Corporate management tools to address sustainability challenges - A reflection on the progress and difficulties experienced during the last decade

A number of corporate management tools have been developed during the last decades. This has given the impression that industry is in the lead for developing a more environmentally sound and sustainability-adopted future as concerns the production and the products they are working responsible from. This paper includes a short review of some key tools, including cleaner production assessments, life cycle assessments, environmental management systems, environmental management accounting and various types of eco-labels. The review examines the fundamental strengths and weaknesses with the tools, paying special attention to the rationale for companies to use such tools. The conclusion is that many of the tools have not lead to improvements that can be substantiated by current research. However. the level of activities has been quite good and there is a staggering number of more than 129 000 companies that have been certified according to ISO 14001. The biggest challenge seems to be connected to the tools that are striving for life cycle improvements, and here the author sees a role for more active policymaking from the side of governments.