Environmental Maintenance

In addition to solid waste problems, in­dustry has another major social concern: overall environmental maintenance of water, air, and land. Business has begun to address this area. For example:

• E&J Gallo Winery gave $250,000 to the American Forestry Association's Global Re­lief Program, whose goal is to plant 100 mil­lion trees in the United States to counteract the greenhouse effect.

• Apple Computer donated $40,000 worth of computer equipment to Earth Day 1990.

• Timberland Shoes gave $250,000 to the Wilderness Society to assist in accomplish­ing its goals.

• Du Pont voluntarily spends $50 million each year on environmental projects beyond what the law requires, such as the $15 million it spent at a Texas plant to reduce the risk of dangerous gases being released.

ENERGY PROGRAMS

Companies have approached the energy situation from two directions: internal consump­tion efficiency and public programs. In the first area, organizations have attempted to use alter­native means of energy, if possible, but many more have focused on developing or purchas­ing more efficient equipment. For example, Fox River Mills, a manufacturer of gloves and athletic socks, spent $40,000 on measures to improve energy efficiency and reduced the company's monthly utility bill by about $3,000. The com­pany installed energy-efficient ballasts in 600 fluorescent lights, moved the lights closer to the work being performed, added six inches of insu­lation to outside walls, installed white steel inner walls to reflect light, and directed wasted heat from air compressors and boilers inside its facil­ity to heat part of the building in cold months.

In the second area, firms have encouraged the use of van pooling. This public program has a twofold benefit: it reduces the amount of fuel consumed by using one vehicle instead of six, and it reduces traffic congestion on already snarled streets and freeways.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

In recent years another major area of con­centration for businesses has been consu­merism—activities undertaken to protect the rights of the consumer. To genuinely partner with soci­ety, businesses cannot simply produce a product and place it on the market. Consumer protection involves consumer rights: the right to product safety, to be informed, to choose, and to be heard.

Product Safety

Businesses have spent time and money to improve the safety of products. Spurred on by the fear of lawsuits and consumer action, they have initiated a number of innovative ideas to en­sure product safety.

Companies spend millions of dollars re­searching product safety. The auto industry has developed padded dashboards, shock-absorbing steering columns, and stronger gasoline tanks. Many companies have delayed the release of products until conclusive results of testing have been obtained, have initiated product recalls when their testing has discovered problems, and have attempted to identify product purchasers to make recalls less difficult.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 829