WALKING THE TALK -
Cobalt is back in the news, as a new report from Amnesty International reveals that tech industry giants such as Microsoft, Lenovo, Renault and Vodafone aren’t doing enough to keep child labor out of cobalt battery supply chains in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Just weeks after 12 C40 mayors signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration in an effort to curb air pollution and improve the quality of life for urban dwellers while tackling climate change, the mayors of 25 pioneering cities have pledged to develop and begin implementing more ambitious climate action plans by 2020 to deliver emissions-neutral and climate-resilient cities by 2050.
NEW METRICS -
Corresponding with the kick off of the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference (COP23), CDP has released a new report finding that over 100 of the world’s state and regional governments are taking action to address climate change, particularly in the short-term.
NEW METRICS -
We need to make better decisions to avoid the potentially severe consequences for businesses operating in a deteriorated environment. The social and environmental megatrends will, over time, act as a drag on prosperity as the costs of basic inputs such as water, energy and land escalate in response to scarcity.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Thailand has bid the final farewell to its leader of seven decades, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
People throughout the Kingdom, and around the world, have celebrated and commemorated his life in a variety of ways. Ceremonies that have been practiced until perfect are helping convey the gravity of the moment while helping the nation begin to move forward. But when the ceremonies end, people will look for ways to keep the late King's memory alive, as well as to honour his life's work. A great way to do so might be to commit to continue the Sufficiency Economy work that was initiated by His Majesty Rama IX.
COLLABORATION -
Veolia North America and the Wharton School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) have released a report detailing the demonstrated success and future potential for public-private partnerships (P3s) to provide sustainable solutions for the nation’s infrastructure needs.
PRESS RELEASE -
Imagine you have landed in 2030. You walk into your usual grocery store. Only this time, every product sports a label to help you make your purchasing decision based not only on price, or calories, but also on environmental impact.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
The international Fair-Trade Town movement encourages authorities, corporates, retail outlets and community groups to promote fair trade and spread understanding of fair-trade concepts across its sphere of influence. Over 1,800 towns have been recognized worldwide. Japan may well lag other countries in the movement, but it does have three registered fair-trade cities — Kumamoto, Nagoya and Zushi — and has added its own, sixth requirement to the five core standards for fair-trade town status outlined by Fair Trade Towns International.
LEADERSHIP -
In a country infamous for being the second-biggest contributor of plastic waste to the oceans, a city in West Java has achieved a close to 100 percent segregation rate. This is how Depok transformed its waste system.
Waste is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing issues of all time. More than a decade after Bandung’s Leuwigajah dumpsite disaster in West Java, in which 143 people died buried under a waste avalanche, there is still no strict law enforcement to divert waste from filling up landfills.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT -
John Viera, Global Director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental Matters at Ford Motor Company, recently shared his experience as one of the first sustainability business professionals in the corporate world.
Read on to learn how he applies his engineering background to his sustainability work, his unique “talents” that make him especially equipped to lead a sustainability organization, and why he’s passionate about delivering innovation to communities that need it most.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Putting a price on carbon is becoming the new normal for major multinationals, with almost 1,400 companies[1] factoring an internal carbon price into business plans, according to a new report from CDP. This represents an eight-fold leap in take up in the last four years, compared to just 150 companies in 2014, and includes more than 100 Fortune Global 500 companies with collective annual revenues of US$7 trillion[2].
LEADERSHIP -
With the signing of the Paris Agreement, governments resolved to pursue efforts to go beyond the agreed 2°C goal and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, nearly two years later, national and organizational commitments that align with a 1.5°C pathway are practically non-existent. A new report from Carbon Trust, however, aims to help position businesses to lead the low-carbon transition.
CLEANTECH -
Nearly three weeks after Puerto Rico was pummeled by Hurricane Maria, the island is still feeling the storm’s disastrous effects. The destruction of transmission lines across the island has left much of Puerto Rico’s population in darkness and without access to information technologies. The problem is critical, but Elon Musk believes Tesla technology may hold the key to rebuilding the US territory’s antiquated grid.
PRESS RELEASE -
Visa’s commitment to transparency in political disclosures has led to the company being named a “Trendsetter” on the 2017 CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability, one of the most comprehensive rankings of the political disclosures and accountability practices of leading public companies in the U.S.
CLEANTECH -
Earlier this week, the Larta Institute, an accelerator for small businesses and startups in science-based innovation, announced that its subsidiary, Larta Inc. has been awarded an exclusive contract by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to manage its national Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) for as many as 450 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and II awardees per year beginning in September 2017. The DOE granted over $224 million to SBIR recipients in 2016.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, UNICEF USA and UPS announced an impactful partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort to support the people of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Providing relief to those in need of clean water and other basic supplies, UNICEF USA, in close cooperation with the Governor’s teams and nonprofit partners, will leverage the vast UPS logistics network to deliver supplies from various points around the world, including from the company’s Worldport global air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. One plane will carry more than 60 pallets of water from Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort, departing on Tuesday morning.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
To provide its customers with a simple and effective way to take action in support of its advocacy campaigns and engage with local lawmakers and members of Congress, Ben & Jerry’s has struck up a new partnership with Phone2Action, a digital advocacy platform that connects citizens to lawmakers via Facebook, Twitter, text and email.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Scrappage schemes seem to be popping up almost daily as auto manufacturers across the UK and Europe ramp up efforts to drive polluting vehicles off the roads in anticipation of tightening governments regulations on air quality and emissions.
CLEANTECH -
2017 marks the dividing line. This is the year U.S. companies must decide whether they will make and keep sustainability initiatives outside of any federal mandate to do so. With the current administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and weakening of the EPA, a governmental push towards environmental sustainability is virtually nonexistent.