Sustainable development for the future
global conference
Global choices and challenges
Historie and thought-provoking were among the accolades given to Rabobank International as we
marked our centenary. The event that drew such praise was, of course, the global conference on
sustainable development. The people who gave us that praise are some of the world's top captains of
industry. A photo impression of the people who made this a celebration that could prove a milestone
in our own development, but more importantly in ensuring the planet remains a source of profit and
sustenance for people for many
millennia to come.
Exhausted planet
Survival demands
4 What sNewS Issue 6'June 1998
Sustainable development is fast
becoming the key to unlocking our
future success. The awareness of
preservation and responsible husbandry
of natural resources is becoming crucial
- and nowhere more so than in our core
focus area, F&A. Our global centenary
conference, held in the Netherlands May
28 and 29 was attended by over 250
international colleagues, clients and
prospects. It created a rich and
informative discussion platform for
authoritative speakers from multinational
corporations, governments and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs).
Former chairman of our managing board
Arthur Arnold opened on a positive
note: 'Just a few years ago, the subject
of sustainable development was
considered a daring one. Today, it is
centre of attention for so many. For
Rabobank it is imbedded in our mission;
our commitment to our customers, our
society, and our environment.'
Ten years ago, sustainable development
was a non-issue,' said bierman Wijffels
in his closing address. 'Today, it is a
major policy issue for the future.'
Sustainability/sustainable development -
the terms were coined in 1987. In the
past, environmentalists have often been
perceived as unrealistic dreamers, earning
sobriquets such as 'tree huggers'. Their
notions of saving this, that or other flora
or fauna were usually unacceptable to
One of the highlights over the two days was top motivational speaker and special envoy to the director
generaI of UNESCO, Antarctic explorer Robert Swan, the first person in history to have reached both
the North and the South Poles - on foot. Swan, with his passion for the last remaining wilderness on earth,
shared his Antarctic adventures. In his captivating and contiguously enthusiastic manner,
Swan demonstrated his commitment to preserving the environment and educating the world about the
importance of sustainable development.
the serious business community or
ridiculed as unprofitable, not viable.
Times change and the perceptions of an
increasingly exhausted planet, the
growing numbers of people who live on
it, and the frightening reality of declining
natural resources have gradually pushed
their significance into the limelight. And
R1 is not the only organization which
has noticed. Unilever's Ian Anderson flev^B
in to explain what his multinational is
doing to conserve the raw materials on
which the Anglo-Dutch conglome-rate's
survival depends. The fact that this
