FIRM

vs.
ENVIRONMENT
May Florence J. Yaranon
Edric P. Oloresisimo
MBA-I

Environmental Issues

Environmental

responsibility has
become a leading issue in the last
decade as both business and the
public acknowledge the damage
done to the environment in the
past.
Today consumers are increasingly
demanding that business take a
greater responsibility for their
actions and their impact on the
environment.

Animal rights
One

area of environmental concern in society

today is animal rights. Probably the most
controversial business practice in this area is
the testing of cosmetics and drugs on animals
that maybe injured or killed as a result. Animalrights activist, such as People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, say such research is
morally wrong because it harms living
creatures.
Consumers
who
share
this
sentiment may boycott companies that test
products on animals and take their business
instead to companies who do not use animal
testing.

Animal rights
However,

researchers in the cosmetics

and pharmaceutical industries argue
that animal testing is necessary to
prevent harm to human beings who
will eventually use the products.
Business practices that harm
endangered wildlife and their habitats
are another environmental issue.
The use of fur for luxury coats has
been controversial for years

Treatment of Animals in
Agriculture
Some animal farming practices, especially
within large-scale industrial factory farms,
have been criticized as cruel and
heartless. Calves are prevented from
exercising and intentionally malnourished
so that consumers can enjoy tender and
pink veal. Chickens are tightly packed in
cages with their beaks cut off to prevent
them from pecking each other. Cattle are
raised in giant feed lots where they spend
their time walking in their own manure.

 Opponents

have organized boycotts

against such fast-food chains as
McDonald's and KFC to protest how
animals in their supply chain are
treated.
In response to this criticism, McDonalds
has become an industry leader in
creating policies to ensure humane
treatment of animals.
As part of this effort, McDonalds has
adopted a set of guiding principles:

These principles apply to all the countries in

which McDonalds does business.
Safety. First and foremost, McDonalds will
provide its customers with safe food
products. Food Safety is the number one
priority.
Quality. McDonalds believes treating animals
with care and respect is an integral part of
an overall quality assurance program that
makes good business sense.

Animal
Treatment.
McDonalds
supports that animals should be
free from cruelty, abuse and
neglect while embracing the
proper treatment of animal and
addressing animal welfare issues.

Pollution
Another major issue in the area of
environmental responsibility is pollution.
Water pollution results from dumping toxic
chemicals and raw sewage into rivers and
oceans, oil spills and the burial of industrial
waste in the ground where it may filter into
underground water supplies, fertilizers and
insecticides used in farming and grounds
maintenance also run off into water
supplies with each rain fall. Water pollution
problems are especially notable in heavily
industrialized areas.

 Air

Pollution is usually the results of

smoke and other pollutants emitted by
manufacturing facilities, as well as carbon
monoxide and hydrocarbons emitted by
motor vehicles.
In addition to the health risk posed by air
pollution,
when
some
chemical
compounds emitted by manufacturing
facilities react with air and rain, acid rain
results. Acid rain has contributed to the
deaths of many valuable forest and lakes.

Land Pollution is tied directly to

water pollution because of many
of the chemicals and toxic waste
that are dumped on the land
eventually work their way into
water supply. Land Pollution
results from the dumping of
residential and industrial waste,
strip mining, and poor forest
conversion.

The place you work can affect the

environment either positively or
negatively to a very large degree.
Heating

and air conditioning systems pump

greenhouse gas emissions from offices into the
atmosphere and use up vast amounts of electricity.
Many buildings arent designed to include energyefficient systems or technology to reduce the
amount of heat and air conditioning they use.
Many buildings are built from materials that dont
come from renewable sources.
Office buildings have a huge appetite for electricity
to power lighting, air conditioning, computers,
printers, and photocopiers. Equipment may be left
on 24 hours a day, seven days a week even when
no ones working.

Offices

consume vast amounts of paper. Even

with more offices recycling paper, a large
amount of paper waste still goes to landfill sites
or incinerators.
In addition to paper, offices produce a lot of
other waste, including equipment (especially
computers), because companies regularly
upgrade their equipment to stay competitive.
Electronics such as photocopiers and computers
can end up in landfills, where they dont break
down and, even worse, can leach harmful
chemicals into the ground and water.
Rush-hour traffic jams in towns and cities are full
of people trying to get to work wasting time
and polluting the atmosphere.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION DUE TO OPERATIONS

OF FOREST INDUSTRY

The forestry sector is one of the main pivots

on which the nation's welfare was built. The
forest is not only important for material goods
but also as a valuable ecological and cultural
resource. The forestry subsector has over the
years contributed immensely to the socioeconomic development in the country. It ranks
among one of the highest revenue and
employment generating sectors. It also serves
as resource base for many forest industries.
The raw materials for the production of
timber, pulp and paper are derived from the
forest.

The demand for wood raw material by these

industries in recent times has outstripped the
production
capacity
of
the
forest.
Thus,
exploitation of forest resources for industrial
purposes if not well planned may be deleterious to
the environment. It is therefore necessary to
examine the impact of the activities of forest
industries on the environment in order not to
jeopardize the other goods, services and benefits
of the forests. These benefits include: amelioration
of weather pattern, provision of clean air,
protection of biological diversity, protection of
watershed, soil and food crops and provision of
recreational facilities.

EFFECT OF TREE HARVESTING

AND LOGGING OPERATIONS
ON THE ENVIRONMENT
The

indiscriminate logging in the rainforest

and uncontrolled felling of trees for
fuelwood are reported to have had adverse
effect on the environment (Fuwape and
Onyekwelu 1995, Oke and Fuwape, 1995).
The adverse effect caused by the
operations of forest industries include loss
of biodiversity, migration of wildlife,
ecological imbalance, soil erosion, flooding,
desert encroachment and disruption in
hydrological cycle of water catchment area.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION DUE TO OPERATIONS

OF FOREST INDUSTRY.
The

environmental pollution problems in forest

industries include solid waste disposal, air
emission of toxic and non-toxic particulates,
veneer dryer emission and glue waste disposal.
Noise generated during the operation of
machines also constitute serious source of
health hazard to workers in the forest industry
(Harden, 1958).
In converting round log to lumber, sawmills
generated vast quantity of bark; sawdust,
shavings and trimmings. The solid wood waste
may be used in particleboard production while
the bark may be used as fuel or in land filling.

MITIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF FOREST

INDUSTIRES
Adopting

aggressive reforestation strategy could solve the problem

of reduced forest cover. Technology that aids forest productivity and
efficient utilization of forest resources on sustainable basis should
also be employed during forest operations. The use of appropriate
tree harvesting and logging techniques will reduce destruction of
forest ecosystem. A well planned skidding and haulage of logs will
reduce instances of soil compaction (Greacen, 1980). Indiscriminate
felling of trees in water catchment areas should be prevented in
order to guide against disruption of the hydrological cycle.
Efficient log conversion techniques should be practiced in order to
improve lumber recovery and reduce the demand for round logs. The
establishment of integrated wood industries should be encouraged
while small sawmill holdings should be effectively controlled to
minimize wastage of wood resources. Value added products such as
particleboards and wood briquettes may be produced from industrial
wood residue (Fuwape, 2001). This will improve the efficiency of
wood utilization, reduce the demand for round log and reduce the
destruction of forest cover.

The problem of the clear felling and

destruction of forest vegetation due to
fuel wood scarcity can be solved by
planting fast growing tree species and
establishing rural community wood lot.
The example of fast growing species,
which have been recommended for
fuelwood plantation includes Gmelina
arborea.
Leucaena
Leucocephala,
Terminilia spp. Albizia lebbeck Gliricidia
sepium, Sesbania grandifolia, Cassia
siamea and Acacia albida.

 The

forests are essential for healthy environment. Trees

stabilize the forest soil, improve soil fertility, reduce the
velocity of wind, protect watershed and reduce the amount
of carbon released into the atmosphere. When forests are
exploited beyond their capacity to regenerate, vicious cycle
of environmental degradation could be set in motion.
The activities of forest industry Vis - a - Vis tree harvesting,
transportation, wood conversion and processing have some
negative impacts on the environment. These negative
impacts include: destruction of forest cover, loss of
biodiversity, ecological imbalance, soil compaction, soil
erosion, flooding, desert encroachment and disruption of
hydrological cycle. Environmental pollution resulting from
disposal of solid waste, effluent and particulate emissions
have also been linked with log conversion operations.

There is the need to ensure that forest industries

abide strictly with principles of sustained yield
management. Reforestation should be intensified.
Forest concession owners should be involved in
forest regeneration. There should be equivalent
replacement for every tree removed from the
forest. Tree harvesting, hauling and skidding
techniques should be improved and made
environmentally friendly. Forest based industries
should
strictly
conform
to
guidelines
on
environmental protection. Government and people
should
be
genuinely
involved
in
forest
management to ensure sustainable development
and prevent environmental degradation

Environmental Degradation due to Mining

Remains Uncompensated
Many

smaller mining companies are using dirty or

outdated technology. Environmental
guarantee
funds
and
mine
rehabilitation
funds
lack
transparency, and are often too small. The worst
mining disaster in the Philippines came in 1996,
when the drainage tunnel of the Marcop-per mine in
Marinduque burst, filling the river with more than 3
million tons of mine tailings.
From 1975 to 1991, approximately 200 million tons
of mine tailings were pumped at sea level into
Calancan Baywhich 20,000 people relied on for
their livelihood and food. The estimated total
damages over a 10-year period range from 162
million PHP to 179 million PHP.

Mining in Protected and Biodiversity Areas

The

No to Mining in Palawan campaign has

popularized the debate on the environmental
impact of mining.
It is headed by Gina Lopez, a philanthropist
from the influential Lopez family, who owns
companies in media, telecommunications,
energy and other industries. This campaign
aims to raise 10 million votes to stop mining
in Palawan, a province of more than 1,000
islands
considered to be the Philippines last frontier.
The campaign has garnered 3.5 million votes.

This

has greatly affected the perception of mining.

The Chamber of Mines asserts that the campaign
unfairly portrays all mining companies as
environmentally destructive.
This campaign has also started a media war: mining
companies like Philex are investing in television and
radio commercials to showcase their contribution to
the community and corporate social responsibility.
The earlier draft of the National Minerals Policy makes
reference to sustainable mining. This was eventually
dropped and changed to responsible mining
because of the difficulty in operationalizing the
concept. There is no widely accepted definition of
responsible mining in the Philippines.

Packaging

Fast food places use a

heck of a lot of packaging. From the
wrappers and straws to the boxes and
bags, fast food packaging counts for
an estimated 40 percent of all litter
(including drinks, chips, candy, and
other snacks) with Styrofoam being
the most common food waste. Whats
more, Styrofoam takes an unbelievable
900 years to breakdown in landfill!

Greenhouse

Gases
You probably wouldnt think of eating a Big Mac
as contributing to your carbon footprint but the
intensive resources required to make just a
standard cheeseburger, from growing the
wheat to make the buns to feeding the cattle,
and eventually their slaughter, and even the
energy required to pickle the cucumbers, the
resulting
consumption
is
phenomenal
converting to CO2 emissions of somewhere
between 1 3.5 kg (and thats not taking into
account the methane produced by the cow
itself).

Transportation
Its

not just burgers and chips that play a role

in the effects that fast food have on the
environment.
Ready
meals
and
other
prepared food is equally to blame for
damaging our precious planet. Distributing
trucks add to the pollution, emissions, and
congestion, all of which contribute to
climate change. Reports suggest that ordering
online and having groceries delivered to your
door can actually cut carbon costs, but an
even better idea is to buy locally and always
car share or walk when possible.

Thanks to all the pathogens,

hormones, drugs, and fertilizers
that are used to produce fast
food,
seeping into our water supplies,
water
quality
has
suffered
dramatically.
Outbreaks
of
waterborne illness including E.
Coli, marine life dead zones, and
numerous other hazards can all
be contributed to fast food.