Учебно-методическое пособие для подготовки к экзамену по английскому языку (для студентов экономических специальностей). Бегун Н.В - 15 стр.

       At 3M all corporate personnel from the shop floor upward are mobi-                          Even more significant, many large companies have added divisions
lized to contribute their knowledge and observations to the pollution                      to provide environmental goods and services. In the United States, Boeing,
abatement programs adopted. To qualify as a 3P program, a proposal has                     FMC, Exxon, Dow Chemicals, 3M, and Caterpillar Tractor all market envi-
to eliminate or reduce a pollutant; bring about reduced energy use or more                 ronmental products and services. In Europe, Shell, BP, Ciba-Geigy, Krupp,
efficient use of raw materials like water; include some innovative features;               and Philips market specialized environmental services.
and bring monetary benefit through reduced or deferred controls or manu-                           New growth areas tend to stem from technological innovation, and
facturing costs, increased sales of existing or new products, or reduced capi-             innovation tends to result from external need or pressure. Environmental
tal or running costs. Pollution has been efficiently lessened, not by install-             pressure generates innovation.
ing pollution control plants, but by reformulating products, redesigning                           Environmentally induced economic activity continues to stimulate
equipment, modifying processes, or recovering materials for reuse.                         the economy. It is an estimated 2% of the gross national product in coun-
Growth boost.                                                                              tries like the United States. The amount of employment engendered by all
       If taking such a positive approach to environmental protection can                  aspects of environmental protection in the United States was, at the 1977
help companies maintain their profit, it can also help them grow. In the                   Environmental Improvement Council Conference, reported to be 2 million
United States this year, environmental business has been almost a $50 bil-                 jobs. Direct employment induced by the National Environmental Policy Act
lion affair and has recently been increasing 20% a year.                                   runs at about 75,000.
       This new commercial area has brought in its wake a wave of new                              Japan, in recession in 1974, used strict pollution control to boost con-
businesses. In the Federal Republic of Germany, more than 200 new com-                     struction and engineering and hence restimulate the economy; 20% of its
panies have recently been set up to provide environmental products and                     economic growth since then can be attributed to its new strict environ-
services. In the United States, there are companies like Apollo Chemical                   mental legislation. Japanese companies are world leaders in supplying some
Co., which started in the air pollution business some 15 years ago employ-                 kinds of advanced pollution control equipment.
ing 10 people, but which now employs over 400 and has subsidiaries
around the world. Another is Waste Management, Inc., a garbage-handling                    Survival of the fittest.
business based on a new technology that yields a turnover of $350 million.                        In determining the direction of their future growth, companies as well
                                                                                           as nations will more and more have to take environmental concerns into ac-
     Exhibit II. Number of innovations in which environmental concerns                     count. The ultimate objective of the corporation is survival, and reaching that
                            have been considered*                                          depends very much on the adaptation of the corporation to its environment.
                                        Federal                      United                       Such major companies as Shell and BP are directing their develop-
           Industry          France               Japan Netherlands         Total          ment by forecasting from scenarios. They describe all the possible envi-
                                      Republic of                   Kingdom
                                       Germany                                             ronmental conditions that might control their growth and make decisions
Automobiles                    4          12        2                  10    28            accordingly. AKZO, the Dutch chemical multinational, constructs elaborate
Chemicals                      9          12        6       5          12    44            scenarios based on the social, political, physical, economic, and technologi-
Computers                      5           9         7                    10       31      cal environments that it feels may prevail in the future and then determines
Consumer electronics           7           8         6         3           8       32      which products and services will be most compatible with such conditions.
Textiles                       10          6                   7           6       29             More and more companies are assessing the environmental impact of
Total                          35         47        21        15          46       164     projects they are about to introduce. Enterprises accept the validity of envi-
                                                                                           ronmental concern and encourage environmental awareness on their staffs.
                                                                                           They can minimize the negative and maximize the positive impacts of their
_____________________
    *
                                                                                           new projects.
      Source: National Support for Science and Technology; An Examination of Foreign Ex-
perience (Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1976).
                                                                                                  They can also prevent their projects from being blocked by the courts
                                                                                           or by citizen protest actions. By becoming concerned about environmental
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