BUSINESS CASE -
Study finds that financial sector companies see the most potential revenue (US$1.2T) from sustainable products & services, while also being exposed to almost 80% of all financial risk value.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
As SB’19 Paris wound down to a close, two thought-provoking roundtables on Tech, Science and Ethics explored conflicting views regarding a rise in AI applications; and how, for the next generation of purpose-driven startups, not all investors are created equal.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Backed by John Hancock, COIN offers customers eight Impact Areas — including Better Health, Clean Water, Gender Equality and Reducing Waste — to invest in, with as little as $50.
NEW METRICS -
It's time for a reverse materiality assessment — rather than trying to divine what matters most by forecasting from the unsustainable present, we must prioritize by back-casting from the sustainable future.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Over 80 investors warn that “animal agriculture is the world’s highest-emitting sector without a low-carbon plan.”
NEW METRICS -
Look at it as a tool with which to solve the underlying puzzles posed by the sustainability challenge.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
New step-by-step guide from Natural Capital Finance Alliance builds on launch of web-based tool, ENCORE, in November.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
As we wrap up work for the year and prepare for 2019, we reflected back on all that occurred this year within our niche realm of sustainability communications — and when looking back, it was apparent that 2018 was the year of brands taking stands.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
As a record number of global investors calls on governments to accelerate action on climate change, a new CDP analysis shows that some of the largest U.S.-based corporations view climate change as an increasing risk to their bottom line and reputation among consumers and investors.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
JUST Capital and Forbes today released the 2018 list of America’s Most JUST Companies, an annual ranking of the 1,000 largest publicly traded US corporations on the issues Americans care about most, including fair pay and good benefits, customer treatment and privacy, beneficial products, environmental impact, job creation, and community support in the US and abroad, as well as ethical leadership and long-term financial growth.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
This week at the COP24 climate summit in Katowice, Poland, the discussion about how to implement the directives of the Paris Agreement is in full swing.
WALKING THE TALK -
With the urgency of reducing our carbon footprint becoming more visible by the day, it’s great to see more and more brands making claims about their carbon reductions.
BUSINESS CASE -
Following the release last month of its groundbreaking guide to help financial institutions understand and assess their reliance on natural capital, this week the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA) launched the world’s first comprehensive tool linking environmental change with its consequences for the economy.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
This year’s holiday feasts will feature a bounty of meats, vegetables and other foods, many that people don’t know are big contributors to global warming.
PRESS RELEASE -
3,000+ brand and innovation leaders to convene June 3-6 at SB’19 Detroit
SAN FRANCISCO, November 27, 2018 – Sustainable Brands® recently released the event brochure for its annual flagship conference: SB’19 Detroit. More than 3,000 business leaders are expected to gather June 3-6, 2019 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan to learn how brands can stay relevant by delivering the Good Life consumers seek today, marked by balanced simplicity and connections to family, community and the environment.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ørsted, one of the world’s largest green energy developers, is named Sector Leader in the 2018 GRESB Infrastructure Assessment, for significant steps taken to incorporate sustainability into operations and communicate performance to investors.
LEADERSHIP -
This post has been translated from Japanese. Read the original interview here.
PRESS RELEASE -
Mainstream investors are increasingly conscious of the impacts of climate change and they want to know how companies disclose and manage climate-related risks. The TCFD provides recommendations that aim to meet investors’ demand for just such information.
By adopting the recommendations, companies signal they are considering, and reacting to, the impacts of climate change on their business. It is an important first step in helping the market to allocate capital in ways that drive the transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
On Friday, Montreal’s McGill University announced the opening of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) — a hub for students, researchers and practitioners to work collaboratively towards bringing retailers into the 21st century. An interdisciplinary, forward-looking school dedicated to all facets of the retail industry, its research and programming will focus on fostering sustainable consumption and healthy societies.
LEADERSHIP -
Following the analysis of over 6,000 studies, the world’s leading climate scientists at the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last month released a Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. The main conclusion from the report was that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C in just 12 years if current rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue. To halt warming at 1.5°C and thus avoid the most disastrous impacts of climate change, the IPCC states that anthropogenic GHG emissions must reach net zero by 2050. This is a monumental task and one that will require what the IPCC calls “rapid and far-reaching transitions.”