A group of UK businesses will issue their response to the UK Government's 'Stern Review' on climate change on Monday, and they look set to call for greater effort from the private sector, consumers and the government to shift the UK to a greener way of life. This call has been made by others many times, of course. What is encouraging here is that the companies concerned are big enough to effect real change, if they follow through on their own recommendations. So we should expect to see some new 'greener' products on the market, and greater investment in the research and development of new technology - amongst other things. There are many good reasons for such moves, with the need to address and adapt to climate change just one. In any case, it's great to see such leadership from UK businesses - let's hope it manifests itself in other areas too, such as human rights, community investment and ethical supply chain management...
[I am also enjoying the symmetry of the story I posted from the UK 'Times' newspaper yesterday, about New York, and this story today from the 'New York Times' newspaper about the UK... Hope this tickles you, too!]
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Day Forty-Five: business leading the way?
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It’s good to see businesses taking the initiative, rather than waiting for more government schemes. Tesco, one of the signatories to this new agreement, can start on the shop floor by not putting peeled apples in polystyrene containers or shrink-wrapping turnips. They have, along with several other major retailers, promised to reduce by a quarter the packaging on own branded products by 2010 – why so little, why so late?
The cultural climate is slowly changing (ha!) but the UK government is trying to square the circle, attempting to balance global well-being against economic success – for example, is Heathrow’s fifth runway really necessary? Individually we can switch off our stand-by lights, but ultimately it will be the big initiatives that make the big difference. The sooner there is a Kyoto-type agreement that all nations can sign up to, the sooner things will change. Until then, don’t buy a cucumber if its wrapped in plastic.
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