Annual Report - Sens

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Interview e-Recycling: money and mind Mr Varnholt, as a financial expert, how do you assess the value of natural resources? Burkhard Varnholt: Natural resources are the Achilles heel of our global existence, so recovering raw materials is just as impor tant as extracting them in the first place. In my opinion, saying that our generation is now experiencing the worst economic crisis since time immemorial is an exaggeration. Of course we face huge challenges but we should have more faith in the ability of economies to adapt. However, the crisis will certainly deepen if – and I’m deliberately expressing this as a condition – we do not succeed in reducing our fatal dependency on scarce natural resources. Resource efficiency is therefore an issue that profoundly affects us all, regardless of the industry we work in. “Natural resources are the Achilles heel of our global existence.” How can we create incentives so that using our resources efficiently becomes the normal way to behave? If nature could choose, it would use the market economy to protect itself. Resources must actually be priced according to how scarce they are if people are to change the way they behave. The problem is that the state frequently still sets the prices of resources at far too low a level. This encourages people to continue to waste resources. Take water for instance: water is far too cheap in most countries in the world, in some it is even free for the majority of the population. Do you detect a change of attitude in your business environment, a new investment mentality? Yes, definitely. In this connection we are at what the sociologist Malcolm Gladwell would call a tipping point. That means 24 SENS Annual Report 2011 we have reached the point at which many investors all over the world have suddenly become aware of the problem. We are poised for the transition from the era of nuclear and fossil fuels to that of renewables. The crises in the recent months and years have contributed to this: the nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the crises in the European Mediterranean countries, the global financial crisis. These events mark a turning point that has prompted people all over the world to think differently. I see investors searching harder than ever for a holistic, sustainable investment principle, and doing so in all sectors. I am convinced that in five years’ time, sustainable investment will be the new standard. “I see investors searching harder than ever for a holistic, sustainable investment principle.” How do you assess the growth potential of renewable sources of energy in this context? And how do you use the scarcity of resources as a sustainable business model? Renewable sources of energy will easily be recording doubledigit growth rates in the next 10 years. Solar energy and wind power technologies will become established. What will be crucial for investors will be investing in the companies that can provide the most profitable technological products or services. “Renewable sources of energy will easily be recording double-digit growth rates in the next 10 years.” As regards sustainable investment it is important to understand that this must mean sustainable investment across the
Burkhard Varnholt Economist, chief investment officer and head of Asset Management, Products & Sales at Sarasin & Cie AG bank. Former lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stern School of Business, New York University. Author of numerous books and articles. Founder of the Kids of Africa village. board. What matters is investing in companies that implement sustainable concepts which integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Companies such as these achieve a profitability that is sustainable. They also maintain a healthy balance between their business models and their operations on the one hand, and the expectations of the society in which they operate on the other. Not least, they treat resources responsibly. “The challenges are in the major trends towards globalisation in the threshold countries and the huge ecological footprint that our lifestyle today leaves behind.” What do you personally do in your daily life to conserve resources? Never enough to make the world a better place. I believe that, alongside the recycling initiatives, a signal must be sent to the next generation. This is what will determine policies for using the market economy to protect nature properly. The challenges are in the major trends towards globalisation in the threshold countries and the huge ecological footprint that our lifestyle today leaves behind. Every individual can affect his / her personal footprint through his / her own behaviour as a consumer, not least by doing simple things, such as recycling used appliances properly. Interview Domino: manual for a sustainable world With the aid of 201 specific measures, the manual explains how citizens, the state and companies can together set out on the same path towards a world better prepared to face the future. The focus is on our own daily routines – and on the countless dominoes we move as a result. Authors: Christopher Blaufelder, Stephan Siegrist, Burkhard Varnholt, Gerd Folkers Published by: W.I.R.E., the think tank of Sarasin & Cie AG bank, the Collegium Helveticum of ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) and the University of Zurich Publishers: Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch SENS Annual Report 2011 25
Page 1: 2011 Annual Report
Page 4 and 5: Forewords by the President and Mana
Page 6 and 7: How to slim down the Swiss rubbish
Page 8 and 9: Interview e-Recycling: politics and
Page 10 and 11: Expertise e-Recycling: today and to
Page 12 and 13: Key figures 2011: key figures for t
Page 14 and 15: Interview e-Recycling: consumption
Page 16 and 17: Marketing From now on, disposing of
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Page 20 and 21: Collection points Economic efficien
Page 22 and 23: Recycling companies Networks: achie
Page 26 and 27: Essential and rare: the gold of the
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Page 30 and 31: Outlook Aims for 2012: four winners
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Page 46 and 47: Organogram SENS: competent and effi
Page 48 and 49: Thank you for taking me back. So th
Page 50 and 51: Partners Manufacturers / importers
Page 52 and 53: Partners Media Markt Verwaltungs AG
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