Speech by Ambassador Bowden at the launch of this year’s Business and Sustainability Programme run by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
It is a special pleasure for me to welcome you here tonight. In my last position I was a Private Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales and I had a close relationship with Polly Courtice and the team at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. The Prince is the Founding Patron of the Institute. I visited their centre and participated in events that they had organised in a number of countries around the world as part of HRH’s international travel programme.
Many of you will know that a priority aspect of our work in the Embassy is to promote initiatives in Chile aimed at combating climate change and delivering sustainable economic growth. Governments alone cannot tackle these challenges. All sectors of society need to work together. The private sector has a crucial role to play and your presence here this evening is evidence of your commitment. So thank you.
The pressure from society on businesses to demonstrate responsible environmental practices continues to increase. Leaders of major corporations worldwide are rising to the challenge – delivering profits for their shareholders whilst ensuring minimum negative impact on the environment. Indeed many recent studies have shown that, far from sustainability being a drain on resources, environmentally friendly businesses are outperforming others financially.
Both Chile and the UK need more business leaders to rise to this challenge.
For this reason, I am delighted that Recyclapolis has partnered up with the Institute to bring their Business and Sustainability Programme to Chile for a second year. Cambridge have been running the programme successfully for 20 years in the UK and internationally. It provides business leaders with the tools to insert sustainability in their future business strategies and to reconcile profitability with sustainability.
To implement this successfully in Chile, Recyclapolis needs your help and support. Your attendance here is the first step.
Thank you again for joining us this evening to learn more about the course. I hope you enjoy the event.
