Abstract
Sustainable development, fair trade, ecology and environment, ethics, ecological footprint; all these terms are nowadays taken up by the media. Over two hundred years, we went through four different approaches towards the environment: exploitation, simply seeking profit from it; preservation, with the opening of natural parks, like the Yellowstone national park in 1872; purpose, using natural resources with caution ; and finally a sustainable approach, using resources, while making sure it does not have any damaging effect on the human and the bio-physical environment. We are thus, witnessing the beginning of a profound transformation, the successor to the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the environmental revolution, or as Tony Blair refers to it, "the coming green industrial revolution". We also hear constantly the following terms : market economy, stock-exchange, interest rates, profit, monopoly, economic growth etc. They describe the capitalist economy in which we live. These two opinion circles are often in conflict and generate fiery discussions. Some argue that a development at the expense of the environment is not viable in the long run. In order to be perennial, the economic development should respect the regeneration rate of natural ressources, respecting at the same time the next generation. Others defend that sustainable development is a waste of time and money, and that is is not conceivable in our capitalist economy and its free market. This leads us to the following questions : do we have to choose between a prosperous economy and a clean environment ? Is it possible in a capitalist economy to set up a sustainable business ? Is sustainable business actually compatible with capitalism ?
