ABSTRACT SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF COMPANIES In the last couple of decades, a very fast transition and exhaustion of the
world and its resources is being observed and this situation is increasingly being
emphasized by scientists every year. Unfortunately, this transition almost in every
field, mostly occurs out of control. This wave of change has great impacts on the
companies in the globalized world.
Actually, company activities all around the world have negative impacts on
the environment. Trying to eliminate these impacts brings together costs to
companies which are perceived to be threats. However, companies have to be aware
of opportunities as well as threats that change brings along. The companies that have
been focusing on short-term profits must now start looking into long-term profit
policies in order to be able to adapt to these changes. Sustainably developing
companies should at the same time make the world more habitable. Actions that are
taken in this way of thinking will bring companies to a point where they will have
sustainable profit and advantages in competition. Therefore, the aim of this paper is
to emphasize that it is possible for companies to eliminate their negative impacts on
the environment through preferring sustainable environmental policies. Sustainable
environmental policies help companies to turn threats into opportunities hence at the
end both creating valuable competitive advantages and eliminating their negative
impacts on the environment.