RSA and PepsiCo lead discussion on decoupling business growth from increased emissions
PepsiCo recently came together with around 30 leading experts from a range of organisations and sectors to debate the challenge of decoupling business growth from increased carbon emissions. This dilemma was set out in PIUK's first Environment Report, published in 2008. Hosted by the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), contributors to the debate included WWF, Cool Earth, the Carbon Trust, DEFRA, WRAP and the Carbon Disclosure Project.
22 September 2009
Following an introduction from Peter Jones OBE, Boris Johnson's lead advisor on waste and sustainability, Stephanie Draper of Forum for the Future made the clear case for absolute corporate reductions in carbon; reductions relative to the growth of a company might reduce the carbon intensity, but still lead to an overall increase in global warming.
After outlining the sheer scale and severity of the challenge, Sustainable Development Commissioner, Professor Tim Jackson, questioned the growth assumption itself. Aside from oil, most businesses rely on a multitude of non-renewable resources. Factoring in population growth, Jackson showed how enterprises need to be 21 times more efficient than they are at present if we are to avoid overstepping the earth's natural limits. For a business, this translates to consuming less, possibly to producing less, and certainly innovating, not just with products and services, but partnerships and organisational form and function. Jackson then outlined his proposed solution - the ecological enterprise, a replicable and scalable business model that enables sustainable consumption.
A full report on the themes and issues debated at the roundtable, alongside key areas for further work, can be read here. You can also listen to the contributions from Stephanie Draper and Prof Jackson on the RSA's website.
Download the report here:
PepsiCo & RSA Roundtable Report - Sustainable Growth (2.4 MB)
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