Why bother with sustainability if companies fail to consider Sustainable Development Goal 16?

The future of sustainability is focused around the new global Sustainable Development Goals launched in September 2015. Momentously, Goal 16 calls governments, business and civil society to:

“Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

Without peaceful, inclusive societies, sustainable development has no ‘enabling environment’. Yet, discussion of ‘peace and stability’ with many corporate representatives is often received with a quiet, “not really our responsibility” or “we don’t operate in conflict zones”. But as part of a community, or part of a social ‘system’, business can work with other actors to support their peace efforts. Business contributions to peace are crucial for conflict-affected countries, as well as countries not seen as
‘conflict zones’ but which experience instability and low-level violence. Indeed business support for peace is important in all countries, and can include for example, supporting measures aimed at inter-cultural/faith/sect understanding and countering terrorism. If companies ignore how they impact (both positively and negatively) on a country’s conflict(s), and how they can proactively help prevent or mitigate violent conflict, what is the point of sustainable development when big business is such a key global player? And ultimately, peace means prosperity for both communities and business. 

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Three Rules of Success for Sustainable Change

The world is at war.

And I’m not talking about the terrible war in Syria or the recent terrorist attacks. I’m talking about the war against the root causes that are real drivers and amplifiers of the aggression we see nowadays. It is a war against depletion, scarcity, degradation, poverty and exclusion and for health, wellbeing, biodiversity, prosperity and inclusion. It is the most important war we, as influencers in public and private organizations, can fight at this moment, and since we are our own worst enemy in this case, we need to stand united in tackling this complex issue. 

Webinar with Sustainable Frontiers author Dr. Professor Wayne Visser

Join the Sustainability Management Association’s webinar with the world leading expert on sustainable business Dr Wayne Visser, which will focus on how business can be a catalyst for a sustainable future. Dr. Visser will review the essential messages of his new book, Sustainable Frontiers: Unlocking Change through Business, Leadership and Innovation (Greenleaf Publishing, 2015).

 

 

Date and Time: September 2, 2015 at 9:00 Pacific Standard Time Zone
Title: Sustainable Frontiers: Unlocking Change through Business, Leadership and Innovation

Women in CSR: Dr. Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Macquarie Graduate School of Management

“I have a perfect job, as I get to do things that I not only love but also believe in” – Debbie Haski-Leventhal

This series of interviews on TriplePundit focuses on women in CSR. The following interview features Debbie Hask-Leventhal, the editor of Greenleaf’s newly-launched journal Business, Peace and Sustainable Development.

TriplePundit: Briefly describe your role and responsibilities, and how many years you have been in the business.

Dr. Debbie Haski-Leventhal: I am a Senior Lecturer and the Faculty Leader of Global Citizenship at Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) as well as the Director of a new programme: Master of Social Entrepreneurship.

5 Questions for… Isabel Rimanoczy

“Legacy is not what remains when we die, but what we’re creating every day.” – Isabel Rimanoczy

We put our five questions to new author Isabel Rimanoczy, whose book Big Bang Being: Developing the Sustainability Mindset is out now. Here Isabel talks to us about finding our identity, making a contribution and why what we are doing to the planet breaks her heart.

1. What inspired you to write “Big Bang Being” and what do you hope the book achieves or changes?
It’s interesting. This is the third book I have written, and every time the same thing happens. I think I’ll write about something I know, and I end up doing so much new research that the outcome is only slightly related to the idea!

So to answer your question, my motivation was to share the interesting findings of my doctoral research, where I studied business leaders championing sustainability initiatives. I wanted other business leaders around the world to find inspiration and benchmarks to see what is possible and be motivated to act in new ways.

Five questions for… Dennis Posadas

Dennis Posadas

Renewable energy versus fossil fuels: the debate rages on, worldwide. At stake is nothing less than the protection of our planet from the ravages of climate change. But the costs involved in making the switch to clean energy are daunting. How do we pay for solar and wind energy? Do we scrap all our gasoline-driven autos and turn off the lights? How can we move forward?

We talk to new author Dennis Posadas about renewables, the “party” atmosphere of climate change and why his new book Greenergized is suitable for your in-laws.

Sense and sustainability: How can we work collectively to implement sustainable policies?

In the the seventh video of the interview series with contributors to Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, editor David Grayson talks to Sharon Jackson, Associate at the Centre for Customised Executive Development. Her chapter in the book looks at how employees interpret their organisation’s sustainability expectations. Follow the discussion here:

“You have to be proactive about making changes to the innovation process”

In the the sixth video of the interview series with contributors to Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, editor David Grayson talks to Keith Goffin, Professor of Innovation and New Product Development at Cranfield School of Management about his chapter in the book Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, which looks at Sustainability and New Product Development. Follow the discussion here:

No manager says, “I want to go out and destroy meaning today” – they just don’t understand it.

Author Lani Morris (right) at the launch of The Map of Meaning in Brisbane.

Managers want an office that hums and employees want to do work they believe in: so why is there such a disconnect in the modern workplace?

Lani Morris, co-author of The Map of Meaning: A Guide to Sustaining Our Humanity in the World of Work, says people know what they want but they don’t have a clear way of working out how to achieve that.

“Everyone wants to excel. It’s true for managers; it’s true for workers. We want to do great work, that’s what makes work meaningful to us. We are driven to do work that has meaning, we don’t want to waste our lives,” says Morris, who has been researching the area of meaningful work for a decade with New Zealand’s University of Canterbury academic Marjolein Lips-Wiersma.

But despite these inherent drivers, Morris says it is disheartening to see the level of disengagement in workplaces, with under-motivated and unhappy staff. “This happens because they’ve lost meaning”, she says.

Morris says it is a lack of understanding by managers about how to motivate people that can have far-reaching negative consequences.

“The leader who takes up the sustainability mantle needs to engage people with what it means to them…”

In the the sixth video of the interview series with contributors to Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, editor David Grayson talks to Donna Ladkin, Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Cranfield School of Management about her chapter in the book Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability which looks at the role of leadership in building a sustainability agenda in organisations. Follow the discussion here: