COLLABORATION -
The role of business in the health of society and the planet has never been more critical. And as stakeholder calls for companies to use their resources for social and environmental good grow louder, it’s clear that not even multinationals can effect change on their own.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
B Lab has updated its B Impact Assessment guidance and standards to align with the IDH Living Wage Roadmap — highlighting more companies’ work on this front will illustrate the feasibility of providing living wages globally.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
To deliver the rapid decarbonisation and conservation we need, and to enable communities to grow in a sustainable way, we have to catalyse new finance for good — and we need to maximise that impact, so we know how much good is achieved and how we can improve.
LEADERSHIP -
Setbacks such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade offer brands the opportunity to demonstrate their true commitment to supporting a healthy, equitable future for all.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
“ESG in its fullest form hasn’t really been done yet. Its full potential is at the intersection of ESG and impact investing, where we can move from passive divesting and screening out of negative investments to proactive investments that generate long-term, sustainable profits.” — Alix Lebec
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Neuterra enables consumers to make data-driven purchasing decisions and helps brands gain valuable insights on sustainability trends, with the goal of revealing the true cost of consumption and taking an intersectional approach to addressing the climate crisis.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The three-year-old maker of snacks, coffee and other ethically sourced foods is aiming to show that brands can source from regenerative ag systems; but it will require a real commitment to
working with rural communities who, for too long, have been left behind by the modern food system.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
For too long, investors have lacked the data and analytics to make well-informed investment decisions around the financial risks of water impacts. That is about to change.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
By teaming up with retail leader Walmart, San Francisco-based Plenty is set to supply California (for starters) with healthy, sustainable food at an affordable price, using only 1% of the land needed for traditional farming.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Many companies still shy away from responsibility for what’s happening in the first mile of their supply chains; but First Mile, along with its nonprofit and brand partners, is actively engaging with these issues — and
creating positive impacts for thousands of waste collectors around the world.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The meat sector in its current form is unsustainable; yet so is completely replacing the use of animals as a food technology. For the biggest and fastest environmental impact, we must address the way we grow our food. More sustainable models will involve coexistence between traditional and alternative production methods.
WALKING THE TALK -
Earlier this year, Tourism Vancouver Island evolved into a social enterprise called 4VI that supports communities,
businesses, culture and environment. A social enterprise is a revenue-generating business that identifies a social benefit and directs its revenues toward it; in the tourism industry, this is a completely new way to operate.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
As ever, it is the most vulnerable people around the world who suffer greatest from slow growth, rising inflation, and the energy and food system disruptions stemming from the war in Ukraine. Bridging the finance
divide, while ensuring that resources catalyze the necessary transformations, will be key for putting the SDGs back within reach.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Many would also argue that the fashion industry is not being judged harshly enough and gets away with a lot. But there are steps in the right direction and nuances within sustainability ‘misses’ which, if built on, will generate needed momentum.
WALKING THE TALK -
The company’s expanded commitment includes a first-of-its-kind goal to restore more water than is consumed during use of P&G products in two high-water-stressed metropolitan areas.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The open-source playbook from TrusTrace, Fashion Revolution and Fashion for Good offers a one-stop guide for fashion brands wanting to fulfill on the new business imperative for transparency.
CLEANTECH -
Sunlit Sea’s prefabricated, floating solar panels optimize longevity, power production and safety, whilst taking a fraction of the time and cost to install.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Apple, Netflix, Xylem and others are putting corporate cash to work in financially underserved communities by moving money to CDFIs, LID credit unions and MDIs throughout the US.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The law is a direct response to the widespread, well-documented reports of crimes against humanity in the Uyghur regions — and the fact that the reactions from most global brands to the issue have been, to put it lightly, disappointing.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
A recent Innovate4Climate workshop focused on technology’s role in improving carbon accounting verification processes. SustainCERT and INFRAS explored how digitization will revolutionize emissions-reductions verification in both voluntary and compliance markets.