WBCSD: cities must engage businesses on sustainable development
World Business Council for Sustainable Development calls on cities and companies to develop practical and cost-effective sustainability plans worldwide
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has called on cities to collaborate with businesses in their sustainable development strategies in order to achieve their sustainability objectives, according to a new report.
The report, released on Monday, presents the findings of the WBCSD’s Urban Infrastructures Initiative (UII).
The initiative was started in 2010 and brings together 14 companies including Siemens, Toyota, Philips and Schneider Electric to develop practical and cost-effective sustainability plans in 10 cities worldwide.
Six of the ten cities under the UII are in Asia, reflecting the critical role the continent has in driving global urban sustainability. UII cities include Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara in India, Yixing in China, and Kobe in Japan.
WBCSD CEO Peter Bakker said “the battle for sustainable development will be won or lost in cities. Cities already consume up to 80 per cent of the global energy supply and produce around 75 per cent of carbon emissions. On current projections these pressures are only set to increase – by 2050, the world will have up to three billion more city dwellers.”
The 14 companies that participated in the initiative are from a wide range of sectors including construction, energy, water and engineering.
The electric utility company GDF SUEZ co-chaired the initiative and their senior vice president of Innovation, Stéphane Quéré, said: “The multi-sector approach of the UII is essential as sustainability cuts across functions and specialisms and requires an integrated response.”
In the Indian cities of Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara, a team of seven UII participants, including Acciona, AECOM, Asahi India Glass Group, GDF Suez, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and UTC proposed a selection of 28 solutions to enhance wastewater management. These included technical and vocational planning programme, financing schemes to promote energy efficiency, and a public awareness and education programme.
In Kobe, Japan, UII participants including Honda Motors, Nissan Motors, Schneider Electric, Siemens and Toyota Motor Corporation collaborated with city officials to propose a suite of sustainability solutions including energy efficiency measures for buildings, enhancing real-time traffic monitoring and promoting low-emission vehicles.
Yixing in China has acted on the UII recommendations by fast-tracking a detailed feasibility study for establishing a green transport network for the city.
WBCSD is continuing to explore ways to scale up strategic engagement between cities and businesses through Action2020.The new initiative is a collaboration between WBCSD and member companies to set the agenda for the private sector to take action on sustainable development to 2020 and beyond.
