Business Futures: Sustainable Business Through Green HR

Sustainability is an embedded practice in many businesses. It recognises the long term benefits of acknowledging the social and environmental impacts of production and consumption. While governments encourage responsible social and environmental action, implementation is often left to individual organisations and many of these are under pressure from shareholders driven by a profit-centred return on investment (ROI) model. And so, environmental and sustainable practices often become a HR matter - it’s people that must make the difference.

This course will explore what constitutes sustainability from both ecological and business perspectives. We will investigate the emergence of sustainable approaches to human resources, known as ‘Green HR’, and identify various types of sustainability models.

We will take you on a journey through the fashion industry where we’ll explore the essential features of Green HR, including the value placed on human capital and the necessary balancing of sustainable values and business viability.

Operating a sustainable business is a balancing act. We will examine how sustainability and Green HR can work in practice by examining:

• How to change mindsets to balance self-interest and social responsibility
  
• How to identify and overcome barriers to sustainable business
  
• The drivers of change towards a sustainable approach
  
• How to implement a multi-stage approach to sustainability
  
• The role of Green HR in developing, implementing and maintaining sustainable shared values and initiatives.
  

Throughout the course we identify the internal and external drivers of sustainable practice and cultural change, and explore several critical issues, such as transparency and authenticity.