Respect Table: business lobby for tougher environmental standards
Respect Table: business lobby for tougher environmental standardsKeywords: Environmental standards, Sustainability, Climate change
Respect Table is a network of leading industrialists from Europe and the USA,chaired by Gordon Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, formed as a proactive collaboration for a socially, ecologically and economically sustainable society. Mr Roddick led the round-table meeting with invited participants including Rob Coombs (CEO of Interface Europe and Asia Pacific), Anders Dahlvig (CEO of IKEA),the Swedish Minister of the Environment, Kjell Larsson (current chair of the EU's environmental council) and the EU's Commissioner for the Environment,Margot Wallström.
The network has placed the question of climate change at the top of its agenda. This is a subject which has united network members around a common proposal on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including an openness to the possibilities of making fossil fuels more expensive. Margot Wallström presented the BLICC (Business Leaders Initiative on Climate Change) proposal that is founded on a collaboration between the European Commission and company leaders in Europe and the USA. The proposal is based on an initiative taken by Respect Table companies in September 2000. Margot Wallström presented an EU initiative in response to the proposal made by these industrial leaders.
Rob Coombs presented the Interface approach to sustainability. Interface have identified seven "fronts" on which they will work towards sustainability, one of which is to eliminate harmful emissions. Rob outlined some of the initiatives Interface has taken to reduce harmful emissions in line with Kyoto protocol in his presentation.
Interface does not profess to have all the answers, but they have certainly learned some invaluable lessons since they began the journey to sustainability in 1994. Chief among these is that the future for Interface will be based around products and processes that are in keeping with the cyclical nature of the wider environment. This makes sound business sense and will lead to a more competitive company meeting the needs of its clients and the wider community. They will be an organisation who take no more from the earth than they put back – and who are "doing well by doing good".
For further information contact Caroline Woffenden, Weber Shandwick Worldwide. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7950 2116; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7905 2405; E-mail: cwoffenden@webershandwick.com
