SUPPLY CHAIN -
Paying living wages throughout supply chains can mean changing business models, which can seem insurmountable. But a series of case studies from IDH shows how companies and coalitions are making real progress on their commitments.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
To provide experiences that enrich destination communities and travelers alike, the new initiatives span 16 countries and include activities such as meals at local establishments supporting women, migrants and seniors; and immersive tours preserving Indigenous and ethnic minority legacies.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Consumer insights demonstrate need for brands to make good on their sustainability and human rights claims, and make it even easier for shoppers to shop their values.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The ethical chocolate maker has released three ‘Conversation Bars’ — available exclusively online and at Waitrose through January 25 — designed to provoke
discussion around systemic issues in the chocolate supply chain.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Public Inc’s latest social-justice outcry, in collaboration with First Peoples Group, shines light on lack of government action to address insufficient access to clean water in nearly 70 Indigenous communities across Canada.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
“Tony’s has done a great job of raising awareness of an important issue; and there is a real risk that the overriding message that will be left, once the dust settles, is one of a brand getting it wrong — and that could undermine all of the important messaging that Tony’s tries to share through its purpose.”
SUPPLY CHAIN -
China’s importance to global supply chains as a key source of raw materials and labor puts brands at high risk of inadvertently supporting forced labor. Right now, the focus is on the garment industry; but other industries should pay close attention and ensure they are closely monitoring their entire supply chains.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
What happens when a company empowers its associates to think creatively and innovate with a social purpose? You find yourself with a potent strategic framework for solving for some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
WALKING THE TALK -
With no end in sight to the pandemic and its many ripple effects, we can all use a little bit of brightness in our lives! So, here are some of the many companies, platforms and products aligned with a more intentional approach to consumption, that we’d be happy to support anytime.
WALKING THE TALK -
Perhaps the takeaway of the week is that the ‘next 10 years’ of business and human rights coincide with the 2030 deadline for us to halve carbon
emissions — and that environmental rights are now very clearly seen as human rights. Companies pursuing a net-zero strategy must make human rights central, too.
WALKING THE TALK -
On day two of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, delegates discussed how environmental damage is being viewed as a human rights violation in a growing number of court cases around the world — and that the UN Guiding Principles may increasingly be criteria in court judgements.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
As delegates from the UN launched the roadmap at day one of this year's Business and Human Rights Forum, full respect for human rights by business was described as a strategic — not just an operational — issue, requiring a change of corporate culture and of business models.
COLLABORATION -
Consumer goods brands and retailers aiming to diminish their climate impacts or even become forest positive can find cost-effective solutions to protect forests when they partner with indigenous communities on the ground.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
In a recent webinar, representatives from throughout the Fairtrade ecosystem, along with partners Lidl and Tony’s Chocolonely, discussed how the NGO and its partner brands are working to finally make cocoa farming sustainable for producers.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
With so little time left, we must prepare for the colossal
climate challenges yet to come. We hope our approach to public-private blended finance will inspire other multinationals, investors and climate funds to support protective measures that ensure the climate resilience of their supply chains and the global economy.
COLLABORATION -
Mobile shower pioneer LavaMae^x^ and Unilever brand The Right to Shower have built a partnership that’s given more than 38,000 unhoused people dignity, hope and a fresh sense of opportunity.
WALKING THE TALK -
Setting climate targets is one thing, but achieving them has often proven a challenge. According to VF Corp’s VP of Global Sustainability, Jeannie
Renne-Malone, part of the reason for the company’s success was due to making sustainability a company-wide effort rather than a niche project.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
At SB’21 San Diego, innovators in the agriculture, electronics, food and
plastics industries shared lessons learned from a variety of initiatives aimed at closing loops and optimizing value chains for a circular, regenerative future.
CLEANTECH -
The potential for D-RECs as an instrument for transformative change is limited only by the corporate appetite for renewables, which at this point sees no signs of waning. While the infrastructure is currently being built and finalized, the chance to funnel investments is just around the corner.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Entrepreneur and author Marci Zaroff coined the term ‘eco-fashion’ back in the mid-‘90s. Here, we discuss why sustainable fashion has taken so long to have its
‘moment’ and how regenerative ag could heal the planet along with the damaging textile industry.