Transforming your business with responsible conduct

Fairtrade Development Manager Martin Boon

Aitken Spence Director Stasshani Jayawardena

Frank About Tea Chief Tea Officer Valerie Hirschhauser

Lanka Impact Investment Network (LIIN)/CSR Lanka Chairman and Founder Chandula Abeywickrema

A webinar organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in Netherlands and co-organised by CSR Lanka on ‘Responsible Business Conduct and Sri Lanka – Transforming Your Business’ will be held on 26 January 2021 from 2 p.m. onwards.  Ambassador of the Netherlands Embassy in Sri Lanka Tanja Gonggrijp will give the opening remarks and an eminent panel comprised of widely-known professionals in the industry in Sri Lanka as well as in Netherlands will be speaking at the webinar. As speakers Lanka Impact Investment Network (LIIN)/CSR Lanka Chairman and Founder Chandula Abeywickrema, Aitken Spence PLC Director Stasshani Jayawardena, Frank About Tea Chief Tea Officer Valerie Hirschhauser, and Fairtrade Development Manager Martin Boon, will be interacting with the audience at the webinar. 

Why is it important for a company to take people and planet into account when making business decisions? Why is it a smart move for a company to invest in their relation with supply chain partners? Responsible behaviour is expected of business based on international guidelines and legislation and how people can apply this to the business activities in Sri Lanka? The importance of Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) can no longer be denied. Governments, consumers, NGOs, and other stakeholders are asking companies to act responsibly, and expectations are only increasing. 

This webinar is relevant to (future) entrepreneurs and cooperate sector representatives who want to learn more about the business case of sustainable business or would like to share their best practices. Currently we all are experiencing challenging times with the global COVID-19 crisis. This crisis, but also challenges like climate change, require a different way of doing business. It requires a more sustainable production, consumption and trade. Governments, consumers, companies, NGOs, and other stakeholders all have their responsibilities to contribute to ‘building back better’. Companies have to make their supply chains more resilient, more sustainable, which will help them to perform better in the long-term.

Expert panel will speak on their practical examples from the field and explain what RBC means and what actions companies should take to avoid risks to people and the environment when making business decisions. Speakers will discuss on how risks for people and planet can be avoided and how to add value to business or the products imported or exported to or from Sri Lanka. Most importantly the attendees will get insights on how to increase profit/market of products/services by adapting to Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) practices. 

Responsible Business Conduct is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do!

This is the moment for companies to step up their strategic planning, non-financial risk management and the implementation of RBC standards.

This first webinar is the first session in a series of webinars. The first webinar will provide with general, non-sector specific fundamentals on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). This general session will be followed by more in-depth sessions on the agro-food, garment/apparel and tourism sectors of Sri Lanka. 

CSR Sri Lanka is the apex institute of a business network of companies that work towards to bring the sustainability in to their business DNA who works for developing sustainable solutions for social, economic and environmental problems that create sustainable value to stakeholders. Today, they are progressing with building collaborative trust among companies on corporate sustainability and responsibility with strategies and actions which will be implemented through corporate solidarity on sustainability of business. CSR Lanka believes that the public private partnerships and including SME sector in the sustainability process is the most successful approach for a better planet. 

The Dutch Embassy in Sri Lanka and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in Netherlands are supporting the webinar series because one of their main objectives of the activity is to promote Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in Sri Lanka. The Netherlands government is very keen on promoting sustainable practices, spearheading many projects to avoid social and environmental risks when conducting business and working towards creating a safer planet for people and the environment.

The Netherlands Embassy in Sri Lanka and the CSR Lanka cordially invite to join this webinar series and receive tremendous benefits offered. Contact CSR Lanka on [email protected] or call 0779585259 to register for the webinar.