Using technology as a tool to create awareness on sustainability among corporates
While technology is playing a major role in today’s context in getting the message across to the public and young millennials at large, it can be used as a tool to create awareness about sustainability among everyone in this new era.
These comments were made by UN Sri Lanka Resident Coordinator and UNDP Sri Lanka Resident Representative, Una McCauley to the Business Times on the sidelines of the ACCA Sustainability Reporting awards held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo recently.
Ms. McCauley said, “Using technology today you can bring the awareness among the public and young generation about sustainability and the vision of what the future would look like.” There are many imaginative ways of using technology and doing things better taking shortcuts, cutting down on waste and pollution while development takes place. Young people are very innovative and they are the country’s future, therefore businesses should start investing on them for a sustainable Sri Lanka, she added.
Sri Lanka is renowned for volunteerism among the young generation for various reasons with the primary objective being “doing good” to others. This is carried through into the corporate sector by millennials, she noted.
She also mentioned that corporate social responsibility has increasingly moved from charity and philanthropy to doing businesses differently. Understanding that Sri Lanka is vulnerable to climate change being an isolated island in the middle of an ocean, makes it unique. Maintaining the uniqueness is important to businesses while globally connected.
Businesses in Sri Lanka are taking the effort to change the way of doing things. “They also understand that if they don’t do things properly, they will have to challenge the sustainability of their own rivers, forests and population. Corporates have also taken the task of educating young people on sustainability while working on how they can contribute to the future. Sri Lanka has always understood its global role,” she stressed.
Ms. McCauley also stated that nature is very important and children need to understand that they will inherit the world in the future. It’s going to be difficult to waste electricity and water as they will be scarce while they also don’t waste paper and other related resources, she added.
Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) won the Retail and Trading category while emerging overall runner up at the ACCA Sustainability Awards. Company Chairman, Ranjith Pandithage told the Business Times that sustainability of an organisation should start within the organisation among each employee and by helping the community around where businesses are set up. “At DIMO we don’t have a separate team to focus on sustainability, it’s the mindset and willingness of each individual who work for the organisation,” he noted.
John Keells Holdings PLC won the award for Sri Lanka’s most transparent company while also topping the Conglomerates and Diversified category.
ACCA Sri Lanka President Adrian Perera stated that the world needs true wholehearted action, not short term profit. “Sri Lanka is facing energy, water and food crises and while the solutions are at hand, we continue to take the easy path. Our resources are limited but due to political and other inefficiencies, we still do not have a plan of action.”