Biodiversity - of strategic value in a greening economy

In today’s society lifestyles are rapidly changing.  What attracts consumers today might be out of date tomorrow. Regardless of changing consumer preferences one fact remains consistent: lifestyles are imposing ever greater demand on increasingly scarce resources. Research has shown that for global consumption to match that of the rich countries, resources equivalent to two to three times that of planet Earth would be necessary. How might this affect the ecological balance and the biodiversity on the planet? And why should businesses in particular concentrate on ecological and sustainable production methods?

 

Entrepreneurial solutions for biodiversity issues

To jointly discuss issues such as biodiversity loss, nature conservation and the related challenges and opportunities for businesses, the CSCP supported the Second International Conference on Sustainable Business and Consumption (SusCon 2010) in Nürnberg, Germany. Biodiversity experts from across the world came together on June 15 and 16, 2010, to explore entrepreneurial solutions to biodiversity issues. Together with other partners the CSCP took the lead in conducting a workshop on sustainable consumption and the linkages to biodiversity in addition to presenting an interactive poster exhibition illustrating the biodiversity impacts of individual consumption decisions.

 

Exploring sustainable consumption trends and market opportunities

The aim of the interactive and multi-disciplinary workshop was to identify and explore sustainable consumption trends and market opportunities related to the sustainable use of biodiversity. Applying a World Café setting workshop participants were asked to envision perspectives on sustainable pathways and break their vision down to develop concrete steps and plans. At the same time the roles of three different groups of actors - business, policy makers/government, civil society - were analysed. The output of the session was a roadmap that enabled business to design enhanced operational, management and marketing strategies. These strategies capitalised on sustainable consumption trends related to the use and management of biodiversity. 

 

The road ahead

The SusCon 2010 enjoyed considerable success and the CSCP has plans to continue to collaborate with the conference partners in the coming years.  In 2011 the CSCP will assume the role of a co-organiser for the conference. The topic of the 2011 SusCon conference is “Soil and Water – Handle with Care! Changing threats into opportunities”.

 

Background

The SusCon 2010 was hosted by NürnbergMesse and organized by COLABORA, ECO-World and Organic Services.  The CSCP acted as a supporter of the conference.

 

For more information please visit the official website of the conference or contact: