Valuing Sustainable Change: a case study of the integration of sustainable business practices in a small-scale juice bar
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Advisor
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Bi-College (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges). Department of Environmental Studies
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Open Access
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
While sustainable business development is one viable approach for mitigating environmental crises, there are many questions of how realistic this approach is and whether or not sustainable development is a substantial enough solution. One of the obstacles that the success of sustainable development faces is getting businesses to adopt and invest in sustainable practices. This paper examines how businesses can become more sustainable and how the effect of these changes can be measured. A comparative study of the existing certifications surrounding sustainable practices in businesses highlights the variety between the certifications, the intensity of the certification processes, and other details such as associated fees. The knowledge gained from our review of certification systems was applied to the case study of a small-scale juice bar, The Juice Laundry, which has taken steps towards integrating sustainable practices into their business model. Investigating the extent of The Juice Laundry's sustainable choices, as well as the way that they communicate their values and practices to consumers, revealed that the company is very transparent about their business model but does not typically produce data that explains the positive impact of their practices. Further research is warranted on how sustainable business endeavors collect and distribute information to consumers.