Net Impact and Unilever held an event at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) to engage the next generation of business leaders and ingrain in them sustainable practice values.
According to Sue de Witt, chairperson of Net Impact SA and MBA student at the GSB, while sustainability is a hot topic these days, the 2013 Accenture-UN Global Compact study of CEOs shows that while many business leaders acknowledge the importance of implementing sustainability practices into business, not enough is being done.
James Inglesby, marketing manager of Unilever Nigeria and co-founder and director at Clean Team Ghana Limited, said that in creating sustainable practice, it’s important to make sure the strategies are aligned with the broader businesses objectives.
Clean Team Ghana Limited is an urban sanitation organisation that has led to 3 000 people gaining access to improved sanitation in Ghana, and 145 tonnes of sludge removed from the streets. It is serviced by small entrepreneurs and so lends itself to job creation.
Inglesby said, “Through its engagements with Net Impact, Unilever hopes to inspire young leaders to build new businesses with sustainability at their core, or have them join existing businesses and lead change from within.”
Karen Hamilton, vice-president of sustainable business at Unilever, said that: “We want to seed and support a movement where young people are leading the change so that businesses are not only being less of a problem but are an actual force for good and part of the solution”.