A major initiative of sustainable businesses is to eliminate or decrease the environmental harm

caused by the production and consumption of their goods. [11] The impact of such human activities in
terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced can be measured in units of carbon dioxide and
is referred to as the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint concept is derived from ecological
footprint analysis, which examines the ecological capacity required to support the consumption of
products.[12]
Businesses take a wide range of green initiatives. One of the most common examples is the act of
"going paperless" or sending electronic correspondence in lieu of paper when possible. [7] On a higher
level, examples of sustainable business practices include: refurbishing used products (e.g., tuning
up lightly used commercial fitness equipment for resale); revising production processes to eliminate
waste (such as using a more accurate template to cut out designs); and choosing nontoxic raw
materials and processes. For example, Canadian farmers have found that hemp is a sustainable
alternative to rapeseed in their traditional crop rotation; hemp grown for fiber or seed requires no
pesticides or herbicides.
Sustainable business leaders also take into account the life cycle costs for the items they produce.
Input costs must be considered in regards to regulations, energy use, storage, and disposal.
[13]
 Designing for the environment (DFE) is also an element of sustainable business. This process
enables users to consider the potential environmental impacts of a product and the process used to
make that product.[13]
The many possibilities for adopting green practices have led to considerable pressure being put
upon companies from consumers, employees, government regulators and other stakeholders.
[14]
 Some companies have resorted to greenwashing instead of making meaningful changes, merely
marketing their products in ways that suggest green practices. For example, various producers in the
bamboo fiber industry have been taken to court for advertising their products as more "green" than
they are.[15] Still, countless other companies have taken the sustainability trend seriously and are
enjoying profits. In their book “Corporate Sustainability in International Comparison”, Schaltegger et
al. (2014) analyse the current state of corporate sustainability management and corporate social
responsibility across eleven countries. Their research is based on an extensive survey focusing on
the companies’ intention to pursue sustainability management (i.e. motivation; issues), the
integration of sustainability in the organisation (i.e. connecting sustainability to the core business;
involving corporate functions; using drivers of business cases for sustainability) and the actual
implementation of sustainability management measures (i.e. stakeholder management; sustainability
management tools and standards; measurements).[16]The Gort Cloud written by Richard Seireeni,
(2009), documents the experiences of sustainable businesses in America and their reliance on the
vast but invisible green community, referred to as the gort cloud, for support and a market.
Green investment firms are consequently attracting unprecedented interest. In the UK, for instance,
the Green Investment Bank is devoted exclusively to supporting renewable domestic energy.
However, the UK and Europe as a whole are falling behind the impressive pace set by developing
nations in terms of green development. [17] Thus, green investment firms are creating more and more
opportunities to support sustainable development practices in emerging economies. By
providing micro-loans and larger investments, these firms assist small business owners in
developing nations who seek business education, affordable loans, and new distribution networks for
their "green" products.
A GREEN BUSINESS is an organization that is concerned and committed to
sustainability and running a business. In other words, the major difference between a
business that’s green and one that’s not is environmental responsibility. Both firms are
focused on serving customers, satisfying stakeholders, and turning a profit. Green firms
however attempt to achieve these tasks while minimizing the negative impact their
organization has on the environment.
Reflection and careful observation will clearly show that the “old way” of doing business has
produced a host of environmental problems. That’s why so many business owners and
managers are focusing on ways to operate in an environmentally friendly manner.

Green business development,protection and preservation of the environment are

fundamental goals of the WTO. They are enshrined in the Marrakesh Agreement,
which established the WTO, and complement the WTO’s objective to reduce trade
barriers and eliminate discriminatory treatment in international trade relations. While
there is no specific agreement dealing with the environment, under WTO rules
members can adopt trade-related measures aimed at protecting the environment
provided a number of conditions to avoid the misuse of such measures for
protectionist ends are fulfilled

A green business is any organization that participates in environmentally friendly or green activities
to ensure that all processes, products, and manufacturing activities adequately address current
environmental concerns while maintaining a profit. In other words, it is a business that “meets the
needs of the present [world] without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. It is the process of assessing how to design products that will take advantage of the current
environmental situation and how well a company’s products perform with renewable resources.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was a legal agreement between many countries,
whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers
such as tariffs or quotas. According to its preamble, its purpose was the "substantial reduction of
tariffs and other trade barriers and the elimination of preferences, on a reciprocal and mutually
advantageous basis.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that

regulates international trade. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under
the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. It is the largest international
economic organization in the world

The WTO has no specific agreement dealing with the green business environment.
However, the WTO agreements confirm governments’ right to protect the green
business environment, provided certain conditions are met, and a number of them
include provisions dealing with green business environmental concerns. The
objectives of sustainable development and green business environmental protection
are important enough to be stated in the preamble to the Agreement Establishing the
WTO.