A parliamentary enquiry into sustainable business practice has recommended that multinational organisations should be leading the way in promoting sustainability, from board level engagement, through the business and their supply chains.

The final report of the Industry and Parliament Trust Sustainability Commission was launched at an event on 24 February 2015 in the House of Commons, with guest speaker Mark Hicken, managing director of Janssen offering commissioners an insight into the global approach of Johnson & Johnson to sustainability.

The Sustainability Commission, chaired by Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, featured a number of FTSE 100 companies presenting evidence at six sessions to a cross-party panel of parliamentarians. Working in partnership with the University of Birmingham, the report makes seven recommendations to businesses and governments on how to promote and foster sustainable businesses models.

Having taken evidence from a number of businesses covering a number of the UK’s industry sectors, including Aviva Investors, BP and 3M the Commission has urged more businesses to make further commitments to achieving sustainability in order to ensure a harmonised future for the economy, environment and society. In particular, the Commissioners emphasised the importance reforming capital markets to ensure investors are driven by a focus on sustainability thereby ending the short-termism of capital investment.

Commissioners were also keen to promote greater engagement with sustainability at board level, emphasising the importance of top executives adopting a sustainable culture and having this filter down through an organisation and its supply chain.

The full report is available to read and download on the IPT website, http://www.ipt.org.uk/sustainability-commission.aspx.

Chair of the Commission Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP said: “I am excited about this report, which I hope will initiate serious discussions across many sectors about the long-term benefits of sustainability to companies, business and the UK as a whole.”

Professor Stephen Brammer, the Commission’s academic lead said: “This report is the outcome of a unique series of conversations between business leaders, policy makers, and academic researchers about where and how progress is being made on sustainability. Those conversations highlighted a significant range of achievements and contributions in relation to sustainability that stand as exemplars of best practice within the business community.”

Nick Maher, chief executive of the Industry and Parliament Trust said: “The Sustainability Commission has provided a forum for companies to showcase how to take commitments to achieving a long-term sustainable economy seriously. I hope the final report can be used as a springboard to showcase the importance of having a business model, based on the three pillared harmonisation of the economy, environment and society.”

Pictured above right are: Nick Maher, Professor Stephen Brammer, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP and Mark Hicken with the final report of the Sustainability Commission.