Corporate Governance of Sustainability: A Co-Evolutionary View on Resource Management (ESRI Studies Series on the Environment)

This book considers the corporate governance of sustainability from a co-evolutionary perspective, exploring the linkages between pro-active approaches at the corporate level, market-based incentives and environmental networks. The contributors contend that governance for sustainable development has not yet been fully formulated, and requires further analysis in the context of policies, the role of the state and the inclusion of corporate and private actors. They question whether the governance of sustainable development goes beyond traditional, state-centred policy-making by aiming for proactive changes of private actors' behaviours at different levels. The discussion also encompasses relevant theory on corporate governance, competition, market failures and regulatory tools. An assessment methodology suitable for empirical network analysis at the meso-level is introduced, and its application is demonstrated using eight case studies. Raimund Bleischwitz and his team of contributing authors draw important conclusions for policy analysis and sustainability assessments and the actors involved. The book will therefore prove an invaluable resource for academics, scholars and policymakers focusing on applied sustainability research, policy analysis and evaluation. COPYRIGHT......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Contributors......Page 7 PART 1 Analysing corporate governance of sustainability: insights from research and policy analysis......Page 9 1. Scope and main thesis......Page 11 2. Sustainability as a business challenge: the concept of responsible corporate governance......Page 16 3. Competition and responsible corporate governance......Page 34 4. A co-evolutionary view on market and government failures......Page 56 5. Outline of governance structures: co-evolution at the meso-level......Page 65 6. Integrated systems analysis......Page 74 7. Conclusions to Part 1......Page 84 PART 2 Network analysis and evaluation......Page 87 8. Overall approach and research premises......Page 89 9. Networks, decision-making of companies and evaluation: concepts and terminology......Page 91 10. Application to case-studies: approach and appraisal of results......Page 105 PART 3 Case-studies on sustainability at the meso-level......Page 111 11. ProKlima: funding for local climate protection......Page 113 12. Ecoprofit: local learning for integrated environmental technologies......Page 125 13. PIUS: production integrated environmental protection......Page 140 14. Eco-industrial parks: Burnside and Kalundborg......Page 152 15. Energy+: a public–private market transformation for household appliances......Page 166 16. Responsible Care initiative: transboundary chemical network......Page 180 17. BP plc: tradeable permits at corporate level......Page 203 18. Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes......Page 217 PART 4 Conclusions......Page 237 19. Conclusions for policy analysis and the empirical assessment of corporate environmental networks, for policy-makers and corporate actors......Page 239 References......Page 254 Index......Page 276 Considering corporate governance of sustainability from a co-evolutionary perspective, this text explores the linkages between pro-active approaches at the corporate level, market-based incentives and environmental networks involving various actors