ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades, environmental issues have gradually become regular aspects of modern business management. With some success and considerable effort by the private sector, local and regional environmental conditions are steadily improving in most industrialised countries. Changed environmental attitudes, clean-up efforts and pollution prevention approaches of enterprises resulted in a substantial upgrading of the environmental quality of water, air and soil (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] 2001). Also, waste streams and risk and safety conditions of production and transport are now better managed. The first decades of intensive environmental policies established improved environmental quality conditions for the present generations in mainly industrialised countries. However, future issues involving the preservation of natural capital (minerals, water, energy, biodiversity and open spaces) for the benefit of future generations have barely reached the agenda of the private sector.
