translated from Spanish: Sustainable business, a new concept of planet

for several years, the Argentine musician Charly Alberti wanted to take advantage of its ability to reach out to millions of people and started the Foundation R21, after understanding the depth of the climate crisis, challenges and opportunities in Latin America.
A group of professionals enshrined in their respective areas of expertise comprise R21, and everyone shares the vision of a sustainable future of the founder, and work to disseminate and educate about the global environmental crisis and help find solutions.
“If you ask me: ‘What is your point, Charly?’.” I answer: is the excitement because I feel that a lot of people, mainly the cities, is not conscious. The field people are much more aware of what is happening with the climate. Many have been disconnected emotionally. There are those who say: ‘Cut that tree because it bothers me to sweep their leaves’. That is a disconnect that has really happened. I appeal to reconnect them with these basic emotions and show them that there is a way out. Easy is not. Easy there is nothing, but we can do it to the extent that we do it all together. “No need to return to the era of the cavern to achieve this, simply with the sum of small personal actions can generate a great change”, says the former drummer of legendary band Soda Stereo.
Meanwhile, businessman Rick Ridgeway tells that the firm of which it is part, Patagonia, started as a company that made equipment for mountaineers and other extreme sports. However, he explains, since beginning their business activities have made a commitment to environmental protection, “as well as mountaineers, climbers, surfers and skiers we have witnessed the human impact on the open areas of the” “world and have felt a moral obligation to do something about it”.
For that reason, adds Ridgeway, “we are using our business as a tool for the environmental projection, that is the reason why we have a business. Not to enrich shareholders, but to preserve the health of our planet”.
Ridgeway reflect on lathe the existence of a business without a healthy market is not possible. “You can’t have a healthy market if you don’t have a healthy society. You can also have a healthy society if you don’t have a healthy planet. Then, you can’t have a healthy business without a healthy planet”.
One of the concerns most relevant of much of humanity revolves around the future of the planet. The situation is so serious that even the programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) promotes the objectives of sustainable development (ODS) with a universal call for the adoption of measures to put an end to poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Although the 17 points that raise the ODS include areas like economic inequality, innovation, peace and justice, highlight those related to climate change and sustainable consumption that provide guidance and clear goals for adoption .
“We are at a very delicate moment, people are not aware, it believes that they are fantasies. We also have a lot of people acting against and who, by personal or business interests, say that this is a lie, which is very rare because, having more money, they are not going to save,”says Alberti.
“Affected elderly are our children, our children and our grandchildren not to mention. When I see entrepreneurs who act with impunity and make their business full of shenanigans and non-sustainable procedures and then speak of education of their children, they are actually having a double discourse. The first thing we have to do is leave them a planet with the same possibilities of development that we had at least”, he says.
Companies around the world have joined this initiative. With the prior reasoning that the sustainable business will be the basis of the economy of the future, many companies and individuals have adopted a green concept as a central axis of the goods and services offered.
One of those companies of global significance is the britanico-neerlandesa Unilever firm that, through a project called sustainable lifestyle Plan, has generated more growth through its brands to cut costs by using fewer materials and has won more confidence among consumers.
Unilever, whose food contained in over 400 brands and personal care products are consumed daily by 2,500 million people around the world, also promotes the initiative “sustainable business: mobilizing collective action” that it has become a space of inspiration and reflection involving citizens and personalities to promote sustainable business models. Alberti and Ridgeway are part of this initiative.
“You have to understand that no matter what is so low the level of impact, still can download it more”, says Ridgeway. “Sustainability is a goal that you can never achieve, because although you recognize that you can lower the impact as much as possible, you are still causing some damage. Then, as a business, you have to return order to mitigate the damage and that is the reason why we have committed to supporting environmental protection.”
He also Vice President of environmental initiatives of Patagonia says that his company donates, each year, 1% of their income to environmental groups. “We consider it our land taxation,” he explains.

Original source in Spanish