Push for industry to implement sustainable operations

PHILLIMON MHLANGA /     LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

Experts have called on Zimbabwe organisations to implement sustainable operations amid threats to environmental sustainability with the amount of rising carbon reaching unprecedented levels.

Multiple experts who spoke at the Green Building Council of Zimbabwe workshop held in the capital, Harare on Tuesday this week said that there is an urgent need to slow down climate change and its impacts on communities across both the urban and rural divide.

They said organisations in Zimbabwe should align their business strategies to sustainability, a critical move that fosters business longevity.

“There is a need to think about the sustainability of the future. In fact, sustainability is increasingly becoming mandatory in reporting as investors are increasingly considering sustainability,” chief economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ethel Bangwayo said.

Bangwayo said organisations should pay attention to   environmental, social and governance issues, which is now a critical metric that is influencing investment decisions.

This comes as key stakeholders such as investors, financiers, government, and the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange are exerting pressure on companies to adopt integrated sustainability reporting.

Bangwayo said there was a growing trend of investors who now consider sustainability reporting important to incorporate their values and concerns such as environmental concerns into their selection of investments instead of simply considering the potential profitability or risk presented by an investment opportunity.

Speaking at the same event, chief director in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Prosper Matondi, said Zimbabwe was “highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is thus a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement”.

“Climate change is real, and on the ground, there is vast evidence for all to see. It is painful to reflect on how climate change has immensely affected infrastructure and overall livelihoods of our people here in Zimbabwe and across the continent,” Matondi said.

He said time “is ripe to start challenging each other and call for a joint swing from rhetoric to action, mindful of “all these horrible cases and memories in our midst”.

“With all the knowledge that we have garnered over years of climate experience, we surely must now be in a position to proffer top of the range solutions to climate proof all our development initiatives,” Matondi said.

“As we strive to achieve the mid-century target of net zero emissions, mitigation aspects such as water and energy use efficiency in buildings, use of renewable energy such as solar, and incorporating plant species as part of aesthetics in buildings are all opportune areas for possible partnerships.”

Green Building Council of Zimbabwe chairman, Mike Juru painted a gloomy picture.

“There is a global crisis and we all have a responsibility. We are indeed exposed to the vagaries of climate change.

The world is on fire, the rising sea levels, incessant pandemic, droughts, high temperatures, cyclones are there for everyone to endure,” Juru said.

UNDP’s Tafadzwa Dhlakama weighed in calling for urgent action against climate change.

“The Green Building Councils around the world are truly a movement, and the methods that they deploy, in particular in creating Green Building Standards have proven very useful in neighbouring countries and worldwide in the endeavour to create a more sustainable built environment,” Dhlakama said.

He added: “Their work has successfully reduced pollution from harmful substances and therefore improved the health of the users and inhabitants, reduced building materials without compromising on the structural integrity of the buildings and improved energy usage all of which contributes to reducing emissions.

“I look forward to following the development of the first localised Zimbabwean Green Building Standard that will be created by the Green Building Council of Zimbabwe as well as seeing them follow in the footsteps of their sister councils globally and achieving similar results here.”