ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Panama profile that includes sustainable enterprise in context; priority issues, trends, government policies and case studies. Panama's economic growth is based on unsustainable development models that focus their attention on economic indicators, but often ignore pressing social and environmental issues. Many of Panama's sustainable enterprise policies have emerged from environmental legislation. Panama's largest and most influential sustainable enterprise is the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority also works to sustain the physical environment in which the canal operates. As a signatory to the UN Organization Global Compact, the Canal Authority recognizes that social responsibility and environmental sustainability are important public goods, as well as essential features of their operations. The Panama Canal Authority, the organization responsible for running the canal, has financial autonomy and controls the canal's assets. Protecting the physical environment in which the canal runs is an essential component of its operation.
