Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AS AN IMAGE-BUILDING RESOURCE FOR ENTERPRISES WITHIN THE NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY

E.A. Sharkova, E.M. Glinternik, E.V. Bykova, P.Yu. Gurushkin and Yu.V. Taranova

Abstract

Mankind is currently faced with the threat of an energy famine due to depleted deposits of fossil fuels and increasingly greater environmental losses in getting electrical energy. Under these conditions, the idea of using nuclear fuel seems to be quite rational. However, considering the possibility of the ruinous impact of radioactive substances on the environment due to misuse, the advisability of building a nuclear power plant (NPP) is often questioned. The reason behind this is the state of environmental stress currently experienced by society, which is grounded in environmental risks and stereotypes associated with mankind’s major technogenic disasters, like the accidents at the Chernobyl NPP and Fukushima-1 NPP. This is affecting the image of enterprises within the nuclear power industry and complicating the process of fostering loyalty in the local public. In this paper, the authors try to assess the size of the contribution made by Russia’s nuclear power industry to the making of new environmentally-oriented ethics upheld by enterprises, as well as the efficiency of their communication interaction with the local public. What makes the study of this topic essential is the fact that construction of nuclear power sites is directly dependent on public sentiment, and the enterprise’s ability to pursue solid environmental policy and establish proper channels of communication with the local public will not only help boost its publicity capital but also contribute to enhancing the environmental education of the population in a climate of environmental risk.