ABSTRACT
The rhetoric of eco-modernism sees free international trade as important in spreading technological advances leading, in turn, to environmental improvement. There seems to be a common assumption that free trade is necessary and good, associated with a dominant discourse about competitive advantage, internationalization, globalization and growth of world markets. The chapter considers whether the transnational corporations (TNCs) which are often regarded as forces for change with regard to environmental management are actually serious about delivering sustainability through eco-efficiency. There are international financial organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank which promote the globalization of the economy through their economic development programmes. Their global domination is supported by economic models dictated by multilateral financial institutions and free trade associations. It is essential that ethics be incorporated into the programmes of the international financial institutions, trade organizations' agreements and the policies of the TNCs.
