The coronavirus pandemic has created significant new ways of doing business that could benefit both the economy and environment, according to business leaders, who said there was no other option but to shift toward sustainability.
商界领袖指出,新冠疫情创造了许多可以同时造福经济和环境的重要商业新模式,现在除了转向可持续发展之外别无选择。
In June, Brazilian cosmetics giant Natura launched its "Commitment to Life" vision for the next 10 years. The plan includes pledges to reduce its emissions to net zero, have 30% of its management made up of under-represented groups, and make all of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable. Unilever announced a $1 billion investment into a climate and nature fund and pledged net-zero emissions across all of its products by 2039.
六月份,巴西美妆巨头Natura发起了未来十年的“承诺一生”愿景。该计划包括承诺将排放量降为零,30%的管理层由弱势群体组成,以及实现所有包装可重复使用、可回收或可降解。联合利华宣布给一家气候与自然基金会投资10亿美元(约合人民币70亿元),并承诺在2039年前实现所有产品零排放。
"(This) is even more relevant because of the time we are in and the importance of really thinking about how we want to shape the world coming out of this crisis," Natura CEO Roberto Marques told CNBC by phone. Natura owns British brand The Body Shop, Australian skincare company Aesop, and in January closed a deal to buy American business Avon, creating a group that it claims has 200 million customers.
Natura集团的首席执行官罗伯托·马奎斯在电话中告诉CNBC说:“由于我们所处的时代以及思考如何塑造危机后世界的重要性,这一计划更加具有相关性。”Natura拥有英国品牌美体小铺、澳大利亚护肤公司伊索,并在一月份成功收购了美国企业雅芳,如今该集团宣称拥有2亿客户。
For Natura, financial growth and sustainability go hand-in-hand, and executives' remuneration has been partly based on green goals, Marques said.
马奎斯称,对于Natura来说,经济增长和可持续发展是齐头并进的,高管的薪酬有一部分和绿色目标挂钩。
As with other manufacturers, it's in Natura's interest to focus on sustainability in an effort to ensure, for instance, that raw materials are available in the long term. "We can't run a business in a dead planet ... There is no other option for companies and leaders," Marques added.
和其他制造商一样,专注于可持续发展是符合Natura的利益的,举例而言,Natura需要确保可以长期获取原材料。马奎斯补充道:“我们不能在一个死亡的星球上做生意……企业和领导者们别无选择。”
For Richard Mattison, CEO of Trucost, a company owned by S and P Global that estimates climate risks to businesses, the pandemic has created opportunities that are good for the economy and the planet.
对于Trucost的首席执行官理查德·马蒂森而言,疫情创造了有利于经济和地球的良机。Trucost是标普全球旗下的公司,负责评估气候变化给企业带来的风险。
Mattison suggested there were three things companies can do: cut business travel, instigate a work-from-home policy and make supply chains more local.
马蒂森指出,企业能做的有三件事:减少商务旅行、推动在家办公政策和让供应链本地化。
For Helen Clarkson, CEO of nonprofit The Climate Group, post-pandemic spending is a critical opportunity to invest in ways to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. After the 2008-2009 recession, sustainability issues tended to be ignored, she told CNBC by phone.
非营利机构气候组织的首席执行官海伦·克拉克森则认为,后疫情时代的消费是投资零排放的绝佳机会。她在电话中告诉CNBC说,在遭遇了2008年到2009年的经济衰退后,可持续问题容易被忽视。
But now, things are different, in part due to pressure from younger generations and also because businesses are having to reimagine themselves, Clarkson added.
克拉克森补充道,但现在,情况不同了,一方面是由于来自年轻一代的压力,另一方面是因为企业不得不重新定义自己。
Compare Ethics is a site that lets shoppers compare clothing brands' commitment to issues such as paying a living wage or using recycled materials. It was founded by young entrepreneurs James Omisakin and Abbie Morris, who said the pandemic has meant that consumers have paid more attention to supply chains.
“道德比较”网站让购物者比较各服装品牌对于支付最低生活工资或采用可回收材料等问题的承诺。该网站是由年轻企业家詹姆斯·欧米萨金和艾比·莫里斯创立的,他们表示疫情意味着消费者对供应链的关注度提高了。
"Consumers and employees are now acutely aware of how their lives can change overnight and how supply chains directly affect them," Morris told CNBC by email. She added that sales of clothing via the Compare Ethics platform were up 150% in June compared to May.
莫里斯在电子邮件中告诉CNBC说:“消费者和雇主们现在强烈感受到他们的生活是如何在一夜之间发生改变的,供应链又是怎样对他们直接产生影响的。”她补充道,六月份通过“道德比较”网站成交的服装销量相比五月份提高了150%。
Omisakin is hopeful that the business world will continue to think about green issues. "There's no choice now but to place the planet first. Senior leaders know that without synergy, nature will ultimately disrupt and disarm business efforts," he told CNBC by email.
欧米萨金希望商界会继续关注环保问题。他在电子邮件中告诉CNBC说:“现在别无选择,只能把地球放在首位。高级领导人知道,没有协同合作,自然最终会崩溃,让企业的努力都付之东流。”