While in Spain the euphoria following the European Cup is still in the air, the cleaning up process after the Rio +20 Conference has begun. Instead of complaining about the few concrete results, it is worth collecting all that is “good” in a little pot, sifting the wheat from the chaff – and still much more in order to fulfill the original intention to bring the creation of a Green Economy to life.
Munich, July 10th, 2012: The international community of states have indeed once again presented themselves as largely incapable of taking action, yet in several previous and parallel events trendsetting suggestions and projects were presented. As such, it has become clear that the desire to transform the current economic system and to make it sustainable is gaining increasingly more supporters.
Not only individuals, think tanks, scientists and NGOs are calling for an end to “more of the same”, but also many companies, international organisations, ministries and governments have already begun to pattern the necessary paradigm change. The international SusCon Conference would like to further accelerate this process and connect the actors.
At the will of the organisers and partners as well as the many prominent supporters, the SusCon 2012 acts as a platform for this global movement and would like to contribute by linking “the many loose ends” and initiating new partnerships. These new alliances will strengthen existing attempts at solutions and foster new projects.
SusCon supports diversity in networking, since increasingly more solutions require the cooperation of actors across all industries and sectors. In working groups, business departments such as food, mobility and communication are connected and actors from the fields of economics, politics, civil society and media are brought together in order to discuss and develop joint projects.
For Michael Kuhndt, head of the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and SusCon co-organizer this close collaboration is fundamental. “Clear goals and ways how to achieve them are needed when it comes to making Vision 2050 come true. For that we need a ‘triangle of change’ consisting of policy, business and civil society to concertedly introduce sustainable innovations into the mass market.”
Rio+20 also showed that when looking at the details, there are very different ideas on how a Green Economy should be designed. But these differences should not hinder humanity from taking action. They should, on the contrary, encourage creativity for overcoming challenges.
SusCon partners have therefore also actively participated in the Rio negotiations. For example, the Deutsche Post DHL, who in the future wants to advocate for the protection of biodiversity and in this way takes the same line as the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign or the German Business and Biodiversity Initiative, both of which are also supporters of the SusCon.
CSCP recently launched in Rio in collaboration with the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), one of SusCon’s co-organizers, the “Global Network on Sustainable Lifestyles 2050” und the “Global Network on Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Living”. Representatives of both networks will be present in Bonn.
Also the SusCon partners IFOAM and FIBL could in Rio get the IFOAM Global Organic Research Network (IGORN) off the ground which will lead to further activities which will be presented at the Conference set to take place in the UN city of Bonn on November 27th and 28th.
The SusCon will be more than just a Conference. Bringing participants together in advance through partnerships and meetings such as the B4E Summit in Berlin or the Global Economic Summit in Rio that will take place in October 2012 and through projects existing as consequent developments, the SusCon event should have a deep and lasting impact. Those who register before the end of July will not only enjoy the very reduced early bird rates, but also will have the prior opportunity to pull strings for their green businesses and network with the designers of a new economy.
For more information: www.suscon.net
Contact for press and media:
Mildred Steidle, Organic Services: +49 (0)89-820759-08 or +49 151 46748807; m.steidle@organic-services.com
SusCon organisers:
Udo Censkowsky, Organic Services: +49 (0)89-820759-02; u.censkowsky@organic-services.com
Bernward Geier, COLABORA: +49 (0)2245-618652; b.geier@colabora-together.de
Fritz Lietsch, forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften: +49 (0)89-746611-41; f.lietsch@forum-csr.net
SusCon 2012 – International Conference on Sustainable Business and Consumption – will bring together businesses with relevant stakeholders from government and UN organizations, and NGOs. It will take place in the UN city of Bonn, in Germany on November 27-28, 2012. The conference theme “Green Economy – from intention to action”, will emphasize the importance of business and what, in practice, constitutes a “green economy”. Up to 400 participants are expected. The previous meeting, SusCon 2010, gathered together 300 business, political, NGO and media representatives from 28 countries. For more information, please visit www.suscon.net.