Governments must govern to increase progress toward sustainability

A report from last year by the World Bank analyses how best to achieve good social and environmental practices in global supply chains.

One unanimous demand from participants in report, underlined by Peder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen at the Swedish partnership for Global Responsibility seminar in Stockholm 18th November, was for increased Public Sector Engagement.

Ironically, it is the private sector that has demonstrated commitment towards social and environmental standards in supply chains by enforcing local standards where they are consistent with international norms.

For progress to speed up, the private sector cannot continue to be “doing the job of government”.

Respondents call on government and local government to get involved more vitally in enforcing standards and supporting the efforts of private sector actors and civil society to promote better social and environmental practices.

IFTSP comments: government can be a useful invention to apply towards sustainability.