To all who are hurting, to our Black friends, family, teammates, students, faculty, staff, mentors, colleagues and peers: we want you to know that we see you, we are listening to you, we continue to learn from you, and we stand with you and for you in solidarity and in action.
Sustainability is and should always be about having a positive impact not only for the environment and the economy but, most importantly, for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, cultural heritage, and any other beautiful differences that characterize us.
We strongly support the Black Lives Matter movement and its principles. The Center for Sustainable Enterprise provides help for and works with all people. Now, more than ever, we support the work that will drive change to rid our society of racism, discrimination and inequity.
We will act through our own work and by partnering with other organizations and efforts to create positive impact rapidly and permanently. Sustainability simply cannot exist without equality, equity, diversity and inclusion.
The Center for Sustainable Enterprise will celebrate diversity, work against racism and push for equity, equality and inclusion for everyone. We will incorporate these values into how we teach and implement sustainability. We pledge to continue to fight for a better world for all. Below you can see just some of the ways we will do this. Our plans for action will evolve over time and with your help. Please share your ideas and thoughts with us through cse@unc.edu.
Together, we stand against racism and move forward for equity, diversity and inclusion.
Respectfully,
The Center for Sustainable Enterprise
Actions and Guiding Principles:
1. We will, first and foremost, support our family here at UNC-Chapel Hill by engaging with and providing support for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and all our partners.
2. We will work with and support organizations throughout our community and our campus to fight racism and drive inclusive, equitable and diverse actions. These include, but are not limited to, student clubs, business programs, local community programs, alumni initiatives and more.
3. We will continue to be part of and even more actively engage through the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working group.
4. We will explore and learn how we can work with businesses and industries to address and solve systemic racism and discrimination, including environmental racism, food justice and more.
5. We will then help businesses and industries implement initiatives to address and solve these issues.
6. We will follow the American Sustainable Business Council’s Declaration on Equity in Business.
7. We will educate our students about and will work with businesses to address applicable Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This list will grow as we work during this “Decade of Action.” Here are some of the applicable SDGs:

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”
• SDG 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions – “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

8. We will educate students about and work to help businesses apply the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Applicable principles include:

• Human Rights: “Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.”
• Labor: “Businesses should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.”

9. We will apply the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education to our approach, including:

• “We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.”
• “We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.”
• “We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, students, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organisations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.”

We will continuously update our plan with your help. To learn more about how economy, equity and the environment intersect, explore the Sustainable Development Goals. We view them as the path forward and hope to promote them for businesses and individuals alike.

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