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Toward sustainable value chains
Cynics have discovered that side effects of SDGs include the spotlighting of waste and mismanagement. It turns out that sustainability makes good business sense.
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Unilever logo appears at Unilever De Brug building in Rotterdam, Netherland. (Courtesy of https://www.unilever.com/-)
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struggle is taking place in the boardrooms of the best known companies. The old preoccupation with delivering immediate financial returns — referred to as “short-termism” — is being challenged by a more forward-looking consensus.
Instead of just making money, it is about harnessing innovation and pragmatism while incorporating sustainable business practices, especially around environmental and social issues.
This is easier said than done. Short-termism has been hardwired into the corporate mindset, and turning high-minded talk into measurable action requires serious resolve.
Real benchmarks are out there. Collaboration with key stakeholders and the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) are becoming key to the business planning process.
A pioneer is Unilever, the Netherlands-based consumer goods giant, which has committed itself to becoming “carbon positive” by 2030. Not only does this mean that Unilever will obtain 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources — it also plans to produce more renewable energy than it consumes.
With the aim to erase its carbon footprint, Unilever is on a mission to transform its entire value chain — from the way it designs new products, sources materials and fabricates, to how it distributes merchandise and services its customers.
With nearly US$60 billion in turnover in 2015 and more than two billion people using its products every day, this is a milestone.
