ISM AND ISEG MBA - Développement durable

There are several types of limit. First, we can think about the credibility of the company as
viewed by the other actors, viz. the organizations, NGOs, and above all the consumer. Indeed,
companies who work in nuclear areas (Areva for example) or oil companies such as Total are not
really considered credible when they are responsible for ecological catastrophes, such as the
Erika disaster (the oil tanker which ran aground off the french coast). It is seen that in this case,
there are considerable and durable repercussions in environmental politics. It is likely that the
company image of Total, as seen through the customer's eyes, will remain tarnished for several
years to come. Consumers are left with the feeling that such companies have little concern for
protection of the environment. Moreover, they are conscious that the nature of their businesses is
incompatible with the well-being of the environment. There is a real difficulty in accepting the
legitimacy of the company, even when it regrets such action. It is considered necessary that a
company which wants to win back customer faith would be obliged to be seen to be engaged in
environmental projects. Such projects have to publish good and quantifiable results which,
through communication campaigns, provide facts to the consumer. For example, although the
withdrawal of plastic bags in supermarkets is good first step, companies should equally turn their
attention to the reduction of packaging materials.
The credibility of standards relating to environmental protection and brought onto statute by the
government is also open to conjecture. As there is no real measure of the evolution of companies
intending to comply with environmental standards, such firms are able to affirm that their
products comply without that really being the case. Such is the case of furniture companies which
affirm having manufactured from wood cut from sustainable forests, without giving any evidence
of such to the consumer. These companies may in fact, be using wood from the Amazonian forest
where timber costs are lower, without the customer being aware. Compliance with this type of
standard puts pressure on the company, which in turn endeavours to avoid sanctions by every
means available. Misrepresentation of figures can be employed as a fraudulent means of
portraying a convincing argument, such as in the rejection of toxic gases or the measured level of
noise pollution, etc. Nevertheless, the consumer is aware that genuine companies exist which can
justify concrete arguments.
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