Sustainable Brands™ stands for protecting our planet and people; and
our global community is working to drive positive change together. As a
community of change-makers with a global platform, SB recognizes the power we
have to tell stories and nudge change; and in light of the recent brutal events
unfolding in Ukraine, we want to amplify the actions that Members of the SB
Network have taken in support of this humanitarian crisis, as well as provide a
moment of reflection to analyze the current events through the lens of
sustainability.
More than two million people have fled Ukraine (at the time of writing) and the
number of displaced refugees is expected to increase. Hundreds of innocent
civilians have already lost their lives due to the invasion of a free, sovereign
country; and thousands of anti-war protesters are being silenced through mass
arrests and severe sanctions in Russia.
Many SB Members have reacted to these events by terminating business relations
in Russia, donating funds to non-profit aid organizations in support of the
Ukrainian people, and by more directly supporting their own teams located on the
ground in Ukraine or in the bordering countries. Click below to learn how each
of them is working to drive positive impacts on the ground.
This war has also led to reflection on its global implications, in a world
already shaken by two years of pandemic and more and more sensitized to social
injustice.
The United Nations has stated on multiple occasions that peace is a
prerequisite to achieving all other Sustainable Development
Goals. Without it,
sustainable development is halted and the SDGs risk losing their progress. The
current conflict has also re-prioritized the urgency of a particular case in the
global countries' agenda. Their deep dependence on fossil fuels has become a
political weapon since Russia represents one of the largest exporters and it
finances its war plans through it.
President Biden's decision to ban imports of all Russian oil and
gas
was one of his latest strong efforts to pressure Russia to end the invasion of
Ukraine. The US relies approximately 8 percent on Russian oil and refined
products, whilst the European Union imports 90 percent of its gas
consumption and is about 40 percent reliant on Russia (Germany and
Italy, in particular). This strong dependency has pushed the EU to lay out a
plan to accelerate the transition away from Russia and has given them a stronger
(yet tragic) reason to reduce fossil fuels overall.
REPowerEU is
a joint action plan to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels by
2030, with an initial focus on gas. The short term will see an increase in
diversified gas sources from the US, African countries and others. In
addition, a few EU countries will reintroduce the use of coal plants. Some,
including Germany, are expected to increase the imports of liquefied natural gas
from non-Russian suppliers, which also requires new infrastructure.
These short-term measures are expected to provoke an increase of carbon
emissions and will raise the question of whether Europe will become even more
dependent on fossil fuels. However, the EU is also envisioning a high focus on
renewables, biogas and hydrogen imports along with its planned reduction of
fossil fuel usage — which will generate positive effects for the medium and long
term. Some of the measures include accelerating renewable hydrogen and
low-carbon manufacturing capabilities, facilitating timing for permits on
renewables, doubling the production of biomethane by 2030, improving
energy-efficiency in buildings, and diversifying gas and renewable hydrogen
suppliers.
The united front adopted by companies and countries in response to this cruel
war is showing us once again that it is the power of communities that makes a
difference: through humanitarian aid, unified sanctions and common goals,
governments, businesses and individuals are working together to shape the
pathway towards a safer world, away from the destruction of societies and the
environment.
We aim to feature even more SB community members' stories. If you are interested
in sharing your efforts to support Ukraine, let us know
here.
If you'd like to ask for guidance on how to best provide aid, how to internally
challenge your organization to take a stand and drive transformation, or how to
help as an individual, ask our Membership
team and review the list of the nine
sustainable behaviors compiled by SB Brands for Good. Showing up is one of the most powerful ways we can make an impact.
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Manager, Member Communications
Published Mar 10, 2022 8pm EST / 5pm PST / 1am GMT / 2am CET