Facts about Corporate Social Responsibility Free Essay Example

Environmental issues are the matter of concern in today’s world and the Corporate decisions has a very huge impact on the environment from the local as well as global perspective. There are so many companies which impacted the environment in one way or another. For example:

McDonald’s:

McDonald’s make efforts to reducing its impact on deforestation and carbon emission so that the global warming will reduce. McDonald’s also promise not to buy soya grown in Amazon rainforest. Deforestation for soya farming and cattle ranching in Amazon is one major driver for global warming (Essays, 2018).

In order to reduce carbon footprint, McDonald’s improves carbon efficiency by using energy-efficient equipment and low-energy lights in its restaurants which will help to reduce the bad impact on environment (Essays, 2018). However, McDonald’s tired to improve its negative impact on the environment but their decisions towards environment causes global warming, resulting from greenhouse gas emissions from cows as well as damaging the rainforest for raising beef cattle and grains (Essays,2018).

In the UK for example, 4% of the carbon emissions are the gas emitted by livestock (Essays,2018).

For another, McDonald’s is causing the deforestation in the rain forest (Essays,2018). Therefore, McDonald’s is not only responsible for greenhouse gas emissions but destroying forests, which could help to address global warming (Essays,2018). Packaging waste is another environmental problem McDonald’s should tackle with (Essays,2018). McDonald’s use tons of unnecessary packing everyday, which end up littering on the street and buried in landfills (Essays,2018). According to a survey in England, 29% of the litter on streets is the wrappers and cups from McDonald’s (Essays, 2018).

Volkswagen:

The decisions made by Volkswagen regarding environment protection were not very virtuous because in the U.S. Volkswagen are likely emitting between 10,392 and 41,571 tons of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the air every year, based on typical annual mileage counts (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). Researchers believe Volkswagen has added between 10 and 40 times more NOx pollution into our atmosphere than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe for people to breathe (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). According to the Guardian, the 11 million affected diesel-engine VWs on the road worldwide could be emitting some 237,161 to 948,691 tons of NOx emissions annually (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). In contrast, Western Europe’s biggest electrical power station emits just 39,000 tons each year (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). Americans will die prematurely from the excess pollution caused by Volkswagen having cheated emissions tests in the U.S (Moss &Scheer, n.d.).

Researchers calculated the amount of extra particulate and ozone pollution put out by the rigged vehicles between 2008 and 2015 to arrive at their conclusions (Moss & Scheer, n.d.) and recommend that VW prevent another 130 early United States deaths by recalling all affected cars in the United States by the end of 2016 (Moss& Scheer, n.d.). The health implications in Europe are even more troubling given that half of the passenger cars on the road there are diesels compared to just three percent in the United States (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). Automotive giant Volkswagen has stated that it wants to regain the leading role it played in working towards sustainable development prior to the emissions scandal that embroiled it in recent years (Moss &Scheer, n.d.). The German manufacturer announced that during its Group Environmental Conference its intention to move forward not only with producing a larger number of electric and hybrid vehicles, but also making the production process itself much cleaner(Moss &Scheer, n.d.).

But now, by 2025, Volkswagen aims to reduce by 45% the amount of energy, water, CO2, VOC emissions and waste produced at its assembly plants in comparison with 2010 levels (Rivard, 2017). In the view of the brain-trust at VW, it’s not just the pollutants being emitted from tail-pipes that need to be addressed (Rivard, 2017). Volkswagen will also re-double its efforts to use more renewable and recyclable materials as recommended by its own Sustainability Council, established just under a year ago which will help to protect the environment (Rivard, 2017).

Monsanto:

Monsanto is using digital tools, weed control solutions, and innovations which enable farmers to produce better harvests from existing farmland while reducing greenhouse gas emissions which helps to mitigate the climate change. They are also working to preserve biodiversity through efforts and collaborations with others to protect species like honey bees and monarchs and promote sustainable landscapes. But on the other side, the company has not adopted an ISO 14001 certified environmental management system and does not report its greenhouse gas (GHG) or carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions levels (Flannery, 2011). Moreover, Monsanto has affected the livelihoods and health of farmers and others around the world with its sales of genetically modified seeds and the weed-killer Roundup (Bruno, 2017).

References

• Bruno, G., (April 2017). Activist Group Says Monsanto Negatively Impacts the Environment
• Retrieved from: monsanto-negatively-impacts-the-environment.html
• Essays, UK. (November 2018). McDonald’s Environmental Issues. Retrieved from
• Flannery, N., (2011). Monsanto’s Pesticide Problems Raise Awareness about Corporate Environmental Responsibility. Retrieved from
• Moss, D., Scheer, R., (n.d.). Volkswagen Emissions Scandal: The Environmental Scandal. Retrieved from:
• Rivard, G., (September 2017).