Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel presents Initiative "Business & Biodiversity"
For the first time a group of internationally renowned businesses from a wide range of sectors has acknowledged their responsibility for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity. The initiative "Business & Biodiversity", triggered by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and presented to the public in Berlin today now comprises well over twelve internationally renowned companies, including Volkswagen AG, HeidelbergerCement and the Otto Group. In a joint declaration the businesses committed themselves to far-reaching actions in order to put special emphasis on biological diversity in their company policies.
The initial signers comprised well over 12 businesses from a wide range of sectors. They include companies like Bionade and Weleda from Germany, Kajima Construction and Oji Paper from Japan and the Orsa Group from Brazil, a company from the timber industry. The companies undertake, among other things, to analyse the effects of their business activities on biodiversity and to orient their environmental management system accordingly. Reporting on and control of all activities regarding biodiversity are to be attributed to a senior management position. In addition, suppliers are to be informed about the biodiversity goals of the company and to be involved step by step.
Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said: "If we want to implement the goals of the Convention on Biodiversity and safeguard the natural basis of life for future generations it is indispensable to involve all spheres of society, including and in particular businesses. Conserving biodiversity is not only an ethical-moral commitment, it is also an economically necessary and essential task. The initiative “Business & Biodiversity” presents a decisive step forward. By participating in it the businesses stand by their responsibility in the field of nature conservation. These companies are trailblazers in their respective sectors."
Prof Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG, stated: "Biodiversity is also invaluable for companies. Therefore Volkswagen has been actively supporting specific nature and species conservation projects all over the world for many years."
Dr Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement, stressed the relevance of biodiversity for his company: "Handling natural resources from 750 quarries and exploitation sites worldwide in a responsible way is the very basis of our business and makes us fit for the future. Therefore we systematically incorporate the promotion of biodiversity as a fundamental goal of rehabilitation and restoration."
"All of us have a duty to contribute to conserving biodiversity," said Dr Johannes Merck, Director Corporate Responsibility of the Otto Group. "The Otto Group has long been promoting this goal through sustainable business activities. In addition, we have just developed an ambitious climate protection strategy for our group. We believe that our planet’s ecosystems can only be preserved in the long run if we tackle imminent global warming. This also contributes to the conservation of biodiversity; we will remain committed and initiate further new projects."
From 19 to 30 May 2008 Germany will host the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn. 5000 delegates from 190 countries are expected to attend. This conference aims explicitly at involving trade and industry to a much higher degree in achieving the aims of the convention. At the conference the initiative "Business & Biodiversity" will be introduced to the global community. Further exceptional examples from businesses and business groups will be presented at exhibitions and workshops.
So far, the following businesses have joined the Business & Biodiversity Initiative: Bionade, HeidelbergCement, Hipp, Kajima Construction (Japan), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Krombacher, Miramonte Mining (Switzerland), Natura (cosmetics, Brazil), Otto-Group, Oji Paper (Japan), Orsa Group (timber industry, Brazil), Volkswagen AG and Weleda. Brazil, host of the last Conference of the Parties in 2006, Japan as host in 2010 and the EU Commission are also involved in the initiative.
It is hoped that further companies will join the initiative before the start of the Conference of the Parties - credible advocates of biodiversity who can be global pioneers. In Bonn they will jointly present themselves to the global community under the international motto "Biodiversity In Good Company".
The Federal Environment Ministry has commissioned the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH to implement the initiative "Business & Biodiversity".