Corporate Sustainability in the 21st Century ― Increasing the Resilience of Social and Ecological Systems

Corporate sustainability needs a rethink. We have entered the human-influenced Anthropocene age, and we are witnessing accelerating changes in earth system processes. Businesses’ current initiatives, such as product innovation and pollution reduction, are not enough to combat the intensifying social-ecological challenges that face us.

Business in Nature is an innovative new textbook which provides a fresh conceptual framework for understanding and engaging with sustainability, now and in the future. It critically discusses key concepts and topics related to corporate sustainability, with a focus on corporate sustainability strategies and corporate value chains. Setting itself apart from existing books, it introduces ideas from global ecology and the natural sciences to provide readers with a new language for discussing business and sustainability.

Business in Nature maintains an international perspective throughout, with a wealth of examples, case studies and discussion questions, plus a companion website with presentation slides and links to further reading. It will be a valuable text for students of corporate sustainability; business, nature and society; and environmental studies, and will also be useful for managers seeking a new perspective on how being "green" can fit with business goals.

Rafael Sarda is Associate Professor at ESADE Business School, Spain and Senior Scientist at the Spanish National Research Council.

Stefano Pogutz is Researcher in the Department of Management and Technology at Bocconi University, Italy.

Kilaparti Ramakrishna is Director of the United Nations ESCAP Office for East and North-east Asia.