ABSTRACT
A. Leopold points to the importance of values and ethics in environmental behaviour by linking the philosophical understanding of the term ‘ethic’ with the ecological understanding of the same word: An ethic, ecologically, is a limitation on freedom of action in the struggle for existence. R. Worcester found a link between levels of human need and attitudes towards the environment in the United Kingdom, with increased levels of concern about environmental issues corresponding to declines in the level of and concern about inflation and unemployment. To understand the ‘greening’ of industry, it is necessary to understand not only the factors affecting the behaviour of individuals, but also those affecting the companies (organisations) concerned. According to I. Barbour, human beings’ treatment of the environment is a reflection of our “broad cultural assumptions about nature”. The interdependency of organisations and their environments is also a common theme in the literature, reflecting the importance of such relationships.
