Abstract
This paper aims at answering the question of how to design a theoretically sound corporate sustainability assessment (CSA) method that can strengthen the ability of manufacturing companies to contribute to global sustainable development (SD). In our effort to answer this question, we conduct a case study to test a newly designed CSA method to develop assessment tools for each of four different case companies. The method combines criteria-based indicators development with qualitative system dynamics modeling based on mental models of decision-makers. This strategy ensures a holistic approach to what corporate sustainability and sustainable manufacturing are. The paper is intended to serve, first of all, as a practical guide to the development of CSA tools. The scientific value of the method is discussed in terms of how it assists in the development of a tool that provides the potential to overcome shortcomings of existing approaches to sustainability assessment and to embrace the complexity of the sustainability concept. From the case study results, we demonstrate the capability of the new method by showing how it satisfies scientific requirements to sustainability assessment and fulfills functions of CSA. We also show how it may overcome some of the observed limitations of existing CSA tools.
Highlights
In the last three decades, we have seen increased attention to sustainable development (SD) from governments and businesses, and myriads of attempts to conceptualize sustainable development and put it into practice [1,2,3,4,5,6]
We seek to answer the research question of how to design a theoretically sound corporate sustainability assessment (CSA) method that can strengthen the ability of manufacturing companies to contribute to global sustainable development
This paper seeks to answer the research question of how to design a theoretically sound CSA method that can strengthen the ability of manufacturing companies to contribute to global sustainable development
Summary
In the last three decades, we have seen increased attention to sustainable development (SD) from governments and businesses, and myriads of attempts to conceptualize sustainable development and put it into practice [1,2,3,4,5,6]. There is a necessity to extend the scope of such assessments beyond a company’s internal performance indicators toward external data on sustainable development trends, risks, and opportunities [20]. Despite these recommendations, the success of the existing efforts is argued to be very limited [21] due to the fact that research on how to translate social and environmental boundaries into contextually-based measures of sustainable development is still in an embryonic stage (ibid). It has been argued that strategically mindful firms with a solid corporate philosophy that values environmentalism are more willing to practice corporate sustainability [22], which is driven by the corporate sustainability strategy [23]
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