Abstract
A Greenpeace campaign to boycott PVC products because of environmental concerns boded disaster for Hydro Polymers. Rather than adopt a defensive strategy, Hydro Polymers embraced the challenge and embarked on a sustainability journey using The Natural Step framework. This journey continued when Hydro was acquired by INEOS, ultimately leading to significant changes within the entire European PVC industry. The INEOS case examines whether positioning sustainability as a business opportunity, rather than a threat, can potentially yield substantial business results while also addressing environmental impacts.
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- 1.
The Natural Step has developed its work around the world and has been key for the development of a science-based methodology for strategic sustainable development for more than 20 years. This methodology is available to all, continues to be developed in a scientific process, and is known as the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). See, for example, Robèrt K-H., Broman G., Waldron D., Ny H., Byggeth S., Cook D., Johansson L., Oldmark J., Basile G., Haraldsson H., MacDonald J., Moore B., Connell T. and Missimer M., Sustainability Handbook, Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden, 2012.
- 2.
Pete Roche, Greenpeace UK, Chemical Week, February 26 1997.
- 3.
See video: Sustainability plan: How might Einstein solve our problems? (backcasting)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeDm-HTFuiY&list=PLEXqjIYY5zi6hWCvm5idXYLH2Qtv7fT-f&index=6
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July 2000, “PVC: An Evaluation Using The Natural Step Framework”, The Natural Step.
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EVC had been acquired by INEOS.
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ENDS, May 2005, “Hydro Polymers: Searching for a more sustainable PVC”, Environmental Data Services, Report 354, p. 25–28.
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Financial Times, February 7, 2014.
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In the case of Vinyl 2010, the third party setting the agenda was the European Commission. For Hydro Polymers it was The Natural Step.
- 11.
Greenpeace was pursuing other agendas.
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Smith, N.C., Jarisch, D. (2019). INEOS ChlorVinyls: A Positive Vision for PVC (A). In: Lenssen, G.G., Smith, N.C. (eds) Managing Sustainable Business. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1144-7_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1144-7_5
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