thically. Specifically groups such as Greenpeace, who push any major company to better their products for the environment. An example of this is how they evaluate companies such as Apple. They look specifically at how their products are made. They may choose one of Apple's product, such as the iPhone, to follow where and how its parts are made. Then they produce a report showing how truly green a product is. This is an example of how these groups are able to indirectly impact the waste management industry; first by working to ensure that the products are produced with as little environmental impact as possible, and second by ensuring that when the product is thrown away, at the end of its life, the waste it produces is minimal and will not have detrimental impacts on the environment.
Over the years the industry as a whole has received great pressures from various groups as well. Once again leading the front as the largest independent environmental organization is Greenpeace. One specific direction they are going is to prevent chemical disasters. They keep a detailed chart of companies and locations across the country where people are at risk of being affected by a chemical disaster due to poor waste management. They work with volunteers who go out in the field and work very hard protesting to get things done in a better and safer manner. A specific example of what they do is their battle on toxic chemical storage and disposal. Greenpeace presents the fact that nearly one in three people live within a range of a chemical disaster. This is presents an example of how an activist organization can go after a cause.
One of the main goals of groups like Greenpeace is to get these large companies to remember that the environment is here for humans to enjoy. They work to help us as consumers, along with numerous industries, to remember that if we do not manage things properly, we may lose that which we value. Waste management may be frequently looked at as not a big deal; but when you step back and think about everything that we use that will eventually be disposed of, we must work to ensure that these items will not destroy our environment when that day comes.
As of recently many groups have gone about pressuring Obama to take advantage of some specific wording in the Clean Air Act. Through this he would be able to better regulate the storage and disposal of toxic waste along with the chemicals used in products. All of these movements are to better products so that they contain less toxic materials, which will affect the waste management industry down the road. It is very important for groups to help keep these companies be ethically and socially active.
When it comes to profitability and shareholder value, there are able to see a few things to consider. When negative information comes out about a company, you can expect to see a drop, both in profits and shareholder value. This holds true within the waste management industry as well. Fortunately for investors, waste management is an industry that is very stable and won't go away, but may evolve. This offers increased value to the shareholders. They may find themselves being okay with some short term losses because they know that the need for waste management is continuing to grow.
Corporate Social Responsibility Activities
Corporate Social Responsibility has recently begun to emerge as a focal point for many waste management companies. Companies such as Waste Ma