The Necessary Paradigm Shift in Sustainable Business Practice Part 1: The Framework

The historical prevailing paradigms or perceptions are implicit or explicit beliefs that mould our behaviour. Business takes these on in the same way as society. It is not surprising therefore that Management has behaved as if there was infinite resource availability and waste assimilation capacity in nature. Consequently, the loose relationship between economics and the environment, where business accepted one-to-one pollution control strategy supported by legislative controls is a direct consequence of this historical legacy. This dominates industrial thinking in relation to defining good sustainable business practice. This paper reviews the perceptions that have arisen from these historical paradigms, “legacies of the past”, giving a reminder of the facts and truths that have somehow become lost in today’s thinking. It goes on to present the set of paradigms that have to be taken on board by corporate management if it is to construct a framework that will allow it to adopt strategic Sustainable Development policies.