Business Purpose Commission report: Scottish Government response

Next Steps for the Scottish Government

Government has a leadership role in understanding the business case for business purpose, setting direction, and creating the enabling environment (where it has the capability) for business purpose to flourish in Scotland.

The Commission understood the value of bringing business to the solutions of people and planet, and the Scottish Government will continue its partnership approach with business as key leaders in progressing the purposeful business agenda in Scotland. This ongoing collaboration will be underpinned by The Principles Agreement between Scottish Government and Business.

The Report presents multiple opportunities for other stakeholders (public, private, third sector) to consider and act upon. We are eager to see how businesses respond to the Commission's Call to Action. We support the need to tackle difficult problems together and very much welcome the Commission's approach in this Report, which focuses on, how are we solving this together?

In summary, we will:

• Pursue a knowledge building approach to educate policy makers in the Scottish Government on the business benefits of business purpose. The toolkit and case studies in the report provide resource material to get started.
• Build on our ambitions for a Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work Nation, tackling Child Poverty, improving environmental sustainability and delivering a Just Transition to Net Zero through mainstreaming business purpose language in related policies and promoting this positive agenda at every opportunity. Businesses are essential stakeholders in these strategies with important contributions to make.
• Engage with business support delivery partners to promote the business purpose agenda and seek opportunities to introduce purpose into existing business support and advisory services where possible. There are various potential providers of business support for business purpose. However, further detail on the role for government and future funding is dependent on the outcomes of existing review projects.
• Consider opportunities to link the review of the Scottish Business Pledge (SBP) with business purpose. The SBP review is independent of the Report recommendation, with a broader focus, but can reflect the Report's perspective in its approach.