CIEL Group
Sustainability Forum: Cross-fertilisation of knowledge and practice for champions
CIEL Sustainability Champions from CIEL's five industry clusters gathered at Ferney Falaise Rouge on May 14thin a participatory workshop-style forum to share their knowledge, experiences and lessons learnt in sustainable practices. The forum provided a platform for cross-fertilisation and learning and an opportunity to leverage initiatives for greater impact across CIEL’s diversified group.
The forum highlighted progress made by the Group over the past four years in implementing CIEL’s 2020 sustainability strategy, as well as continued commitment from Sustainability Champions to drive the sustainability agenda as a management practice, mitigate negative impacts and together, create positive change.
In recognition that sustainable change occurs in multi-faceted ways and that we operate within complex systems and contexts, forum participants also had the opportunity to hear different perspectives on sustainable development from external guest speakers. Guest speakers included Andre Pouillès-Duplaix, Director of AFD (Agence Française de Développement including subsidiary for the private sector, Proparco) shared current international trends in sustainable development; and, at a more local level, Vanessa Doger de Speville and Stéphane Le Bon from the MCB shared their approach to how they are rethinking the Mauritian economy for sustainable development and prosperity.
The forum inspired ways in which large cross-sector actors can cooperatively and collaboratively influence the kind of change we hope to see and sustain in the world. Common themes across CIEL industry clusters that emerged during the forum where work is being done included: renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives; reforestation and restoration; quality health care and sustainable living; and water management, just to name a few.
Sustainability champions expressed eagerness to continue to set the bar high, work together where it makes sense and be true leaders in sustainable development and contribute to a world we can all feel proud of.
Going forward, the forums will help inform sustainability priorities that are relevant to our industry areas and our regional context in an effort to address the most pressing social, environmental and economic issues of our time.
Highlights of the CIEL Sustainability Forum
Sun highlighted their work in customer-centred hospitality and responding to customer feedback. Sun is focused on supporting children, notably, via Sun Children’s Cancer Fund.
C-care is providing high quality essential social services, for example developing skills of nursing staff and offering high services. Using a management framework in line with the IFC performance standards, C-care is working on energy, water and solid waste management to ensure it continuously meets standards and is enhanced. They recently launched their One Life One Tree Project where for every child born parents can opt to have an endemic tree planted at Ferney to celebrate their birth.
Agro and property highlighted sustainable living initiatives at Ferney.
Textile shared their efforts towards sustainable product development, community engagement in health and education, and support to build strong leaders with their leadership and management academy.
