Capitalism is wanting to ever expand it's reach. It is constantly finding new products, objects and ideas to commodify. Capitalism creates an opposition, a series of purposely committed anti-Capital ideals, which it then feeds off and and creates into a commodity, creating an endless, seemingly inescapable, cycle of new commodities. Capitalism is always looking to widen it's market and sought's after new consumers and new prospects or it's "sphere of circulation". It is a process of making money and making as much money as possible.
Capitalism is a system that requires a constant cycle of production and consummation. A 'crisis' is when there's a glitch in the system causing it to break down or work significantly less efficient then it is intended to. This can happen when the demand for labor gets too high causing an increase in wages, ultimately hurting the profit of the business. When wages are too low or not enough work is being provided and unemployment rises people can't afford to consume certain products, which eats away at profits. Crisis' can lead to businesses disintegrating and mass unemployment.
The recent economic crisis with financial institutions, such as building societies and banks. Major corporations presumed that the economy was going to continue to expand and grow, leading them to continue lending and borrowing money resulting in asset prices rising until they cannot rise anymore causing them to plummet. House prices dramatically fall, businesses start to fail and people become unemployed and people become disillusioned with the current system which causes them to stop spending money. People are constantly being encouraged to spend more money, so business keep offering new products which people are reluctant to buy, causing even more debt.
The text offers four solutions which it believes will result in environmentally responsible businesses. Reduce waste by increasing the productivity and efficiency of their resources, Shift to new, eco-friendly 'closed loop' means of production which generates no waste and no toxicity, Alter the business model so it is providing the service of a product rather than just producing and selling it and reinvesting in natural and human capital, for example, planting new forests which can be used for production further down the line. Although in the long term these solutions would ideally work you need to consider other effects. Converting an entire means of production to something more eco-friendly will cost a business a lot of money as it would require new technology which is often extremely expensive. Producing these new eco-friendly technologies may also be produced in a way that is harmful to the environment itself.
I feel that Capitalism and sustainability are compatible and can work together, but it is a transformation that will take a long time and has to be done carefully. A shift in consumer attitude needs to be made, if consumers start applying pressure on businesses to become more environmentally sustainable then the corporations may have to change. At the moment I don't feel people care about the environment too much, they do not take an interest in it's well being because they never really see it's devastating effects but attitudes are slowly changing and people are taking little steps, people are interested in buying cars that are friendlier to the environment, people are reusing shopping bags and buying 'bags for life', councils are offering recycling and park and ride schemes. Some businesses are starting to alter, such as B&Q. It needs a change in popular culture and the consumer mindset to put the concept of sustainable capitalism into practice.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/b-q-ceo-ian-cheshire-capitalism-reappraisal
Capitalism is a system that requires a constant cycle of production and consummation. A 'crisis' is when there's a glitch in the system causing it to break down or work significantly less efficient then it is intended to. This can happen when the demand for labor gets too high causing an increase in wages, ultimately hurting the profit of the business. When wages are too low or not enough work is being provided and unemployment rises people can't afford to consume certain products, which eats away at profits. Crisis' can lead to businesses disintegrating and mass unemployment.
The recent economic crisis with financial institutions, such as building societies and banks. Major corporations presumed that the economy was going to continue to expand and grow, leading them to continue lending and borrowing money resulting in asset prices rising until they cannot rise anymore causing them to plummet. House prices dramatically fall, businesses start to fail and people become unemployed and people become disillusioned with the current system which causes them to stop spending money. People are constantly being encouraged to spend more money, so business keep offering new products which people are reluctant to buy, causing even more debt.
The text offers four solutions which it believes will result in environmentally responsible businesses. Reduce waste by increasing the productivity and efficiency of their resources, Shift to new, eco-friendly 'closed loop' means of production which generates no waste and no toxicity, Alter the business model so it is providing the service of a product rather than just producing and selling it and reinvesting in natural and human capital, for example, planting new forests which can be used for production further down the line. Although in the long term these solutions would ideally work you need to consider other effects. Converting an entire means of production to something more eco-friendly will cost a business a lot of money as it would require new technology which is often extremely expensive. Producing these new eco-friendly technologies may also be produced in a way that is harmful to the environment itself.
I feel that Capitalism and sustainability are compatible and can work together, but it is a transformation that will take a long time and has to be done carefully. A shift in consumer attitude needs to be made, if consumers start applying pressure on businesses to become more environmentally sustainable then the corporations may have to change. At the moment I don't feel people care about the environment too much, they do not take an interest in it's well being because they never really see it's devastating effects but attitudes are slowly changing and people are taking little steps, people are interested in buying cars that are friendlier to the environment, people are reusing shopping bags and buying 'bags for life', councils are offering recycling and park and ride schemes. Some businesses are starting to alter, such as B&Q. It needs a change in popular culture and the consumer mindset to put the concept of sustainable capitalism into practice.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/b-q-ceo-ian-cheshire-capitalism-reappraisal
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