Sustainability, More Than Net Zero - Hall
Ellis Hall, columnist with Energy Live News, in the February 7th edition of his Carbon column, has addressed the wider term of sustainable development that is often forgotten.
The environmentalist noted that when sustainability is being discussed, the focus is often on greenhouse gas emissions. But sustainability isn’t just about net zero or carbon emissions, he said, it is multi-faceted and has many definitions.
Hall remarked that one of the most cited definitions of sustainable development comes from the Brundtland Commission in 1987 which described it as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations meeting their own needs.
He pointed out that often the focus is on carbon emissions and net zero as they are hot topics, however, does that make a company sustainable, he asked.
Delving deeper, he explained that wider things such as employee wellbeing, training and skills, modern slavery, the local community in which they operate, ethical practices, matter.
“These are all fundamental to operating a sustainable company. Added to these, are your company policy, the culture and business behaviours. This needs to stretch beyond your own four walls deep into your supply chain. Working with like minded and sustainably sound businesses.|
Hall mentioned that the foundation of sustainability are the three pillars of environment, society and economy but that the world has become much more complex since the original definitions.
“Sustainable business needs to be the new norm. Sustainable businesses will become the new norm because to be successful, they need good people. Good people want to work for companies with strong sustainability credentials. In 2o2o, a Reuter’s survey of 2,000 UK workers found 72 per cent were concerned about the environment and 65 per cent said they are more likely to work for a company with strong environmental policies.
