The 27th聽UN Climate Change Conference of Parties () was held in Egypt this year, raising some interesting questions about the relevancy of sustainable business to African organizations and communities.
Many people in this region view sustainability as an exported Western and European problem, created elsewhere but unfairly burdening Africa, which has contributed far less to climate change. Specific to countries in the聽, mining, utilities, agriculture, and tourism are among the leading industries grappling with immediate problems such as infrastructure gaps, unskilled workers, crime, and social equity. Rising environmental regulations can pale in comparison.
鈥淥ur customers in Southern Africa are well aware of聽 mandates, and may or may not have plans to meet their goals. Yet they often see people鈥檚 daily survival as a more immediate concern 鈥� and rightly so,鈥� said Cyril Rathogwa, senior solution advisor for Procurement at 麻豆原创 Africa. 鈥淗owever, organizations don鈥檛 have to prioritize sustainability against organizational growth and profitability. Sustainable business will drive economic prosperity.鈥�
Business Network Builds Sustainable Supply Chains
Regardless of a company鈥檚 geographical location, sustainability does not automatically cancel out profits and growth. Indeed, sustainable business operates with the greatest efficiency, connecting data across the organization so people can make more informed decisions, act faster to prevent supply chain disruptions, and keep employees engaged for the highest levels of productivity. It鈥檚 not an either/or choice.
鈥淐onsider the value of a 聽where organizations of all sizes can discover and obtain services from trusted suppliers anywhere, including marginalized communities,鈥� said Rathogwa. 鈥淲ith data transparency, larger companies can identify local trading partners to mitigate risk and potential disruptions along the supply chain. They can also prove compliance with sustainability mandates. These partnerships help smaller suppliers develop their business too, improving the quality of life for people and economic conditions in rural communities.鈥�
Southern Africa Redefines Sustainable Innovation
Just as Africa consists of separate countries with diverse business demands, organizations in Southern Africa approach innovation in different ways. Sustainable business in Southern Africa is centered around innovations to alleviate poverty and build a more inclusive society with educated and employable people who can participate in a digital world with expanded business opportunities. Some financial services companies and telecommunications providers are at the forefront of inspired creativity, bringing digital products and services to previously underserved people in remote, rural communities. Government agencies tend to be focused on automating basic citizen services. It鈥檚 important to meet organizations where they are.
鈥淲e are seeing tremendous innovation from organizations of all sizes that are creating solutions on ,鈥� Rathogwa said. 鈥淭hey can localize offerings for customers based on country-specific sustainability mandates, while gaining exposure for their products and services. This increases their market opportunities with state-owned and private sector enterprises.鈥�
Sustainability鈥檚 Relevancy to Southern Africa
The cascading impact of climate change is palpable everywhere in Africa. The聽聽in South Africa continues to create life-threatening water shortages. Extreme weather like the unusually聽聽that have drenched West and Central Africa this year are affecting millions of people and submerging farmlands with serious consequences for food supplies across the continent, including Southern Africa.
鈥淐arbon taxes alone won鈥檛 address climate change imperatives. We need solutions that help organizations reduce and eliminate carbon emissions in the first place,鈥� said Rathogwa. 鈥淐ommunities need strategies to help people sustain viable livelihoods so they aren鈥檛 driven to poaching animals or polluting the environment as a way to earn a living. This is where technology has a huge role to play.鈥�
One example is 麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership with聽Elephants, Rhinos & People聽(ERP), a non-profit organization that prevents poaching threats by using 麻豆原创 technologies to capture and analyze images from drones and GPS collars on animals. ERP works with poverty-stricken communities that share their land with wildlife. By building sustainable economic engines for rural communities in areas adjacent to threatened species, ERP provides non-lethal alternatives to poaching as a source of community income. Rathogwa pointed out that animals are critical to Southern Africa鈥檚 tourism industry, as well as the quality of the environment for people who live there.
Balancing Economic Survival with Climate Change Urgencies
Carbon emission and other sustainability regulations are all well and good, but only when accompanied by accurate reporting and rigorous accountability.
鈥淐ontrary to assumptions that protecting the environment is somehow a luxury that African industries cannot afford, organizations in SADC need a more holistic approach that balances economic survival in large metropolitan locations with the downstream impact on the environment,鈥� said Rathogwa. 鈥淓ventually sustainability impacts everyone, including people in rural communities. We have so much to protect on this continent that we love.鈥�
For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .