ABSTRACT
The last three decades have been difficult for many firms. No sooner do governments set environmental standards than communities demand higher standards. Business leaders believe that there is an inherent trade-off between environmental quality and economic production; that activists do not respect this; and that the goalposts keep shifting. One of the best reasons for a company to commit to increasing its sustainability is that it is the best way to avoid this dilemma. Once firms adopt a sustainability orientation, the shifting challenges become a rationale for continual improvement leading to mutually reinforcing environmental and economic outcomes: that is, to sustainable development.
