Experts Call on Businesses to Put Sustainability First
- markdarrenwilkinso
- 1 minute ago
- 2 min read
Finance and retail executives in the Channel Islands are urging companies to make environmental responsibility a central part of their business strategies.
The call came during the Business Sustainability Conference held in Jersey on Wednesday, where local and regional business leaders gathered to discuss climate and environmental challenges.
Andrew Mitchell, founder of Jersey-based finance consultancy Equilibrium Futures, said: “Money makes the world go around, but it also does a lot to harm the things we love, particularly the air we breathe and nature. If I were a CEO looking at numbers like that, I’d be very concerned about heading towards natural capital bankruptcy.”
“Money makes the world go around, but it also does a lot to harm the things we love, particularly the air we breathe and nature. If I were a CEO looking at numbers like that, I’d be very concerned about heading towards natural capital bankruptcy.”
Munish Datta, director of sustainability at Specsavers Group, emphasized the practical side of corporate responsibility: “At the very heart of sustainability, it’s about using resources efficiently to protect our planet and nature, while also operating our businesses in a resilient and commercially savvy way.”
Michelle Ryan, conference host and chairwoman of the Jersey Association of Sustainability Practitioners, warned that businesses cannot afford to wait. “Climate change, nature collapse, extreme politics, extreme weather, social problems — all are happening right now. These are sustainability issues for now, and they affect businesses now,” she said.
Ryan also highlighted the influence of consumers: “When consumers ask these questions, businesses start responding. We have a unique opportunity to move faster — our close-knit community allows us to implement changes more quickly than larger, more fragmented regions.”
The conference underscored the urgency for companies in the Channel Islands to integrate sustainability into core operations, balancing environmental stewardship with business resilience.
