Mission Statement:
“The Sustainable Business Partnership exists to encourage and support businesses to adopt sustainable business practices.”
It achieves this by:
- Engaging and working directly with businesses to help them identify and implement actions
- Providing a range of support services to the emerging local low carbon economy, helping suppliers and producers to develop their markets and access new business
- Supporting, developing, shaping and delivering on local and regional sustainable development strategy
- Stimulating demand for sustainability services and acting as a broker between supplier and customer
The ultimate aim of the Sustainable Business Partnership is to increase the number of businesses operating to sound sustainable business principles, and to position Hampshire as a leader within the UK's low carbon economy. This means helping and influencing businesses to take action on the environmental, social and economic impacts, for example through improved resource efficiency, waste minimisation activities, community engagement, investment in staff and delivering value added to the local economy, stimulating demand for green and low carbon products, and representing and promoting Hampshire businesses at the local, regional and national level.
To achieve this it engages with a wide range of public and private sector organisations who share this common interest in order both to provide direct support and assistance to businesses in understanding and acting on sustainable business principles, and to help shape the local, regional and national policies which drive this activity forwards.
The SBP Board of Directors develops a comprehensive annual Action Plan designed to meet a number of key objectives:
- Increase the numbers of businesses adopting sustainable business practices across the Hampshire & Isle of Wight area
- Raise the profile of the sustainable business concept and communicate the message of opportunities and business benefits to a new audience
- Stimulate demand for and uptake of the products and services offered locally by organisations working within the ‘low carbon economy’
- Coordinate activity amongst public and private sector organisations and agencies working towards the aims of the SBP and provide the linkages between key organisations
- Commission and produce original research to further understanding of the needs of businesses in this area
- Develop new projects and where appropriate products and services to provide the most effective means of support to businesses
- Act as a conduit between local businesses and support organisations, and regional policy and strategy development
- Help to shape and influence local policy development to ensure that it best reflects the needs of businesses within a sustainable business context