Triple action
'We were committed to pushing
sustainable development out of the realm
of discussion and into the realm of action -
creating sustainable connections between
people in industry is the first stage,' says
Tanja Kliphuis, Product Manager at
Rabobank Nederland Private Banking, who
represented the Rabobank Group in the
Young Manager's Team (YMT) 2004. 'I am
proud to be Rabobank's representative, it is
further evidence that Rabobank makes the
rhetoric a reality by both participating in
such projects and investing in its people.'
Agroupof30young managers, the YMT
represents a wide variety of industrial sectors
with different functions and cultural
backgrounds. This team is an offshoot of the
World Business Council for Sustainable
Development, representing a coalition of
international companies committed to
sustainable development.
The team undertookthree projects: a
learning module on sustainable develop
ment in China, forestry sustainability in
Brazil, and a way to encourage financial
analysts to value sustainable development
decisions made by theirfirms.
Rabobank's participation in YMT 2004
reflects Rabobank's corporate strategies
which implement corporate responsibility
and value sustainability decisions globally.
With 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, and having very rapidly risen tothe position of the second largest economy globally,
'there is no sustainable world without a sustainable China' says Kliphuis.
China has the legislation, the infrastructure, and the quality of personnel to implement sustainability. After a preparatory visit to China and
research, it was concluded that sustainable education was the key to the puzzle. Kliphuis explains, 'We decided to develop a learning module
on sustainable development in the Chinese context which can be used by Chinese and multinational companies as well as universities and
business schools. Train-the-trainerdelivery of the package took place in the spring in Beijing and Hong Kong. Foran electronic copy of the
learning module, please contact Tanja Kliphuis.
The challenge for the financial sector team was to find ways for CEOs and young financial analysts to value firms that prioritise sustainability.
Without the means to value such priorities, 'Short-term gain drives out long-term good sense, so we need to find the tools to reverse that,'
explains Kliphuis. Interviews were conducted with financial analysts and a workshop was held in New York in March 2005.
The key finding of the Brazil project was that communication is essential to sustainable development. YMT quickly realised that
communication was lacking and that relationships between government and industry must be initiated for sustainability to advance.
Kliphuis continues, 'Each of these groups face similar challenges in protecting essential forest biodiversity, improving the lives of local
people, and making a profit.' The YMT group set the ball rolling with a conference attended by all interest groups to set the precedent for
sustainable discussions and relations into the future.
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