New report urges businesses to collaborate for Scotland's sustainable future

CDS is a Scottish Enterprise subsidiary, established to help companies grow by setting up consortium or employee-owned businesses.

Consortium co-operatives are established when groups of companies come together to pool their resources. The consortium is run on an equal basis for its members, and may be set up to buy or sell in scale, market more effectively, share facilities or jointly bid for contracts.

There are over 550 co-operative businesses in Scotland with a combined turnover of more than £4bn and employing 28,600 people. CDS has supported the creation of 119 new co-operatives and employee-owned businesses between 2006 and 2012.

Sarah Deas, chief executive of Co-operative Development Scotland, said: “Collaboration builds trust which allows vital knowledge and ideas to be transferred between companies. This fuels faster and more innovative developments that positively impact on companies’ productivity, profit margin and customer base.

“By setting up Consortium co-operatives businesses can reduce costs, share risks and create new platforms for growth. This report shows that the long-term benefits and opportunities created will present businesses with a competitive advantage and create a better future for Scotland.”

CDS supports the Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards, and the new report coincides with the launch of a new Collaboration category.

The VIBES Collaboration Award is for organisations that can demonstrate, through a partnership approach, how they contribute to the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development.

The environmental awards scheme is now in its thirteenth year. It aims to recognise businesses of all sizes and sectors employing environmental best practice in their day-to-day activity to cut down on resource use, increase sustainability, improve reputation and benefit the company’s bottom-line.

Over the past decade, the free-to-enter awards have produced winners from across Scotland, drawn from a range of sectors including: manufacturing; food and drink; transport; environmental services; oil and gas and leisure.

“The VIBES Awards recognise businesses which have taken significant steps to improve or reduce their impact on the environment,” explains Gillian Bruce, VIBES Chair.

“The Collaboration Award is an important new award and we are sure it will attract lots of interesting entries this year, especially as 2012 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Co-operatives.

“Last year the competition was of a very high standard with many deserving entrants and we hope that even more of Scotland’s leading businesses will enter this year to be in with a chance of gaining recognition for their sustainable practices.”