Nexos+1: New businesses can be created with a focus on sustainability

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By nexos+1 hace 10 year

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The Nexos+1 innovation workshop took place on November 16 and 17 and was attended by important personalities such as the Minister of the Environment: Manuel Pulgar Vidal, and the guru of the blue economy: Gunter Pauli.
Businessmen, leaders and entrepreneurs had the opportunity to learn about new business trends associated with sustainability.

On November 16 and 17, Libélula held the “Nexos+1” innovation workshop, in which more than 160 businessmen, leaders and entrepreneurs learned about new global trends associated with sustainability. The Minister of the Environment, Manuel Pulgar Vidal explained during the first day that transformative action is the central theme for the private sector, and sustainable development is the agenda to 2030. “Due to the issue of climate change, transformative action has already arrived and there is no turning back, so it is very important to assume this reality and work on the concepts of sustainability,” he said.

During the session: “The new megatrends for the business world”, participants had the opportunity to learn about the new trends in sustainability and how they relate to business strategies. María Elena Gutiérrez, Libélula's Research Manager, indicated that with the imminent growth of the world's population - it is projected that there will be 9 billion people by 2050 - there is a need to create green investment opportunities and generate businesses with a sustainable and circular economy approach, not only for companies, but also for people. He noted that for example, around the concept of circular economy, approximately 200 new businesses and 3 million jobs have been generated.

New consumers and sustainability in business

On the second day of the workshop and during the session: “Reputation and positioning: When the environmental is not part of the business”, Felipe de Lucio, senior consultant at deLucio Consulting explained that the buyers of the future will change their trends, and about this it is necessary to establish a link between new consumers and sustainability. “The consumers of the future are the millennials, those under 30 years old. The values of millennials have totally changed. They have a greater sense of belonging, they seek to transcend, they live in a global community,” he explained.

Gunter Pauli, creator of the blue economy and the best seller of the same name, said during his lecture that the main objective of entrepreneurs, leaders and businessmen should be to create community, starting with the family. “We have to connect with the needs of the community and the greatest opportunity in the private sector lies in the contribution that can be made to society, the environment and the environment,” he said.

Gunter Pauli explained that the blue economy bases its method on the business model and not on technology. This requires being competitive, generating employment, without a focus on economies of scale and cheaper production; resources must be locally available and value must be generated.

The need for eco-efficiency

During the session: “Sustainability at the heart of companies: talent management, eco-efficiency, supply chains, finance and innovation”, Alfredo Merino, CEO of Packaging Products del Perú, defined innovation in 3 main elements: resources (financial, human, time), knowledge and execution capacity. He highlighted the key aspect of the ability to take risk, and the importance of having a partner willing to take a risk with you.

David Saettonne, CEO of Andean Crown and representative of Pacífico Seguros, contributed his vision from the financial management perspective. He advised sustainability managers to align sustainable development objectives with company goals and evaluate all impacts, under the assumption that “if you don't measure it, you don't do it”. He also stressed that financial managers are not only interested in short-term profitability, but also in long-term value creation. He told the case of Pacifico Seguros, which managed to become the first carbon-neutral Peruvian insurer, resulting in positive impacts on differentiation, brand perception and attracting young talent.

Sustainability as a pillar of the company

Claudia Arrasco, a specialist in organizational climate and culture, stressed the importance of making sustainability part of the pillars of companies and treating it as a cross-cutting issue. She insisted on the central role of the employee in the achievement of the organization's objectives and the need for them to take ownership of sustainability issues.

Felipe Cantuarias, vice-president of corporate affairs at Backus, agreed with Arrasco on the competitive advantage of the sustainability approach to attract millennials. He said that to create a culture of sustainable development, it needs to be integrated into the business strategy and adopt the language of the business, in particular that its profitability (whether economic, reputational, social or environmental) can be demonstrated.

Tomas de Lara, co-founder of Sistema B Brazil, an international organization that accredits “B Companies”, explained that the first step for organizations is to formally commit to generate positive socio-environmental impact, and as a second step, to measure the company's impact in a comprehensive manner. He encouraged the public to be the change they want to see in the world through their companies and organizations.

Participants also met in innovation roundtables to present solutions to sustainability-focused problems around 9 key themes: Water, mountains and communities; Sustainable cities; Risks, El Niño and business; New forms of reporting and management; Forests and deforestation; Innovation for sustainability; Positioning, reputation and sustainability; Strategic planning with a focus on sustainability; and Sustainable financing.

Nexos+1 culminated with the official launch of the Lideres+1 initiative, a group whose objective is to promote low-carbon and climate-resilient development in Peru through the mobilization of change agents committed to sustainability.