Best Practices for Resilient Personal Development

The famous automaker Henry Ford once said: “The business that makes nothing but money is weak.” Not surprisingly, it is the corporate sector that is driving the adoption of sustainability and responsible use of resources as a major factor in this process

Several years ago, coffee producers joined together to address global environmental issues and ensure their companies are sustainable for the future.

The coffee industry has a significant impact on the global economy. More than 2.5 billion cups of the invigorating drink are drunk every day. For many of the 25 million people who work in the industry, its production is the only way to make a living. Therefore, any ecological disasters threaten not only the development of the entire industry, but also the level of social well-being of individual regions.

The process of growing and producing coffee is subject to many challenges, including climate change, fluctuations in the price of the product on world markets, and the aging of coffee trees, which reduces their yields. Therefore, reforming the industry is a vital task for its representatives.

Specialized guidelines – Global Coffee Platform and Sustainable Coffee Challenge – were created and agreed upon for this purpose. The latter document became a guide to action for the 50 leading coffee producers in achieving the main goal – to make the production of the popular beverage the most environmentally friendly and socially protected in the food industry. Bringing together the efforts of different organizations, the initiators of the project identified three main goals – ensuring the well-being of farmers growing valuable beans and local communities, protecting the ecosystem, and promoting responsible coffee consumption.

The next step to solve important tasks was the creation of the Sustainability Framework, which allows to track the effectiveness of investments and activities.

One of the world leaders in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development is the Swedish furniture giant IKEA. For the company these are investments in LED lighting, renewable energy and optimization of cotton production – a cultivation technology that involves reducing water consumption by 60% and significantly increasing yields.

Recently, IKEA decided to rent out its products. Returned goods will be repaired and offered again to consumers. Thus, it is planned to create a circular model for the sale of the product.

The company is convinced that prolongation of the life of manufactured goods will have a positive impact on the environment and will promote sustainable development of the company.

One of the brightest examples of effective implementation of sustainability models is the experience of the leading brewing concern Heineken. In 2016 the company received two prestigious awards in this area – the European Excellence Award and the EU Sustainable Energy Award. Heineken is also annually included in the top 50 of Fortune’s Change the World, an association of leaders in social responsibility.

For several years Brewing a Better World has been the company’s basic strategy in the field of social commitment and sustainable development. In 2010 the brewing company involved various stakeholder groups in the creation of the new vision. A group of internal specialists worked on the document at the same time.

In the process of creating the Heineken strategy, several areas of possible activity were identified, which have a significant impact on various stages of the company’s activities – from reducing water use to promoting the idea of responsible drinking of the hop beverage.

In the next stage, specific goals were formulated for each area. Heineken’s partnership program “1+1=3” played an important role in achieving the set objectives. Rightly believing that many of the topical tasks in the field of CSR are difficult to implement alone and a much greater result can be achieved by working with like-minded people, the company strives not only to multiply efforts, but also to mutually benefit.

An example of the successful implementation of the chosen concept can be seen in the cooperation between Heineken and the Center for International Industrial Cooperation (UNIDO). The common goal of the two organizations was to ensure a quality water supply in remote regions, where 23 breweries of the concern are located.

Other programs have recently been launched involving consumers, NGOs and other interest groups. In Africa, together with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EUCORD, Heineken is engaged in an educational program to help local farmers gain new knowledge and skills.

In 2017, Heineken’s direct investments in local community development totaled C$24 million. C$9.2 million has been spent in recent years on 104 Heineken Africa Foundation projects. More than 2,700 employees in 32 countries have devoted 34,000 hours to volunteer work.

Since 2008 Heineken has succeeded in reducing water consumption by 29% and greenhouse gas emissions by 41%. The use of local agricultural resources has also been increased – 42% of raw materials supplied to production facilities in Africa and the Middle East are locally sourced. 10% of expenditures on media activities are devoted to promoting responsible drinking.

High recognition of Heineken’s efforts in implementing the Brewing a Better World plan is the result of the right approach to the selection of new projects, strong “connection” of social activity with business goals and its integration into the strategy of sustainable development.

Conserving natural resources and using them sustainably is not just a priority for food producers. Switching to renewable energy is one of the points of Microsoft’s development strategy.

The Efficient Dynamics program, developed by the BMW Group experts, is aimed at reducing the amount of hazardous emissions, further reducing water and electricity consumption, increasing the use of renewable energy and the efficient use of other resources.

L’Oréal, a leader in the global perfume and cosmetics market and an active participant in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, pays special attention to knowledge sharing on environmental, economic, and social issues. In addition, the corporation organized 164,000 volunteer hours in 2016. 67,533 people from low-income families had the opportunity to work. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 67% from 2005 to 2016.

In the fashion world, one of the largest retailers, H&M, is a leading environmental advocate. According to recent studies, clothing production emits about 1.2 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. An equally serious problem is the use of cotton, the cultivation of which involves a large use of natural resources. It takes 8.5 thousand liters of water to create the material for one pair of jeans. At the same time, only 1% of the output is recycled.

The problem is further exacerbated by a significant increase in the volume of clothing purchased – over the past 15 years the volume of production has doubled.

By 2020, H&M plans to completely abandon the use of conventional cotton. The infant clothing line is already made entirely of organic material. The company is also one of the global leaders in the use of recycled polyester. In 2016, the equivalent of 180 million plastic bottles were used to make the clothing sold by the chain.

The well-known chain has something to boast about in other areas as well. In 2016, 96% of the electricity used by H&M came from renewable sources. In the same year, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions was reduced by 47%.

In turn, Adidas was able to create unique sets of uniforms for the volunteers of the 2012 Olympic Games, made entirely of recycled polyester. The closest competitor of the German manufacturer Nike, which dressed Manchester City team players in “eco” jerseys, decided on a similar step.

Among the companies already supporting the concept of “responsible” fashion are Marks & Spencer, Max Mara, Levi’s, Asics, Patagonia, Topshop and many others.

Equally important factor in achieving the main goals of sustainable development is the support of national governments.

Changes in the price of oil and the desire to verify sources of income have led Saudi leaders to cut subsidies for conventional energy production and to launch the creation of new energy projects. These include the launch of 30 solar and wind power generation facilities. About $50 billion is planned for such projects over the next 10 years.

Sweden, the country ranked first in the global reputation ranking, uses renewable energy sources more than others. According to Eurostat, the share of “green energy” in this country exceeds 50%. Finland (41.0%), Latvia (39.0%), Denmark (35.8%) and Austria (32.6%) also achieved high results.

Since 2004, the share of energy from renewable sources in the EU has doubled to 17.5%. The goal of the association is to increase this indicator to 32% by 2030.

According to the UN, one-third of food produced in the world is thrown away in garbage, resulting in losses of C$1 trillion. Such a situation not only hampers the effective fight against global hunger, but also has an extremely negative impact on the environment.

According to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation, the most rational use of food is in France. Active measures to combat food waste, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the introduction of progressive farming methods have allowed this country to take the leading position.

In 2016, the country passed a law requiring supermarkets to donate leftover food to charitable organizations.

Thus, the successful implementation of sustainable development programs depends on several key factors: awareness of the importance of sustainable use of natural resources, the incorporation of created initiatives in the development strategy and setting specific goals, joining forces with like-minded people and cooperation with specialized organizations. And, most importantly, it is important to remember that supporting the principles of sustainable development today is not only a fact of awareness of the responsibility of business to society, but also a powerful competitive advantage, as well as a guarantee of further development of companies, industries and nations.

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Sustainable Human Development Means Living In Harmony With Nature

One of the most important aspects of restructuring human development is emphasizing the need for justice to nature and other living beings. We cannot develop until our lives are reconnected and balanced, in cooperation and harmony with nature. A good balance between local knowledge and modern science and technology can lead us to this new vision of sustainable human development, says Yanfen Wang.

How Should The Concept Of Human Development Be Rethought Today, Taking Your Work In China As A Starting Point?

The common processes of human development are socio-economic development, liberating cultural change, democratization, and the expansion of civil rights. This can lead to human activity focusing only on what we need, regardless of the carrying capacity of the environment, leading to unsustainable human development.

Such human-centered development is a common flaw in human development these days. One of the main reasons is the lack of consideration of the carrying capacity of the environment for long-term development. Many basic resources (e.g., fossil fuels) are non-renewable resources, but their exploitation is unwarranted. Unrestrained human activities have also led to an increase in pollution, such as air, water and soil pollution, which significantly threatens human health and safety. Therefore, we must abandon the human-centered concept of development, advocate the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, rationally develop and use resources, pay attention to environmental problems and build the future of human development on the basis of sustainable development.

Based on my experience, I have two proposals in this area. One is the rational development and use of fossil energy, and the other is the development of clean energy, such as solar energy, wind energy and nuclear energy, which can not only meet human development needs but also avoid environmental pollution. In fact, we are now promoting solar energy in the Tibetan Plateau to partially replace yak dung (which is burned as fuel) to protect human health as well as local pastures.

This is an important message to convey that human-centered development can actually mislead us. Why is it problematic to isolate people from the rest of the environment?

I would like to use the term “sustainability” to elaborate on this question. Resilience is the ability of a system to return to its original state after the perturbation has disappeared. It should be recognized that humans and nature are interdependent and interconnected components of the earth system, with some resilience at low levels of disturbance. Indigenous knowledge has a good understanding of the laws of nature, such as the 24 solar terms in ancient China, which can still be used to manage agricultural activities. However, this is not enough for us in a much more rapidly changing world with much greater anxiety.

Science and technology have greatly increased social productivity and freed up labor. For example, agricultural production can be maximized by intelligent and scientific cultivation. Scientific research can provide better seeds for sowing (e.g., hybrid rice), mechanized agriculture can reduce the burden on farmers, and a variety of agricultural products can increase farmers’ income. In addition, advances in science and technology have increased the efficiency of human labor, and the time saved can create additional value, such as processing agricultural products and working outside, which can also increase farmers’ income. Moreover, scientific and technological advances allow us to effectively monitor climate change and predict natural disasters, helping us deal with these problems. All of these advances have greatly increased social sustainability. However, such advances also create problems related to global warming, climate extremes, and pollution, leading to greater uncertainty in the laws of nature. Therefore, human development in the future must consider the impact of human activities on the laws of nature.

For me, the coexistence of indigenous knowledge with science and technology is the way forward. We must obey the basic rules of being part of nature, using our wisdom to improve living conditions. We must recognize that we can never live independently of other elements of nature, such as animals, plants and even microorganisms.

You are an expert in education, and you mentioned how important the right kind of education is. How can education help us teach people to understand their connection to nature and to better use science and technology to produce products from nature without depleting the natural environment?

Education as well as science and technology are the foundation of human development. The importance of education to human development manifests itself in two ways. One is to increase societal productivity in terms of production, and the other is to promote the concept of sustainable development through environmental education. For example, education can help people use natural resources more efficiently. I found this with herders in Inner Mongolia, who through education gained knowledge on how to delay the grazing period so that grass grows better, allowing them to have more efficient and healthy pastures and more income from their cattle. They were able to learn from the experiences of their elders and local and regional research groups. Supplementing indigenous knowledge with modern science and technology would greatly improve local livelihoods while maintaining their balance with the local environment.

Environmental education can increase people’s awareness and participation in environmental protection, popularize environmental knowledge and skills, and thus contribute to achieving sustainable development. Education is also the main way for the large-scale, rapid and effective dissemination of science and technology. Through education, the heritage and innovations of science and technology can be realized, continually developed and strengthened, and ultimately contribute effectively to human development without harming the environment.

How can we make this message that the key to reformulating human development lies in creating (rather than destroying) indigenous knowledge and culture that is more policy-friendly and influential?

We talked about knowledge and education of individuals and small communities, but more important is the education of society. In particular, I think we need to make an effort to improve environmental education for politicians and members of governments at the national and international levels. I like the structure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) because it helps us think about sustainable “us” and reminds us of personal behavior (e.g., our carbon footprint and consumer habits). Meanwhile, we need more education at all levels of society, so more and more people are looking at these different elements as an interconnected whole. Obviously, these 17 goals are not equally important for different countries, regions, or communities. But identifying the goals that should be emphasized in a particular context and ensuring that they are integrated at all levels of education can be an important step forward.

If you were to propose a new definition of human development, what would it be?

I would like to identify some words to contribute to the new definition. One is “harmony,” emphasizing the importance of the relationship between people and nature. The second is “evenness” or “even development,” which implies the joint development of all aspects of the SDGs as well as all regions. The third is “leaving no one behind,” indicating that human development should benefit everyone, regardless of race, gender, and social class.