Sustainability: What Does it Mean for the Operations Manager?

Abstract

This study discusses the broad concept of sustainability using several viewpoints to identify the best approach to adopt it in business operations. Starting from the grand perspective adopted by the United Nations and other governmental organizations, it presents sustainability as a business policy grounded on the triple bottom line. Performance measures and continuous improvement are introduced as the components necessary to translate sustainable corporate strategy into sustainable operations, using an integrated quality, environmental and safety management system.