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28.01.2021 4 NEWS DAY Two of the Malta Sustainability Fo- rum, organised by APS Bank, offered an- other selection of modules featuring top international local and foreign experts in their fields. e first module on the agenda focused on Food for Planetary Wellbeing. With speakers from all corners of the globe, the panel discussed in detail aspects of food sustainability – how human behaviour in terms of the food we eat and how it is sourced and produced is linked to climate change, biodiversity and food security. e discussion also highlighted the basic human right to food, as society races to- wards the 2030 target for the United Na- tions' Sustainability Goal 2 – zero hunger. e second module focused on Urban- ism and e Doughnut Economic Mod- el. Conceived by UK economist Kate Raworth, the model is a visual framework for sustainable development, which com- bines the concept of planetary boundaries with that of social boundaries. With a keynote speech by Joeri Olth- eten, strategic core member of the Curaçao Doughnut Economy Taskforce, who kickstarted an initiative to imple- ment the Doughnut model in Curaçao, the panellists looked at how other cities, such as Portland and Philadelphia, were analysed in terms of the Doughnut mod- el. en, Juan-Carlos Goilo, from Am- sterdam's CTO Innovation team, shared examples of how Amsterdam is stepping up to the plate when it comes to provid- ing sustainable social housing to its cit- izens. Highlighting the similarities between Curacao and Malta, Oltheten said that the first step in applying the Dough- nut Economic Model here would be to "change the way we look at society and try to balance social needs with ecological needs instead of just looking at economic growth." e panel discussion that followed be- gan with the short film, Malta in the Mir- ror. e film underlined the long-term sus- tainability challenges the Maltese Islands are facing and which may affect econom- ic competitiveness going forward, as well as the social wellbeing of our residents. A number of panellists placed emphasis on the fact that quality of life and wellbeing cannot be replaced. Tying into this, a lack of green and social spaces weighs on people's mental health, and this has been further exacerbated by the recent lockdowns brought on by COVID-19. Going into further detail about the Doughnut Model, it became clear that sustainable urban design and planning could help to remove social alienation. "We need to put the human back in the centre of our thinking and review the quality of the urban development around us," Maria Attard, Head of Geography and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta, said. "We need a revolution! We need to stop construction and rethink the way we handle urban de- velopment." As the module came to its conclusion, there was mutual agreement that long- term political support is required to adopt the Doughnut Model successfully, with strong social, political and economic institutions providing the right govern- ance framework. David Felice, Executive Director of AP Valletta said Valletta is a good metaphor, being a city that has re- invented itself recently, adding a social in- teraction dimension that was lacking for many years. So the prospect of applying the Doughnut model in Malta is not an impossibility. e final module of Day Two at the Fo- rum was titled Pitching for Good. Guest speakers and panellists discussed how a number of organisations and business- es are promoting sustainability through their services and products. e Malta Sustainability Forum 2021 runs until tomorrow. To register, and to follow the latest updates, please visit mal- tasustainabilityforum.com. The 'Doughnut Economic Model' and its application to Malta DAY TWO OF THE 2021 MALTA SUSTAINABILITY FORUM IRIS THAUMAS has announced that it has achieved certification to SM EN ISO 9001:2015. e ISO 9001 standard is an international standard which sets out the criteria for a qual- ity management system (QMS) and is based on a number of quality man- agement principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual im- provement. e standard is a blue- print for companies to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet cus- tomer and regulatory requirements. e company's journey to certifi- cation started in late 2016 when the company leadership set the course for a full-blown QMS. "As the com- plexity of the services we developed over the last few years increased, we became even more committed to managing our services, processes and procedures through a well-de- fined and structured system. We ac- complished that with the the QMS and are committed to applying it going forward" said Deniss Berezins, HR Services Manager at IRIS THAU- MAS. For the certification process, the company chose the Standards and Metrology Institute, a Maltese in- dependent body under the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs (MCCAA) which is entrusted with the coordination of standardization and related activities at various cor- porate, national, regional and inter- national levels. Upon passing Stage I/II audits, IRIS THAUMAS' quality management system was certified and will be subject to annual audits by the MCCAA. e ISO 9001 standard was first published in 1987, with the ISO 9001:2015 being the current ver- sion having replaced ISO 9001:2008 in September 2015. It is already the most widely adopted standard in the history of standards with over one million companies certified in over 170 countries worldwide. e stand- ard is published by the International Organization for Standardization, a non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland. Left to right: George Cutajar, Director, Standardization Directorate, Standards and Metrology Institute; Deniss Berezins, HR Services Manager, IRIS THAUMAS LTD; and Ing. Francis Farrugia, Director General, Standards and Metrology at MCCAA IRIS THAUMAS achieves certification to ISO 9001:2015

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