Viewpoints
Viewpoints is a blog in which different writers express their views and opinions on current topics. A new blog post is published about once every four weeks.
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Marja Innanen: Commitment to sustainable development is a tool for change making
The high profile of the Finnish sustainable development policy and its long continuation are appreciated around the world. The latest innovation with extensive social commitment, the Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development, has received acknowledgement and aroused interest. In fact in January, Finland was rated number one in environmental performance precisely thanks to the Society’s Commitment.
The goal of the Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development is a Finland that thrives within the limits of nature’s capacity. It is both Finland’s national policy statement on sustainable development and a functional tool for concretising sustainable development. The Commitment has been created by the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, chaired by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.
The eight objectives of the Commitment address sustainable development from the point of view of promoting the wellbeing of people and the environment, healthy and sustainable economy and sustainable lifestyles. Different parties make their concrete operational commitments that are monitored and that create something new for them while promoting the achievement of one or more Commitment objectives. So far, more than 200 companies, organisations, government agencies, educational institutions and private persons have made public operational commitments.
Why should you join? The Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development is a tool for change making. It provides an opportunity to set own objectives and promote their achievement under a common national umbrella. It is also a communication tool. Which sustainable development initiatives or actions would your organisation want to communicate to shareholders, customers and other stakeholders? Many Commitment participants have experienced that they have strengthened their reputation and built new national or international networks. The best thing is that an operational commitment truly promotes the adoption of sustainability in everyday practices.
Marja Innanen is the Deputy Secretary General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development (FNCSD).
See the commitments made by the K-Group and others at https://sitoumus2050.fi/
