According to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, "corporate sustainability (CS) is an attractive business approach to create long-term shareholder value. By integrating economic, environmental, and social success factors in their strategies and operations sustainability-driven companies position themselves for the future" (Information Brochure 3). The ultimate goal for sustainability-driven companies is the triple bottom line - making a profit and growing the business while enhancing the quality of society and the environment (Nash 38). Business has, and will continue to, take notice of CS as global warming/climate change continues to be a key issue for international diplomacy and as consumers and investors harbor fears regarding the safety of manufacturing facilities and products (Gilding, Humphries, and Hogarth 3).
While employee occupational health and safety (OHS) would seem to be a natural part of a company's sustainability efforts, OHS issues and approaches customarily have been absent from dialogue around CS (Ecos par. 2). The typical approaches of OHS academicians and safety professionals for integrating OHS into the mainstream of business operations are rarely framed in the context of CS, particularly in the United States (US). As CS gains momentum in industry, it is a movement that will certainly affect OHS professionals, and as such, they must recognize the importance of this business strategy and identify ways to contribute (Mansdorf 38). Can the principles and practices of OHS management play a practical, functional role in the initiation and advancement of CS? Can OHS professionals redefine their roles to contribute to CS in a meaningful manner? This paper provides an analysis of these possibilities. The components of the analysis consist of a literature review of academic and OHS industry journals, and an on-line survey of corporate leaders in sustainability from the US Business Council for Sustainable Development. The objectives of the analysis were to:
Provide OHS professionals with strategies and practices to increase the visibility and value of OHS within their organizations by becoming an integral part of CS efforts.
Provide corporate managers who are responsible for CS initiatives with OHS strategies and practices to advance CS within their organizations.
The focus of this literature review was to determine the relevance of CS as a driver in global business, and as a movement that will affect the careers of OHS professionals in the near term. In addition, it provides perspectives from industry and government on the relationship between OHS and CS which were used to guide the development of the survey of CS leaders.
The concept of CS has become attractive to business as a distinct and clear value proposition. This point is bolstered by the results of a recent study by Arthur D. Little, in which 83 percent of American and European executives viewed CS as a strategy from which they could develop real business value and economic prosperity (Mansdorf 33). Companies invest in CS by investing in employees, the environment, and stakeholder relations (EASHW 7).
