Held in June 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – known as Rio+20 – sought to put the world on a more sustainable course…The event served as a launching ground for hundreds of new activities, resources and commitments, including: The release of a special communiqué by 45 chief executive officers to governments on the importance of achieving global water sustainability, including the following examples of corporate commitments and actions and public policy recommendations needed to achieve this goal:

• Over 70 businesses, governments and international organisations endorsed the Green Industry Platform, an initiative to mainstream environmental and social considerations into corporate operations through efficient use of energy and raw materials, innovative practices and applications of new green technologies.
• A corporate best practices guide was released on Sustainable Energy for All including priority actions and enablers for success across 19 industry sectors.
• Five stock exchanges, collectively listing over 4,600 companies, committed to promote sustainable investment – a first step towards a larger global call by stock exchanges for sustainability disclosure and performance by listed companies.
• There was a call by investors for integration of sustainability issues within annual reports of all listed and large private companies.
• Chief executives of 37 banks, investment funds, and insurance companies submitted a Natural Capital Declaration aimed towards integrating natural capital considerations into their products and services.

The above is an extract from magazine, Planet B. Read the full story / conference summary here.