Doing Business with the World - Mapeo de Promotores de RSE

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Turning challengeinto opportunity:Unilever and the MarineStewardship CouncilIn 1997, Unilever, the world’s largestbuyer of fish, and the World Wide Fundfor Nature (WWF), joined forces in aneffort to ensure the long-termsustainability of global fish stocks andprotect the integrity of marineecosystems. This initiative resulted in thefoundation of the Marine StewardshipCouncil (MSC). The MSC developed anenvironmental standard for sustainableand well-managed fisheries along with alabel and logo. Among the guidelinescontained in the standard is acommitment to avoid over-fishing, toinflict no damage to the habitat uponwhich the fishery depends, to avoiddamaging related ecological species, andto respect existing fisheries laws. Fisheriesare evaluated by independent certifiers.Fisheries and fishing-based activities thatconform to the standard developed bythe MSC are able to adorn their productswith the label and distinguish themselvesand their activities from those of otherfisheries. By the end of 2006, 21 fisheriesworldwide had been certified to the MSCstandard and over 450 products carriedthe MSC label and logo. Retailers whohave opted to sell MSC-certified productshave reported a marked increase in salesof such products since the introduction ofthe eco-label. In 2005/2006 the globalretail value of MSC-certified products wasestimated to be in the region ofUS$ 235,661,285 – a 76% increase onthe previous year.Source: www.msc.orgKey challengeslimiting progressThe degradation of ecosystems and theservices they provide is already havingserious detrimental impacts on humanwell-being and the economies of bothnations and businesses. It is helping toentrench poverty and leaving alreadyvulnerable populations exposed tofood and water scarcity.Many vulnerable ecosystems are in thedeveloping world, where regulatoryframeworks are weak or absent. At thesame time, some ecosystems are partof the global commons where they arelargely unregulated. A lack of transboundarycooperation hindersecosystem protection. Even in caseswhere ecosystem resources are underpublic ownership – for instance 84%of forests are publicly owned – weakregulatory systems often fail toprotect them. 11Poverty, demographic growth anddemands for food and energy allcollude to place greater pressure onecosystems and their services.Communities seeking to ensure theirday-to-day survival are unlikely to takea long-term view of ecosystems.Greater community-based action isneeded to alleviate poverty-drivendestruction of ecosystems.The view that ecosystems and theirservices are part of the globalcommons has until now precludedmany of them from being traded andbecoming a source of revenue. As aresult, many natural assets have notbeen included in global trade regimes,and their potential as sources ofrevenue has not been realized. Viewingglobal natural assets as commoditiesallows for the creation of previouslyunrealized revenue streams. Forexample, opportunities exist forrealizing revenues from forests orwetlands or from ecosystem services byplacing a value on them and makingthem subject to payment. However,such measures must always beundertaken while respecting theinterest of populations that live off ofthose services.Some governments, notably in Europeand North America, have passedstringent laws and introduced taxationschemes aimed at environmentalprotection. However, such legislation isby no means universal, nor does itcover all ecosystem products andservices. Certification schemes tend tobe voluntary.10
How businesscan contributeDifferent industry sectors have differentuses for and impacts on ecosystemsand the services they provide. Thesustainable use of ecosystems presentsmany opportunities for them todevelop new technologies andproducts to serve as substitutes forecosystem products or increase theefficiency of service use. Business canfurther contribute by applying onlysustainable land use and naturalresource utilization practices that avoid,minimize, mitigate or offset impacts onecosystems. This would help reducedependence on vulnerable ecosystemsand lower negative impacts.value on and building businesses aroundother global commons such as waterqualitytrading, wetland banking,mitigation credit trading or eventhreatened species banking. Othercontributions by business can includeecosystem restoration activities,brokerage or finance activities forenvironmental assets.Business can also contribute throughthe introduction and promotion ofcertification schemes such as MarineStewardship Council and ForestStewardship Council labeling, whichdeveloped largely in response toconcerns of consumers over dwindlingfish stocks, deforestation and “unseen”additives to food. Similarly, thegrowing market for environmentallyfriendly, organic or fair trade produce isalso a testimony to the potential size ofthe market for certified, sustainably orethically produced goods and services.Rising consumer awareness has openedup a whole new market for thecommercialization of sustainable goodsand services.There is a growing market for “nonconventional”ecosystem products andservices such as carbon trading. Theglobal trade in carbon credits toppedUS$ 30 billion in 2006 and is set toexpand considerably. Thus theecosystem challenge offers opportunitiesfor opening up new markets similar tothose for trading carbon dioxide andother greenhouse gases. It also presentsopportunities for putting an economicKey messagesFor business, investing insustainable ecosystems can: Create new revenue streams byintroducing innovative productsand services such as, for example,substitutes for ecosystem products; Reduce dependence onincreasingly scarce raw materials orfragile services through theintroduction of substitutes or theuse of alternative abundant orrenewable resources; Mitigate rising costs caused byscarcity of raw materials; Create new markets for certified,fair trade, organically grown orenvironmentally friendly products; Develop new businesses such aswater-quality trading, wetlandbanking, mitigation credit trading,threatened species banking orpollution prevention, capture,treatment and reuse; Strengthen its license to operate.For governments, an effectivepolicy framework for sustainableecosystems can: Protect ecosystems and theassociated populations andcommunities that depend on themfor their livelihoods; Ensure long-term, sustainable useof ecosystems as a provider ofgoods and services; Mitigate negative environmentaland climate change impacts; Raise awareness of the importanceof sustainable ecosystemmanagement within thepopulation; Generate income through taxationof businesses whose revenue isbased on sustainable ecosystemmanagement, as well as through thecollection of environmental taxes.11
Page 1 and 2: Doing Businesswith the WorldThe new
Page 3 and 4: Table of contentsStatement of inten
Page 5 and 6: To align our core business strategi
Page 7 and 8: Population shiftsAnother concept th
Page 9 and 10: Doing business with the worldMultin
Page 11: Societal needsThe 2005 Millennium E
Page 15 and 16: Societal needsEducation is a key fa
Page 17 and 18: How businesscan contributeThe onus
Page 19 and 20: India has an even more severeproble
Page 21 and 22: How businesscan contributeThe key t
Page 23 and 24: Societal needsSMEs in developing co
Page 25 and 26: How businesscan contributeLarge cor
Page 27 and 28: In comparison, official development
Page 31 and 32: Societal needsThere is growing cons
Page 35 and 36: death are diarrhea, malaria,pneumon
Page 37 and 38: How businesscan contributeWhile hea
Page 39 and 40: Average annual growth rate:2000-205
Page 41 and 42: How businesscan contributeBusiness
Page 43 and 44: Societal needsDespite robust econom
Page 47 and 48: Societal needsThe world faces a glo
Page 51 and 52: In particular, large corporations c
Page 53 and 54: Press Release. “Aid for tradecapa
Page 55 and 56: About theWBCSDWBCSDThe World Busine

Doing Business with the World - Mapeo de Promotores de RSE

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