A.P. Moller - Maersk responding to the challenges of sustainability?
Introduction
The word sustainability is contrived from the Latin word sustinere (to hold). Dictionaries provide more than 10 meanings for sustain, the major ones being to "support", "endure", or "maintain". However, since the 80s, the word sustainability has been used more in the sense of human sustainability on planet Earth. This has resulted in the most commonly quoted definition as part of the concept sustainable development, that of Brundtland Commission of the UN on 20th March, 1987: "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Environmental sustainability mainly involves making decisions and taking steps that are in the interests of protecting the natural environment, with emphasis on conserving the capability of the environment to support life. It is an important issue in the present times, as many people are fast realizing the impact that businesses and individuals have on this environment.
English: Odense Denmark (Feb 20, 2007) - Secretary...
Maersk Headquarters in Esplanaden, Copenhagen
M-class vessel "Maersk Mykonos" at NTB Bremerhaven...Environmental performance is also fast becoming a major factor in customer behavior regarding the shipment of packages and documents from one place to another. With the obtainability of a variety of possible ways - ships, trains, planes, trucks and cars - to get a shipment from one place to another, transport firms in the express and logistics industries are under pressure from their clients, which are demanding more choices in terms of security, speed, price, and now, environmental impact and the use of natural resources. Recent initiatives and research covering sustainability suggest that retailers and manufacturers are becoming more and more pro-active and express firms are progressively demonstrating leadership in environmental sustainability in order to do their part in the drive en route for attaining greener supply chains. Sustainable development is becoming an increasingly...