Harborough, 26 July 2018: The UK Business Council for Sustainable Development (UKBCSD) recently held an inaugural event, hosted by global real estate advisor CBRE, to welcome an invited group of 22 organization representatives, spanning the widest range of industry sectors and supply chains operating in Britain, as well as announcing new members BASF PLC, ENGIE, Federation of Master Builders, Prologis and South Northamptonshire and Cherwell Council.
CEO Charles Roach introduced new Chairman Jason Longhurst who underlined the commitment to reset the organization as a “network working with your networks”, positioning the ethos of sustainable development beyond the housing development industry and reflecting a desire to work across sectors, not within them.
He said, “We recognize that by coming here, you seek an alternative to the silo thinking offered by other networks. We are bringing together Leaders, Innovators and Market disruptors, to become the Ambassadors for UKBCSD. We are inviting you to lead and shape our new program of Challenge Events designed to navigate the most pressing commercial obstacles in our path towards a sustainable Britain. These challenges of tomorrow cannot be addressed by writing more Policy, but by a shift in the culture of procurement and decision making on sustainable development principles.
“UKBCSD is about bringing opportunities to its members for collaboration and demonstration of the emergent technologies and innovative practice that brings meaningful benefits for enterprise and communities. This is not a talking shop or a policy thinktank. This is, with your engagement, a ‘doing’ organization, responding to, or leading initiatives demonstrating industry best practice.”
See Jason Longhurst’s presentation here.
Jason Longhurst announced the launch of the Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, citing it as an opportunity for those present to demonstrate capability across sectors and organizations, to secure part of the £12.5 million available for projects to transform how the construction sector delivers new buildings.
