UNB, Wolfsburg (Germany) :
The 9th Global Social Business Summit (GSBS) ended here on Friday seeking genuine efforts to address key global challenges and build a future that will spread happiness around the world through desired transformation.
Experts from the private sector, civil society, governments and academia – around 800 participants from 55 countries -shared their ideas on how together a new civilization can be built giving everybody a better life and better future.
They focused on plastic and circular economy, mobility, solidarity, sports and social business and food and its value during the two-day Summit with a hope to see big smiles around.
The prominent speakers explored ideas of how mobility and social business can create a better future for disadvantaged groups and improve people’s life in a sustainable way of transportation.
Circular economy got special focus at the Summit as the concept recognises the importance of the economy needing to work effectively at all scales – for large and small businesses, for organisations and individuals, globally and locally.
The speakers stressed that transitioning to a circular economy represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience, generates business and economic opportunities, and provides environmental and societal benefits.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and his creative adviser Hans Reitz organised the annual event and the leading conference on social business with the support of Volkswagen and Autostadt.
During a session on Friday, Prof Yunus said it will be a circular economy instead of wasteful economy as they were discussing on building a new civilization.
Expressing the hope over finding solution to any crisis, he said, “Every crisis has an opportunity.”
Prof Yunus laid emphasis on taking best advantage of opportunity that every crisis brings.
He advised Volkswagen Group to convert itself into a social business or at least ‘B Corp’ to have better image forgetting the past. “Forget about the past.”
The German car giant came under criticism when it admitted cheating emission tests in the United States three years back.
Certified “B Corporations” are a kind of business balancing purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their day-to-day policies and practices on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment.
The European “B Corp” movement, officially launched in 2015 with 60 companies, has now grown to 500+ B Corps and is leading the way in Europe.
Adviser to Prof Yunus Nurjahan Begum said women and children are suffering in this world though they do not deserve this miserable life. “To me, a new civilization means a world where nobody will suffer but will lead a happy life.”
She said, she wants to see a world which is free from poverty. “And of course, a world without any boundary.”
Hans Reitz said plastic does not belong to the nature and they need a fundamental system change to address the problem. “What we need is a circular economy.”
The 9th Global Social Business Summit (GSBS) ended here on Friday seeking genuine efforts to address key global challenges and build a future that will spread happiness around the world through desired transformation.
Experts from the private sector, civil society, governments and academia – around 800 participants from 55 countries -shared their ideas on how together a new civilization can be built giving everybody a better life and better future.
They focused on plastic and circular economy, mobility, solidarity, sports and social business and food and its value during the two-day Summit with a hope to see big smiles around.
The prominent speakers explored ideas of how mobility and social business can create a better future for disadvantaged groups and improve people’s life in a sustainable way of transportation.
Circular economy got special focus at the Summit as the concept recognises the importance of the economy needing to work effectively at all scales – for large and small businesses, for organisations and individuals, globally and locally.
The speakers stressed that transitioning to a circular economy represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience, generates business and economic opportunities, and provides environmental and societal benefits.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and his creative adviser Hans Reitz organised the annual event and the leading conference on social business with the support of Volkswagen and Autostadt.
During a session on Friday, Prof Yunus said it will be a circular economy instead of wasteful economy as they were discussing on building a new civilization.
Expressing the hope over finding solution to any crisis, he said, “Every crisis has an opportunity.”
Prof Yunus laid emphasis on taking best advantage of opportunity that every crisis brings.
He advised Volkswagen Group to convert itself into a social business or at least ‘B Corp’ to have better image forgetting the past. “Forget about the past.”
The German car giant came under criticism when it admitted cheating emission tests in the United States three years back.
Certified “B Corporations” are a kind of business balancing purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their day-to-day policies and practices on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment.
The European “B Corp” movement, officially launched in 2015 with 60 companies, has now grown to 500+ B Corps and is leading the way in Europe.
Adviser to Prof Yunus Nurjahan Begum said women and children are suffering in this world though they do not deserve this miserable life. “To me, a new civilization means a world where nobody will suffer but will lead a happy life.”
She said, she wants to see a world which is free from poverty. “And of course, a world without any boundary.”
Hans Reitz said plastic does not belong to the nature and they need a fundamental system change to address the problem. “What we need is a circular economy.”
