NEW METRICS -
“Organizations rely on a diverse set of ‘capitals’ to function effectively,” says Emma Ringström, Sustainability Manager, Pulp and Performance Chemicals at AkzoNobel. By measuring these, she says, “We can find ways to make the most impactful improvements and ultimately increase business value.”
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
“Clean meat” — products produced from culturing animal cells rather than raising and slaughtering animals — is facing its first major regulatory battle. The U.S.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
It's now nearly 10 years since news broke of the Lehman Brothers collapse, which served as a precursor for this century's biggest-ever financial crisis. Underpinned by reckless borrowing and the untold dangers of the sub-prime mortgage sector, the Great Recession brought the world to its knees and altered the global economic landscape forever.
While the global economy has largely enjoyed sustained (if slightly sluggish) growth since this time, the goal of creating a truly transparent financial market has yet to be fully realised. We've seen some progress in this respect, of course, but there is still much work to be done if we're to ensure that we fully heed the lessons of the Great Recession.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Everyone’s gotta eat – and it makes for a big industry. Globally, food and agriculture is a $7.8 trillion industry. Its also growing (pun intended): global investments in the food and agriculture sector have grown three-fold since 2004 and, according to McKinsey, on average have demonstrated higher returns to shareholders than other sectors. In the US, agriculture, food and related industries generated 5.5% of the country’s GDP at $992 billion, $137 billion of that coming directly from US farms.
WALKING THE TALK -
Increasingly, businesses are using their clout to influence governments to advance a fair, inclusive and sustainable society and position their business for success. They recognize that government leadership is essential to develop progressive economic, social and environmental public policy to realize a future in which business and society can prosper.
LEADERSHIP -
Larry Fink’s recent clarion call to capitalism that managing “environmental, social,and governance (ESG) matters demonstrates the leadership and good governance that is so essential to sustainable growth” should not fall on deaf CEO ears.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
“A lot of people want to participate in Detroit’s recovery, but unfortunately, they feel that because they’re not a billionaire, millionaire, celebrity or politician, they feel they can’t,” Kwaku Osei told Fast Company.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 37 years, today announced the details of its planned health-focused community investing work for 2018 in its headquarters hometown of Louisville, Ky., as well as in seven additional communities where the foundation intends to make significant community investments this year.
Strategic Community Investments in ‘Bold Goal’ communities
PRESS RELEASE -
Danone today announces the successful launch of a €300 million bond to finance and refinance
projects that include positive social impacts. This innovative Social Bond is the first to be issued by a
multinational aligned with the new Social Bond Principles, as set out in June 2017 by the
International Capital Market Association.
A few weeks after the integration of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria in the
payable margin of its €2bn syndicated loan, this pioneering bond issuance continues to support
Danone’s long-term ambition to leading the way to creating and sharing sustainable value. It
attracted significant appetite from investors focused on ESG and was subscribed at attractive
market conditions.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
2017 was a particularly challenging year for health in the United States.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Closed Loop Fund (CLF) today unveiled an historic statewide, public-private partnership targeting a $5 million investment in recycling infrastructure in Connecticut in 2018. This statewide program follows Closed Loop Fund’s successful investment in Waterbury, CT in 2017.
PRESS RELEASE -
College and university students have both a special drive and the capability to positively change the world around them.
Through the PepsiCo Recycling Zero Impact Fund, students are empowered to do exactly that – create proposals to address sustainability challenges on their campuses through unique, innovative solutions.
In its second year, PepsiCo Recycling’s Zero Impact Fund received more than 60 proposals and will award 19 colleges and universities up to $10,000 to accomplish their environmental goals.
Projects that will be funded through the Zero Impact Fund this year include:
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The UK’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is calling on top pension funds in the UK to disclose information on the risks that climate change poses to pension savings. The move was prompted by an admission from the Department for Work and Pensions that there is widespread misunderstanding amongst trustees on the scope of their fiduciary duty in relation to environmental risks.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
As You Sow, the Sustainable Investments Institute and Proxy Impact have published an updated Proxy Preview report for 2018. The report offers a comprehensive look at more than 400 shareholder resolutions filed on environmental, social and sustainable governance (ESG) issues.
WASTE NOT -
Corporate action to tackle the mounting problem of ocean plastics is on the rise with new commitments and cross-industry initiatives cropping up regularly.
BUSINESS CASE -
Welcome to the tipping point of capitalism.
At a time defined by political scandals, nuclear threats, and turbulence on Wall Street, business is society’s unlikeliest hero. A series of watershed statements, reports and initiatives from some of the world’s most well-known capitalists is heralding a new zeitgeist, during which businesses are expected to exist to benefit society — not just shareholders.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
As a monetary adviser, I spent many years questioning bankers on the authenticity of their balances sheets. What stood out most for me in these discussions was this: the social demand for commodities is often claimed by banks as having a direct link with the ecological supply of resources which are extracted, produced and sold as commodities. But this just isn’t true. Bank reserve assets are not discounted to reflect the decline of the world’s non-renewable resources. In fact, as society’s ecological debt continues to mount, no one is actually keeping track.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
"We want to create "radical impact", as we like to call it: create access to better quality coffee than the one sold by the leading multinationals and make sure that the people growing our coffee make a better living by bringing value-adding activities back to their countries. But how do we measure and show what we actually do with Moyee?” said Guido van Staveren van Dijk, CEO of Moyee Coffee, describing one of the key challenges his company is facing.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
A shift in consumer awareness around sustainability is causing a surge in demand for plant-based proteins — an emerging market opportunity that global food companies won’t want to miss.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Financing tends to be on the top of the list of hurdles for sustainable companies looking to scale. A business does not survive on a mission alone, and in order to generate profits and revenue, it needs capital to operate. But for sustainable enterprises setting out to meet the triple bottle line (“Planet, People, Profit”) while minimizing impacts, attracting and raising funding can be a particularly challenging task.