Corporate Environmental Responsibility

Corporate environmental responsibility (CER), a voluntary endeavor by corporations to measure and minimize the ecological impacts of their business activities, is now widespread practice. CER is part and parcel of corporate social responsibility – the idea that organizations must account for the social and environmental impacts of their business activities in formulating their business strategies. CER has become a very important concept in modern times as a result of the changes affecting the natural environment. Critical issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss have necessitated that all businesses take into account the impacts of their activities on the natural environment in their planning. This entry traces the origins of CER, evaluates its current practice, and offers a brief snapshot of its future trajectory.