Business Leaders Plan for Sustainable Development

A group of 12 business leaders have announced a plan to push forward how their companies work with and in the developing world as part of sustainable development according to Greenbiz.com.

In a "Statement of Intent for Doing Business with the World" the leaders of 12 World Business Council on Sustainable Development member companies have committed to looking beyond corporate philanthropy to search for responsible, sustainable and inclusive business models that are good for business and good for development.

Through the statement, the business leaders, all members of the Development Focus Area Core Team (FACT), pledge "to play a part in building capacity and empowering people so they have the opportunity to move out of poverty and into the formal economy."

Intending to help create new businesses, new markets, new suppliers, new employees and new customers among the world’s low-income segment, the FACT members strongly believe that "if these efforts are to be substantial and sustainable, they must also be profitable. Our major contribution to society will therefore come through our core business activities."

The statement highlights the priorities for collaborative action between business, government and civil society: a fair and competitive global market that is non-discriminatory, effective legal and regulatory frameworks, support for small and medium enterprises and investments in core infrastructure.

The business leaders invite government and civil society leaders "to work with us to create an environment of mutual advantage where business success goes hand in hand with successful societies the world over."

The signatories of the "Statement of Intent for Doing Business with the World" are:

– Tom de Swaan, Senior Adviser to the Managing Board, ABN Amro
– Paul Hanrahan, President and CEO, AES Corp
– Sir Mark Moody -Stuart, Chairman, Anglo American
– John Manzoni, CEO Refining & Marketing, BP
– Dr Robin Bidwell CBE, Executive Chairman, ERM
– Thulani Gcabashe, Chief Executive, Eskom
– John Rice, Vice Chairman, GE
– Julio Moura, Chairman & CEO, GrupoNueva
– Nina Udnes Tronstad, Executive Vice President, Statoil
– Dr Shoichiro Toyoda, Hon. Chairman and Member of the Board, Toyota
– Antony Burgmans, Chairman, Unilever
– Alan Harper, Executive Director and Group Strategy Director, Vodafone

The statement is available for download from the WBCSD website