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Article
Publication date: 20 April 2010

Nora Munguía, Andrea Zavala, Amina Marin, Rafael Moure‐Eraso and Luis Velazquez

The purpose of this article is to explore the pollution prevention practices performed by workers in the Mexican auto refinishing industry as well as their implications on the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore the pollution prevention practices performed by workers in the Mexican auto refinishing industry as well as their implications on the occupational, safety and environmental health of workers and community.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviewer‐administered questionnaires were conducted with shop owners, workers, and neighbors, and repeated site visits to collect information on occupational practices (personal protective equipment (PPE) in use, engineering controls, hazard communication, level of technology), environmental impact (chemicals usage, wastes amounts, disposal, supply chain, impact to the neighborhood), and possible symptoms of work‐related adverse health effects.

Findings

The findings indicate that the Mexican auto body shop industry is not consistent with the accepted precepts of sustainability because it is not addressing the underlying topics of health, safety, and environment. When comparing working conditions between auto body workers in developed countries and those in Mexico, it is evident that Mexican workers perform their tasks under critical conditions; therefore, under considerable occupational and environmental risks.

Practical implications

This article reveals five P2 opportunities that seem to have a potential relevance to the development of prevention and intervention strategies in the region to secure long‐term economic growth while improving environmental and working conditions.

Originality/value

This article provides the first insights about several opportunities for adopting pollution prevention strategies that improve environmental and occupational conditions in the auto refinishing industry in developing countries.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2011

Luis E. Velazquez, Javier Esquer, Nora E. Munguía and Rafael Moure‐Eraso

The purpose of this paper is to debate how companies may better become a sustainable learning organization by offering the most used and insightful concepts of sustainability.

5381

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to debate how companies may better become a sustainable learning organization by offering the most used and insightful concepts of sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Through literature review, learning organization and sustainability perspectives are explored and compared.

Findings

Learning sustainability experiences around the world have provided tools and mechanics to companies to enhance economic growth without affecting environment and communities.

Originality/value

The paper explains points of convergence and divergence between learning organization and sustainability approaches and provides insightful remarks from literature.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2011

Peter A.C. Smith

While the adoption of corporate social responsibility reporting has been growing, less interest has been evoked in how organizations are in fact responding to organizational…

6701

Abstract

Purpose

While the adoption of corporate social responsibility reporting has been growing, less interest has been evoked in how organizations are in fact responding to organizational sustainability, or what their relevant optimal strategies ought to be. Triple Bottom Line Sustainability (TBLS) as a desirable organizational goal is now generating some interest, and it is defined here, together with an exploration of the systemic issues which influence organizational attitudes regarding its achievement. Attention is drawn to lessons to be learned from how a learning organization, on either the local or global scale, might respond to the challenges of achieving sustainability. By exploring research and practitioner viewpoints bearing on sustainability‐related promotion of organizational learning, and means to change industrial‐age mindsets, this special issue aims to help organizations remove cultural and structural barriers to progressing sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

General sustainability‐related concerns and challenges are reviewed, and individual authors voice their understanding of various elements of sustainability based on their research, their case studies, and the extant literature.

Findings

Findings include enhanced understanding of how economic vested interests and political dynamics can block effective decision making in the sustainability field, even though the many sustainability experiences from around the world have provided practical means for companies to enhance their economic growth without affecting environments and communities. The impact of two different styles of leadership on the creation of a positive and a negative sustainability‐enabling environment is explained, and it is suggested that having a better understanding of an organization's ability to adapt and self‐regulate on crucial issues for sustainability may help to develop a path through the ongoing socio‐ecological crisis. In addition, the importance of an organization having an extended view of its endeavors in corporate and business ethics is revealed. An action research study is also presented to show how organizations currently view and implement sustainability, and to identify which critical systemic components are yet to be seriously addressed.

Originality/value

The opinions and research presented provide new and unique understanding of the elements contributing to organizational sustainability. Further value is added via the assessment of progress toward the sustainability ideal, the identification of barriers, and by studying the many practical examples of means to facilitate progress toward that ideal.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

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