BSL Closes Sustainable Business Unit
6 July 2009 at 5:19 pm
The Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) has closed its Sustainable Business Unit saying it no longer fits with the organisation’s strategic directions.
The decision to close the Unit follows the completion of its strategic planning for 2009 – 2011.
BSL says a decision was made to focus on the core business and to reduce the diversity of the organisation’s work.
The decision means that two researchers Serena Lillywhite and Emer Diviney who have been working in the area of Responsible Business Practice, have been made redundant.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence established Sustainable Business (previously named the Ethical Business Unit) to guide the practices of its social and community enterprises and ensure they are not only commercially viable but operate within an ethical framework.
Sustainable Business worked with external organisations to advocate for ethical business, stakeholder engagement and corporate responsibility influencing the mainstream global business landscape.
The Unit had a research and advocacy focus including: business and human rights, fair and decent employment, responsible supply chain management, corporate responsibility and social inclusion and regulatory frameworks.
In an email to friends and collaborators Lilywhite and Diviney say they are both looking forward to finding new opportunities to expand their Responsible Business Practice work in the future.