News
9.11.2021 08.59
LAB involved in UN Global Compact – the world's largest corporate responsibility initiative
The UN is calling companies and communities to take responsibility for sustainability in the Global Compact initiative. The LAB University of Applied Sciences registered for the challenged in August 2021.
The UN Global Compact is a corporate responsibility initiative launched in 2000 that promotes ecological, social and economic responsibility in businesses and organisations. In the initiative, organisations commit to promoting human rights, environmental protection, and a global economy that advocates sustainability and engagement.
Sustainability Manager Kati Koikkalainen, LUT Universities, says that LAB aims to promote the initiative's objectives by being a responsible employer, producing expertise and collaborating with companies.
“LAB's strategic targets are a better world of work and the promotion of sustainable economic growth and employment. Our ambitious climate target is to be carbon negative by 2030. It’s great to be involved in the corporate responsibility initiative. It is an important tool for us in developing our activity,” Koikkalainen says.
The Global Compact network also provides peer support and partnerships to its members and enables exchanging information. The operation of the network is steered by the ten principles of Global Compact and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030).
Sustainable Development Goals promoted by LAB
The Global Compact initiative obligates publishing annual reports on the progress of responsibility efforts. President Turo Kilpeläinen of the LAB University of Applied Sciences says that the goal-oriented promotion of sustainability and measuring and reporting the related actions are taking off well at LAB.
LAB recently chose the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it will advance in its strategy 2030 period through education and research, development and innovation. The goals are:
• SDG 3 Good health and well-being
• SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth
• SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities
• SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production
• SDG 13 Climate action
• SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals
“Limiting the number of goals enables us to focus our activity and genuinely promote them. We are currently defining how to pursue our chosen goals in our various fields of activity,” Kilpeläinen explains.
LAB aims for its graduates and staff to be aware of how they can promote sustainable development.
“We are a new organisation, but we can make a big difference together. What the promotion of sustainable development means to our organisation is still being defined, but the matter is extremely important to us,” Turo Kilpeläinen sums up.