Unilever partners with FTI and Thai Publica host symposium on driving progress toward the UN’s SDGs

4 July 2016 - Unilever recently joined the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), online news organization Thai Publica, and representatives from 32 public, private, and non-governmental organizations for a symposium to exchange ideas on reducing obstacles for sustainable businesses and build new partnerships to help businesses better tackle Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.

 The establishment of the SDGs by the UN and the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change (COP 21) by 193 countries from across the world, including Thailand, brought sustainable development and addressing climate change to the forefront as key challenges for every sector to achieve by 2030. For this reason, Unilever, FTI, and Thai Publica recently hosted a symposium on “Mobilizing Collection Action” to achieve the SDGs of “Zero Carbon, Zero Poverty” on 4 July 2016 at the Dusit Thani Hall in Bangkok’s Dusit Thani Hotel. The symposium was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak.  

Ms. Supattra Paopiamsap, CEO of Unilever Thailand Group of Companies, said “this signifies significant motion within the private sector on an unprecedented scale, initiated at the global level by Unilever in its capacity as a long-time leader in sustainable business practice. The intention is to make sure that the SDGs are truly achieved by 2030. To build partnerships to systematically drive change and solve problems in the areas of sustainable development and climate change, Unilever has invited interested parties in the countries in which it operates to exchange ideas at meetings such as this symposium in Thailand.”  

Unilever has extensive experience conducting business sustainably under its Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, working toward the vision of creating business growth while reducing environmental impacts and increasing positive impacts on society since 2010. Today, there has been substantial progress toward this plan, but there are still many challenges remaining, such as reducing environmental impacts of consumers, which must be addressed through systematic change and cannot happen without cooperation between the public and private sectors as well as society at large.

“We believe that achieving the goals by 2030 requires working together and cooperating in new ways. The private sector can play a role in turning things around by moving from promises to action, and this is what we hope will happen,” Ms. Paopiamsap stated further.

She added that “the agreements resulting from this symposium will be compiled and printed in the 2017 Annual Report of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. These findings will also be presented at the World Economic Forum in 2017 and before Thailand’s National Sustainable Development Committee.”

Mr. Chen Namchaisiri, Chairman of FTI, said “Currently, our world’s industrial standards are changing. This is evident in the various business standards which stipulate or even require that businesses exercise social responsibility and work towards sustainable development in their operations. Under the framework of the SDGs as well as the mandate to limit the rise in global average temperature to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, pressure to perform sustainably will only increase, so it is important to support businesses and industry in preparing to tackle the UN’s SDGs.”

“This symposium is an opportunity to share and look for answers together, particularly regarding the key issue of how to increase the number of businesses using a sustainable business model at a faster and faster rate, and discuss barrier to progress as well,” Mr. Namchaisiri added.

Ms. Bunlap Pusuwan, editor and founder of online news organization Thai Publica, (thaipublica.org), stated that “Currently in Thailand, achievement of the UN’s SDGs is being driven by promotion of sustainable development through the National Sustainable Development Committee which was established in September 2015, is chaired by the Prime Minister, and comprised of members from various state agencies. This symposium is a stage for the public and private sectors to share lessons from their experiences and explore solutions for reducing barriers to sustainable business in Thailand. Some of the ideas presented here should be beneficial in setting a roadmap for Thailand’s future sustainable development.”

Altogether, over 32 organizations participated in the symposium, including FTI, the Stock Exchange of Thailand, and a number of leading private companies, educational institutes, and public organizations. Discussions focused primarily on the issue of new business models that generate business growth while guiding society and consumers toward sustainable practices.