Skip to content

Integral Ecology and Sustainable Business

The book “Integral Ecology and Sustainable Business” edited by Ove Jakobsen and Laszlo Zsolnai was published in 2017 by Emerald.

This collection addresses the relationship between business, the natural environment, ethics, and spirituality. While traditional economic theory generally assumes that firms maximize profits, it has long been acknowledged that other factors may be important for understanding firm activity. The role of ethics and spirituality in society is clearly significant, yet economists have traditionally had little to say about these topics and how they intersect with economic activity.

Integral Ecology integrates concerns for people and the planet. It sees the world as a composite of ecology, economy, equity and justice that is accessible through the natural and social sciences, arts and humanities. It is linked to sustainable business through frugal consumption and acknowledges the intrinsic value of nature and the need to adopt holistic management practices.