The Sustainability Learning Forum

Georg Kell about the Global Compact

Georg Kell, United Nations Global Compact

Since the very beginning, Georg Kell has been Executive Director of the Global Compact. Due to his ongoing fervour the Global Compact today is fully integrated into the UN system. We spoke with Georg Kell about the economic crisis, the search for new confidence, and the renaissance of politics and ethics. His message is clear: We have to reward sustainable business models. And we have to take climate change much more seriously, or the future might be rough. more[...]

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From Global Compact to Global Leadership

Prof. V. Kasturi Rangan, Harvard Business School

The global financial crisis of 2008 was a stark reminder of business’s role in society. When well governed and well led, the role of business transcends one of profitability for its owners and incentives for its managers. Its role is to create value for society. Profit is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Without profit, there is no growth, and without growth there is no development. But if business does not create value and instead divvies up the same pie over and over again for personal gains (remember the subprime mortgages, collateral debt obligations, and credit default swaps?), then it is bound to fail and cause havoc for society. more[...]

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Whistleblowing systems as a practical foundation of democratization

Editorial Team

Current protest movements illustrate that citizens regard corruption as a great obstacle to democratization. Because of this corruption prevention plays an important role in companies and government agencies, as required by Principle 10 of the United Nations Global Compact. Therefor Whistleblowing systems can be an effective part of a stratagy for corruption prevention. more[...] login_required

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Whistleblowing Systems as a Practical Foundation of Democratization - Business Keeper

Kenan Tur, Business Keeper
Business Keeper AG

The current protest movements in various countries illustrate that citizens regard corruption as one of the greatest obstacles to democracy and that they demand responsible behavior from politicians. The interface between politics and business represents the most significant gateway for decisions that are not in the interest of the state and its citizens. Because of public pressure and an increase in international legislation, corruption prevention plays an increasingly important role in companies and government agencies, as required by Principle 10 of the United Nations Global Compact. more[...]

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Working Together on Safety

Editorial Team

Autostrade per l’Italia has always been committed to an effective policy of accident prevention through the empowerment of workers and companies. In addition to the strict observance of rules regarding safety at work provided for by the legislative decree no. 81, Consolidated Health and Safety at Work, on April 9, 2008, the company carries out training of workers and also finances enhanced training programs. In addition to the requirements of the law, it identifies standards of self-regulation and, above all, establishes an ongoing dialogue with governments, regulatory institutions, and associations within the industry. more[...] login_required

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Implementing Solutions to Optimize Energy Consumption and Fight Climate Change

Editorial Team

In line with Italian and EU energy and environment objectives, Autostrade per l'Italia has boosted initiatives and projects promoting the use of renewable sources for the production of electricity and improvement of energy efficiency in its buildings and infrastructure. more[...] login_required

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Upgrading Infrastructural Capacity and Reducing Atmospheric Pollution

Simonetta Giordani, Autostrade per l’Italia
Benedetta Masignani, Autostrade per l’Italia
Andrea Ragni, Autostrade per l’Italia
Autostrade per l’Italia

Given the interest in the issue of air quality – an issue that necessarily implies a scientific approach – Autostrade per l’Italia embarked on an in-depth examination of the problem in all of its aspects in 2007. This was done with an awareness that the motorway network is not a source of pollution, but rather an infrastructure that facilitates the transit of vehicles, whose emissions vary depending on their basic technical features, their speed, and traffic flow in general. A correct approach to the issue of air pollution therefore leads to the conclusion that since motorways free the ordinary road system of traffic, they can serve to reduce pollution. more[...] login_required

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Ragni, Andrea

Editorial Team

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Masignani, Benedetta

Editorial Team

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Giordani, Simonetta

Editorial Team

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Partnerships for More High-Quality Food

Dr. Wolfgang Große-Entrup, Bayer Group
Bayer Group

Safeguarding food supplies for a constantly growing world population will be among the most pressing problems of the future. Bayer is providing an innovative solution with the program “food chain partnership.” This business model supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of fighting poverty and hunger throughout the world and contributes to sustainable development. more[...] login_required

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Social Entrepreneurship in Times of Crisis

Mirjam Schöning, Schwaab Foundation

"At the end of the day, corporations are citizens too, and they should commit themselves in the same way good citizens would. It's important to emphasize here that other social forces must be involved: there's always at least one organization that is already implementing an idea, someone who has found a better approach to a certain segment of the population or an innovative solution to the same problem." more[...] login_required

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Global Core Labor Standards Are More Important Than Ever

Dr. Thomas Palley, New America Foundation

For much of the last decade, globalization was a leading issue of public policy debate, and global core labor standards (CLS) were the lead demand of critics of globalization. Now, with the world economy stuck in the deepest economic recession since the 1930s, attention to globalization and the need for labor standards has waned as people have become more concerned about jobs and economic recovery. more[...] login_required

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Ethics and Business: Ensuring Credibility

Prof. Andreas Suchanek, Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL)

"Ethics, in the form of a shared basic understanding of “right” values, such as dignity, freedom, justice, etc., are the foundation of the social market economy. Competition and legal foundations, both of which are essential for a market economy, lose their ability to function when people lose trust, and maintaining trust is always (also) a matter of the responsibility – or more generally: practiced values – of those active in the market economy." more[...] login_required

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Do we need a new economic system?

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

In 1933, representatives from 66 countries met in London to find a common solution to that era's global economic crisis. The idea: to have London send a signal for a new global financial system. The conference was a flop. On BBC Radio, economist John Maynard Keynes called it a complete yawn, and went on to say that conferences of this type usually ended in empty platitudes and ambiguous phras es. more[...] login_required

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