by Roman Vakulchuk

Today, the share of environmental data management needs in relation to overall data management demand is increasing, but the path of environmental data management solutions is still lagging behind. So, many data management organizations will have to catch up with this demand yet. In fact more and more companies seek already to provide technological solutions for optimal management of environmental data. From the position of environmental companies and organizations, good data management, is exactly what is necessary for them to successfully manage their projects. The environmental area is one of the most progressing today in all respects, due to ever increasing significance of the problems arising in it. Therefore, companies, which provide environmental solutions, including data transfer, have to more reorient their operations towards the needs of environmental organizations.
Today there is so much critical environmental data, which needs to be easily, securely and fast transferred from one point to the other. Many environmental organizations lack these technological instruments, and thus, seek for new solutions. Among the most needed features of environmental data management are robustness, security and scalability of file transfer, lower costs of product maintenance, large volume of transfers, high frequency of transfers, constant support for new transfer partners, and integration opportunities with new business processes. Companies, which seek to develop these features with respect to environmental data management needs, should consider optimization of technological processes in environmental organizations, thus indirectly contributing to their better environmental performance.

Roman Vakulchuk

Currently there are a lot of issues and unresolved problems pertaining to the interaction between the environmental community and the business world. Obviously, business activities have always had an impact on the environment. In fact, it is reasonable to argue that business activities have both deliberate and accidental impacts on the environment. However, one may easily argue that current business activities are influenced by environmental concerns. In fact business is becoming forced to adopt environmental policies, in order to be considered ‘green’. Those parts of business which are the closest to the environment issues have to consider sustainable development as a very important factor in their policy-making and agenda-setting. Business has become increasingly interested in responding positively to environmental issues, mainly during the 1990s. Importantly, the nature of this response deserves closer attention. It influences not only business operations; but also, the wider context of policy public opinion and environmental concerns.

In fact business is one of the significant contributors to environmental problems; yet at the same time, business provides people’s livelihoods. An important aspect which emerges wherefrom is that there is always a need to focus on environmental measures, so as not to impose excessive economic costs on society, as compared with the reduction in environmental costs. The general idea behind business-environment discourse is that stable economic growth has to be balanced within acceptable environmental limits. This idea underlies the concept of sustainable development.

There is a number of diverging opinions with regard to the relation between business and sustainable development. The first one is that critics accuse some companies of being against sustainable development. The second view suggests that many companies just use sustainable development or ‘green’ initiatives as a method of advertising; but without any serious basis to them, while others are accused of using them to cover up other undesirable aspects of their business, a “greenwash” process. The third point of view says that some companies might see sustainable development initiatives too expensive. And for this reason, businesses only engage in them to the extent that it generates good publicity, and promotes the image of their products. However, today more and more increasing evidence is that contributing to the solution of environmental problems presents various opportunities for business as well as at the same time contributes to more sustainable development. Therefore, business should regard solving environmental problems as a mutually beneficial process for all parties involved. Only then, a real solution to environmental degradation is attainable.