GLOBAL EDUCATION
Speaking at BizClik Media Group ’ s SUSTAINABILITY LIVE LONDON event in February this year , Clark tol both the live and virtual audiences of education ’ s importance in helping embed sustainability practices into the worlds of commerce and industry .
Clark said that he senses “ an increased sense of panic ” among executives , as the pressure mounts for organisations to meet 2050 net-zero targets . “ There ' s increased scrutiny and a need for increased transparency ,” he said . “ And then there ’ s Scope 3 emissions .”
Science-based sustainability standards are helping , according to Clark , because they bring clarity and consistency . This has seen “ alignment across the value chain , from raw materials to consumers ”.
But he also said that serious challenges remain around educating organisations to change behaviours and mindsets , with part of the problem for sustainability professionals being the sheer scale of the job .
“ If you ' re a sustainability professional , you ' re dealing with climate change , biodiversity , water use , land use , and other things besides . The sheer number of initiatives can be mind-boggling .”
He feels that the most effective way for the world to move forward on sustainability is for organisations to unite on important sustainability goals and , by sheer weight of numbers , help educate the wider commercial world around best practices .
Why working together works Clark gave the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as an example , an organisation founded by the round-the-world yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur to promote circulareconomy initiatives . In collaboration with
“ THE NOTION OF COLLABORATION AND EDUCATION
THAT HAS BEEN CHANGING
BEHAVIOURS
AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALSO NOW HAPPENING AROUND
PLASTICS AND PACKAGING WASTE ”
DAVID CLARK SUSTAINABILITY VICE PRESIDENT ,
AMCOR the UN Environment Programme , the foundation created the Global Commitment programme , which has united an estimated 500 organisations behind the common goal of creating a circular economy for plastics . Amcor is among those who have signed up to this .
Clark said : “ Back in 2018 , a small number of companies – including Amcor – got together because we knew plastics recycling doesn ' t work . Many of the products we ' re designing are not recyclable . This is because they ’ re designed to perform well , and endof-life was never part of the design criteria .
“ We felt we needed to send a clear signal to the wider packaging world that we are committed to designing our packaging to be either recyclable , reusable or compostable
48 September 2022