Competitive advantage

Industries investing solely in continuing the current system will be at a serious disadvantage. Some current trends are:

There will be more competition for raw materials, and greater market potential for businesses that address environmental scarcities.
Consumers are demanding greater accountability and transparency from business. Investors perceive companies that are more transparent to be less risky.
Global businesses are demanding ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certifications, which provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental data on products they use.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation that requires producers to pay for waste management have been passed in many European countries. EPR initiatives in the United States are most likely to occur at the state level, with a focus on wastes that contain toxins.

Eliminating waste and getting rid of toxicity are intuitively logical business practices that save resources, and make economic sense. Businesses in Washington are already realizing cost savings and benefits in the marketplace by reexamining these operational systems. There are risks involved with change, but there is sufficient evidence that illustrates change is both possible and necessary if we are to successfully address the needs of future generations.

There is mounting evidence that the "old world" tradeoff paradigm pitting economic success against environmental and social goals is seriously flawed.

Mapping the Journey, Rowledge, Barton & Brady, 1999

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