Sustainability & Business Law

There is a growing trend in business and business law towards sustainability—doing business with a focus on a firm’s environmental and social as well as financial performance. Some business leaders believe that sustainability is a moral imperative while others feel that, moral or not, there is money to be made in “green business.” Regardless of motives, businesses wishing to act sustainably will face myriad legal questions at the crossroads of business law and sustainability, such as whether a company may legally devote resources to sustainability, whether public companies must disclose facts about their environmental and social performance, and whether the tax system and other areas of business law encourage, discourage, or are indifferent to sustainable business efforts. This book explores these questions, presenting diverse materials on sustainability generally and as it relates to a wide range of business law fields, including corporate and securities law, contracts, commercial law, taxation, work law, torts, criminal law, international law, and intellectual property. Although the book is designed to form the basis of a law school seminar, the readings are approachable enough and include sufficient background for students from other disciplines to easily grasp and enjoy them as well.