Stories About Systems Shift
Found 139 stories. Page 5 of 7.
Philip Morris International Continues Shift Toward Smoke-Free Future
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - On Tuesday, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) published its Sustainability Report 2017, outlining the concrete steps being taken to fundamentally transform its business, by putting smoke-free products at the core of its sustainability efforts to address wider societal challenges, drive operational excellence, manage its social impact and reduce its environmental footprint. PMI says it is committed to replace cigarettes as soon as possible with better alternatives to smoking for the millions of men and women who would otherwise continue to smoke.
Will We Soon See a More Sustainable Financial System?
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.
Why Business Needs to Collaborate for a Clean Energy Future
CLEANTECH - Many people assume that tech companies are always competing. But as we celebrate Earth Day this year, we’re feeling grateful for our tech peers. When it comes to the environment, working together allows us to make bigger strides toward our shared sustainability goals — and collaboration is the only way forward.
‘Closing the Loop’ Doc Stresses Imperative for Circular Revolution, Shares Success Stories
THE NEXT ECONOMY - Going “circular” refers to the change from our current take-make-waste linear economy to a borrow-use-return circular economy, also known under the banners of ‘zero-waste’ and ‘cradle-to-cradle.’ The concept has sparked a movement among companies, governments, NGOs, and
About the Clout: Pro-Sustainability Businesses Lobby For Greater Good
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.
Corporate Sustainability Practitioners: Roles Have Changed — Has Your Job Description?
LEADERSHIP - “If life were easy, it wouldn’t be difficult.” — Kermit the Frog As a sustainability professional, I am drawn to this Muppet wisdom. Over the many years I’ve worked in the field as an advisor and strategist, I’ve witnessed a slow but steady awakening on the part of organizations to the real challenges of long-term sustainability. It takes intention, commitment – and pivots.
WWF Challenges Creatives to Make Sustainability Sexy, Mainstream
MARKETING AND COMMS - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is challenging the marketing industry to use its influence to help deliver a more sustainable future with the launch of Project Extraordinary, a global video challenge that will see creative agencies produce short films to demonstrate how sustainability can be desirable and sexy.
New Approaches, Tools for Ethical Sourcing of Conflict Minerals
NEW METRICS - A multi-industry initiative has introduced new protocols and tools for the responsible sourcing of tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold, and cobalt, as well as social, environmental and governance impacts of the extraction and processing of raw materials in international supply chains.
Sourcing Soy: The Role of the Private Sector in the Fate of the Brazilian Cerrado
SUPPLY CHAIN - The Brazilian Cerrado — the world’s most biodiverse savannah — is being deforested at an alarming rate. Over 40 percent of the original landscape has already been cleared, largely for the cultivation of soy for animal feed. As major agribusiness companies continue to convert land into soy pastures, what role do these companies — and the businesses around the world who buy from them — play in avoiding further damage to this important ecosystem?
UK Government Calls on Top Pension Funds to Disclose Climate Risks
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.
New Transparency Initiative Aims to Boost Responsible Ship Recycling Practices
MARKETING AND COMMS - In a bid to increase responsible shipping practices, Forum for the Future and the Sustainable Shipping Initiative have launched the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI). The Initiative brings together key industry stakeholders to improve transparency in the global ship recycling value chain by facilitating voluntary disclosure of recycling practices and related data by ship owners, and to support the use of this information to inform decision-making.
Trending: Food Industry Says Sayonara to Single-Use Plastics
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - The war against single-use plastics rages on as even more brands rise to the challenge of creating a plastic-free future. Online food delivery companies Just Eat and Deliveroo are the latest businesses to hop aboard the sustainable packaging bandwagon.
Social Purpose Imperative in Business Triggers Capitalism’s New Zeitgeist
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.
Kashi Certified Transitional Program Increases 400% in Just 2 Years
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Kashi continues to expand its Certified Transitional portfolio, announcing that with the support of consumers, it will now source Certified Transitional ingredients from more than 4,200 acres of farmland across the US — a 400 percent increase since the start of the program in 2016. Participating farmers have received more than $1 million to support their transition from conventional to organic.
GoodWell ‘Mind the Gap’ Initiative to Create Common Methodology to Measure Pay Inequality
NEW METRICS - Without a uniform, universally accepted and publicly available measurement methodology, companies large and small wanting to eradicate the pay gap are often left wondering where to start.
3 Environmental Lawsuits That Have Helped Society
LEADERSHIP - For Big Oil and lobbyists of legislative bodies, money talks. Unfortunately, keeping investors and corporate bigwigs happy often takes precedence over any environmental concerns. Trying to effect real change for the good of the environment can seem impossible at times given the vast amount of power in play.
Unleashing the Power of Online Reporting
MARKETING AND COMMS - Confronted with an ever-growing demand for transparency and materiality, companies need to find an adequate format to publish both financial and pre-financial information to their stakeholders in an effective way. While traditional reporting reaches its limits, online integrated reporting features a number of key advantages that enable them to get the job done. It is fair to say that 2017 was an important year for corporate reporting. A number of events established the disclosure of relevant ecological, social and governance (ESG) specific data as the “new normal”:
Building Better Supply Chains Requires Better Data
SUPPLY CHAIN - Supply chains are making headlines once again — and for all the wrong reasons.
New Venture Fund Aims to Rapidly Scale Ethical Supply Chain Technologies
SUPPLY CHAIN - On January 30th, Humanity United, a California-based foundation and leader in supply chain advocacy, announced the launch of a $23 million venture fund to invest in ethical supply chain innovations. The Working Capital Fund is unique in that it will not issue grants, but rather make real investments in companies with the goal of accelerating the process of building scalable solutions to improve labor practices in the global supply chain.