Newcastle University Business School Business of Sustainability

Newcastle University Business School: Business of Sustainability Week 2011

Friday 10th June to Friday 17th June 2011

Newcastle University Business School is delighted to be working with leading organisations to host the inaugural Newcastle University Business School: Business of Sustainability Week 2011. We are bringing together many leading regional, national and international figures and organisations to deliver a programme of events to challenge thinking and stir debate and we hope you will join us at the events and change your practice and outlook as a result.

The week commences with an event on sustainable design, and includes a book launch, a breakfast seminar looking at business opportunities from a low carbon economy, an MBA competition, the Procter & Gamble Business of Sustainability Lecture and culminates with Going for Growth, a panel debate with Sir Ian Wrigglesworth and Paul Walker.

From a business viewpoint sustainability is about maintaining competitiveness over the long term. Sustainability is about reducing expenses, and that includes future expenses, and being prepared to deal with challenges that will come from increased consumer demands and government regulation. Sustainability is about maximising opportunities to introduce new products and services that contribute to the solutions required in the face of depletion of resources.

 

Sustainability is a long-term business imperative that cannot be ignored.

Sustainability is also Newcastle University’s second 'societal challenge theme' following on from the launch of the first, 'ageing and health'. Societal challenge themes focus on areas of strength where the University is truly internationally leading and therefore where it can deliver solutions to society through the delivery of ground-breaking research.

The Business of Sustainability week is part of Newcastle University Business School’s commitment to bring to life Newcastle University’s definition of sustainability. ‘Enough, For All, Forever’ for businesses and their employees, current and future, through research and debate and is part of a series of activities taking place throughout 2011 to celebrate Newcastle University’s world-leading work on sustainability.

 

What does 'Enough, For All, Forever' mean?

These four words capture the essence of the sustainability challenge; "enough" implies an economic sufficiency (though not wasteful excess); "for all"' evokes both social equity and consideration for the non-human inhabitants of shared ecosystems; "forever" signals respect for natural resource limitations as well as the pursuit of "inter-generational justice".