The World Bank reported last year that if no climate actions are taken, there will be 143 million “internal climate migrants” across Sub-saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America by 2050. However, if we start making (drastic) changes now, the figure can be reduced by 80%.
To ensure that Better Shelter is and remains a sustainable organisation in the ecological, social and economical environment, we joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative last year. Subsequently, we started preparing for the integration of the UN Global Compact’s ten principles – divided across the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-corruption – into our business, by completing a company-wide assessment and action plan including various areas and activities. The Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact’s ten principles will gradually be incorporated into Better Shelter’s strategies, policies and processes to make sure that we continue to improve and carry out our activities in a sustainable and responsible way.
During Better Shelter’s first year as a member of the Global Compact, we gathered data to identify gaps to determine specific areas to focus on and what we can do at a companywide level to improve our sustainability. Several goals for the reporting period were formulated, and new goals will be set for the forthcoming year. By working within an internationally recognised framework we can structure our actions and ensure that sustainability aspects are considered in everyday decisions and formulated in long-term goals. Our first year as a member shed light on various activities and processes already in place, which ensure that we do business in a sustainable way. But it also revealed areas where we can improve, and activities to take on over the coming years.
Today, on World Environment Day, we submit our first Communication on Progress Report.
“Better Shelter is a young organisation, and with that in mind, we are proud to share our first sustainability report. This will lay the foundation for our continued sustainability work and commitment to reporting on the UN Global Compact’s principles over the years to come. The initiative is crucial for us as an individual organisation and the humanitarian sector – we must integrate sustainable strategies in all our processes. There are no other options, nor is there any spare time to work towards a sustainable future.”
– Johan Karlsson, Managing Director, Better Shelter.
Download: Better Shelter’s Communication on Progress report 2018/19
