ABSTRACT
To date, both internal and external corporate environmental reporting and management systems have focused on physical input–output measures. However, external stakeholders are increasingly demanding that organisations provide more financial information about the costs and benefits of their environmental actions. As environmental costs rise, internal decision-makers are also seeking such information to ensure that money is well spent. Beyond basic compliance, many companies will not countenance environmental actions for which a "business case" cannot be made. A number of companies – such as Baxter, BT, Xerox, Zeneca and others – are now beginning to develop a better understanding of the costs and benefits of environmental action. The US Environmental Protection Agency has also done considerable work on models designed to understand the "full costs" of pollution control investments, with the aim of demonstrating that – when these are properly considered – pollution prevention can be a more cost-effective alternative. The Green Bottom Line brings together much of the world's leading research and best-practice case studies on the topic. Divided into four sections, covering "General Concepts", "Empirical Studies", "Case Studies" and "Implementation", the book includes case studies from the US EPA's Environment Accounting Programme and contributions from authors at institutions including the IMD, INSEAD, Tellus Institute and the World Resources Institute. It constitutes a state-of-the-art collection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part One|133 pages
General Concepts
chapter 2|25 pages
An Introduction to Environmental Accounting as a Business Management Tool
chapter 5|14 pages
Valuing Potential Environmental Liabilities for Managerial Decision-Making
part Two|129 pages
Empirical Studies
chapter 10|24 pages
Environmental Cost Accounting for Chemical and Oil Companies
chapter 11|24 pages
Applying Environmental Accounting to Electroplating Operations
chapter 12|22 pages
Reducing the Uncertainty in Environmental Investments
chapter 13|16 pages
Shared Savings and Environmental Management Accounting
chapter 14|18 pages
Environmental Accounting in an Investment Analysis Context
part Three|98 pages
Case Studies
chapter 15|16 pages
Making Environmental Management Count
chapter 20|18 pages
The Road Not Taken
part Four|6 pages
Implementation