of such green business practices among small manufacturing enterprises in the Greater Chicago area, and found that adopting energy efficiency in facilities, as well as recycling materials such as metal, paper, and plastics, were the most common green practices implemented in these firms.…”

“…A similar study by Depken and Zeman ( 2018 ), which focused on SMEs in Iowa, also found that waste reduction and recycling were the most implemented green practices, followed by deploying energy efficiency measures. Chang and Slaubaugh ( 2017 ) studied businesses across the U.S. and found that using less paper, conserving water, and adopting energy efficient technologies, among other green practices, are preferred by the companies they studied, as they have immediate impacts on a firm’s financial benefits.…”

“…Many others have included commercial benefits (e.g., Camacho and Fernandez 2018 ; Parry 2012 ; Wahga et al 2018 ) as an additional factor in why businesses adopt green practices. This idea is supported by the fact that there is an increasing number of companies that are pursuing sustainability to seek new market advantages, in addition to promoting public image and reputation through pollution reduction and new communications (Chang and Slaubaugh 2017 ). Research regarding the social and environmental responsibility of SMEs in Latin America by Vives ( 2006 ) also found that profit was considered an important factor in engaging in green practices, in addition to compliance with legislation (e.g., Johnstone and Hallberg 2020 ).…”

“…Moreover, they indicated that the technological, as well as knowledge and information-related, barriers are mainly present due to the resource constraints that are often found within SMEs. Unlike multinational firms that can support technological advancement through their research and development activities, SMEs often depend on the readily available technology in the market (Chang and Slaubaugh 2017 ).…”

Factors That Stimulate Project Managers to Consider Sustainability; Exploring the Stimulus Patterns of Canadian Project Managers

“…Despite the advertised strategies and ambitions with regards to sustainability, many organizations struggle to operationalize these strategies into concrete actions (Chang & Slaubaugh, 2017). As projects are a vehicle for the implementation of organizational strategies (Project Management Institute, 2017), the management of projects is now gaining attention as an essential enabler of the transition of organizations towards sustainability (Marcelino-Sádaba et al, 2015;Morris, 2009;Longman & Mullins, 2004).…”