A parliamentary enquiry into sustainable business practice has recommended that multinational organisations should be leading the way in promoting sustainability, from board level engagement, through the business and their supply chains.
The final report of the Industry and Parliament Trust Sustainability Commission was launched at an event on 24 February 2015 in the House of Commons, with guest speaker Mark Hicken, Managing Director of Janssen offering commissioners an insight into the global approach of Johnson & Johnson to sustainability.
The Sustainability Commission, chaired by Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, featured a number of FTSE 100 companies presenting evidence at six sessions to a cross-party panel of parliamentarians. Working in partnership with the University of Birmingham’s Environment and Energy, Economics and Management Cluster, the report makes seven recommendations to businesses and governments on how to promote and foster sustainable businesses models.
Having taken evidence from a number of businesses covering a number of the UK’s industry sectors, the Commission has urged more businesses to make further commitments to achieving sustainability in order to ensure a harmonised future for the economy, environment and society. In particular, the Commissioners emphasised the importance reforming capital markets to ensure investors are driven by a focus on sustainability thereby ending the short-termism of capital investment.
Commissioners were also keen to promote greater engagement with sustainability at board level, emphasising the importance of top executives adopting a sustainable culture and having this filter down through an organisation and its supply chain.
The full report is available to read and download on the IPT website, http://www.ipt.org.uk/sustainability-commission.aspx.
Chair of the Commission Caroline Spelman MP said “I am excited about this report, which I hope will initiate serious discussions across many sectors about the long-term benefits of sustainability to companies, business and the UK as a whole.”