In the run-up to the election, the government announces a raft of sustainability initiatives, suggesting there may be more to life (and the election) than just the economy.
SUSTAINABLE GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged in March that the government would lead by example by promoting sustainable development throughout all its levels. “By joining up thinking and action across all levels of government, and by setting long-term objectives, the government is dedicated to securing the future for all. I want to use this new strategy as a catalyst for action,” Blair said as he launched the UK’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2005 on March 7.
Key points outlined in the strategy include a national action plan to encourage more sustainable public procurement. This could act as a powerful driver for innovation, as well as exerting a huge influence on consumption patterns, the government said. The central government’s procurement budget is about £13bn a year and when coupled with the wider public sector reaches about £125bn.
The government plans to set up a task force to devise an action plan for sustainable public procurement and wants to make the UK a leader in this area within the EU by 2009. Neville Simms, chairman of power generation company International Power, will head the task force. By the end of the year, every government department will have to produce its own action plan to ensure delivery of the procurement goals. The strategy features around 250 commitments to action in four key areas: sustainable consumption and production; climate change and energy conservation; protection of natural resources; and sustainable communities.
The independent advisory body, the Sustainable Development Commission, has welcomed the strategy. SDC chair Jonathon Porritt said: “This strategy is a vast improvement on the 1999 strategy and demonstrates a new determination on the part of government to make sustainable development a real priority.”
Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth said the government’s strategy certainly contained some important new polices, but it will ultimately be judged by actions. “Although this sustainability strategy has some important new policies, it is quite another matter whether it will make a serious contribution towards saving the world,” said FOE director Tony Juniper. Contact Sustainable Development Unit, Defra 020 7238 5811 ( http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk
A European roadmap
“Voluntary” should remain the watchword in the EU member states’ approach to CSR, companies said in a communiqué published at CSR Europe’s tenth anniversary event held on March 3 and 4. The CSR Europe-led report European Roadmap for Business – Towards a Sustainable and Competitive Enterprise – argues that voluntary commitments on the part of European businesses have helped them achieve substantial progress. The report sets out goals in five areas for European businesses: innovation and entrepreneurship; skills and competence building; equal opportunities and diversity; health and safety and environmental protection. “We can speak about success without arrogance – we have raised expectations,” said president of CSR Europe Etienne Davignon. The challenge is not to publish documents and issue statements but to provide solid evidence as “facts are the best certainty you can have,” he added. Contact Tara Kelly, CSR Europe, 00 32 2 541 1617 ( http://www.csreurope.org)
SPREADING THE CSR WORD
Corporate social responsibility minister Nigel Griffiths announced in March the publication of a framework setting out the government’s approach to CSR at the global level. Following consultation with business and non-governmental organisations, the framework lays out the key objectives and priorities for the government in its efforts to push the CSR agenda across the world.
The government wants the framework to maximise the positive contributions businesses make to social, economic and environmental development goals. The framework objectives are to spread best practice, encourage innovation and bring together the relevant international and government institutions to address the challenges of sustainable development. The government will be appointing an advisory group, drawn from business and academia, to help implement the framework and measure the impacts business and government can have in CSR.
The government pledged on March 7 that it will take sustainable development into the community through its Community Action Plan 2020 – Together We Can initiative. Launched in the autumn, the plan will provide local groups with the help, information and training they need to influence local authorities’ sustainable community strategies. By 2010 the government will have developed a set of web-based maps and statistics that will provide the public with information about their local environment. Contact Defra 08459 335 577 ( http://www.defra.gov.uk)
Measuring sustainability
A new series of indicators showing progress the UK is making towards achieving economic growth while reducing damage to the environment was published on April 4. Sustainable Consumption and Production Indicators comprises 18 indicators, which highlight the main issues and focus on both consumption and production impacts. The key conclusions are:
l the UK has made good progress in reducing emissions of air pollutants (such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates), in improving river quality and in redeveloping previously developed land
l further progress is required on reducing household and road transport impacts and there is some way to go before we can be sure that farmland bird populations are increasing
l the UK’s use of water and the levels of aviation emissions show no signs of decoupling from economic growth
l waste and fish stocks remain issues of concern requiring further monitoring. Contact Defra 08459 335 577 ( http://www.defra.gov.uk)
Monitoring progress
A new set of sustainable development indicators was launched by the European Union on March 22, as a tool for monitoring progress on issues such as climate change, social exclusion and poverty. The 120 indicators reflect EU policy priorities adopted at the Gothenburg and Barcelona summits, and provide data going back to 1990. They are publicly available on the Eurostat website and will be updated regularly. Contact Eurostat 00 352 4301 33444 (europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/sustainabledevelopment) Companies are used to governments issuing lofty policy declarations, launching new strategies and publishing well-meaning plans in response to public concern – only to move on to other worries until an election comes round again. Is the latest flurry on sustainable development any different?We think it is, and what’s more this collection of developments will affect CSR managers. First, the government is making a big play about greening its own procurement. In the UK, the public sector accounts for around 40% of economic activity (whoever wins the election), so there’s an immediate business case for private companies to improve the impact of their own products and services. Second, there are more incentives (that means subsidies) for companies to take action – well worth CSR managers checking that their firms are taking full advantage where the costs of action currently outweigh immediate benefits.Third, sustainability issues are now creeping into government rules and regulations, such as local spatial development plans. That means getting planning permission is going to be harder unless you can demonstrate environmental as well as social and economic impacts. And fourth, on reporting all this: the suite of indicators is now developing into something useful, just as companies themselves are making progress with their own sustainable development KPIs. The opportunity exists in CSR reports to show how company action is directly contributing to national and international goals. The obvious one is carbon dioxide emissions, where the Kyoto protocol has now come into force in many countries. Companies should be reporting trends in total emissions, not just efficiency ratios that mask the effects of growth. After all, travelling the road to perdition less quickly is NOT what sustainable development is all about.Corporate Citizenship Briefing, issue no: 81 – April, 2005
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