PEOPLE, PLANET AND PROFIT

In recent years climate change has dominated discussions around sustainable business practices, yet businesses are also undertaking significant projects in other areas, such as biodiversity and socio-economic development. The Responsible Business Television Series will be exploring some of these stories.

With the 2015 deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals fast approaching, there is increasing recognition of the role that businesses can play in supporting socio-economic development across the globe. The 1GOAL project, for example, will see MTN, FIFA and other partners collect names and support from the public, footballers and celebrities to petition all governments to meet their “Education for All” targets by 2015. 1GOAL will then deliver

the millions of names collected through the campaign to the governments ahead of the next UN meeting on Millennium Development Goals in September 2010.

In another innovative partnership, the UN World Food Programme last year announced a multi-million dollar programme which harnesses the power of leading multinational companies to work together to end hunger and malnutrition among children in the developing world. Project Laser Beam combines the know-how of WFP with the business expertise of private sector partners such as DSM, Heinz, Kraft Foods, Unilever and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Over the course of the five-year initiative, WFP will raise a collective US$50 million from these and other companies.

A new report has recently been released by the Africa Progress Panel, an international review group headed by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The report warns that the global economic crisis and climate change threaten to curtail already slow progress on meeting the social development targets of the Millennium Development Goals, underscoring the importance of initiatives by business to support the MDGs. "Despite strong economic growth, an overall improvement in the policy environment, and many success stories, particularly in the area of primary education, the continent as a whole is lagging behind on

each of the relevant goals," the report said. "Progress, already too slow, now risks being further undermined by the effects of the global economic crisis and climate change."

Companies have also been active in preserving biodiversity and minimizing their impact on fragile natural systems. These efforts are particularly salient at this time as 2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations. Shell, for example, has been working with the Earthwatch Institute in Shell’s Project Better World. Through this initiative Earthwatch provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for Shell employees on research projects around the world that have been selected for their relevance to Shell as a company with a worldwide environmental footprint. This personal and professional development experience increases their understanding of sustainable development issues in the context of Shell's operations and inspires employees to promote environmental initiatives at work. At the same time, it provides a valuable resource to Earthwatch’s conservation agenda, employing the skills and time of Shell employees on important environmental research initiatives worldwide.

'Responsible Business: Solutions for a low carbon future' will be broadcast from September to December 2010 on CNBC US (and Canada), CNBC Europe (and the Middle East), and CNBC Asia Pacific.