FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Global government action must accelerate to ensure the ‘polluter pays’ principle is enacted. In turn, businesses and citizens will be compelled to consider the cost of carbon-intensive goods.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The 150-member America the Beautiful for All Coalition brings diverse experiences and perspectives to the frontline fight to save 30 percent of US land, fresh water and ocean by 2030.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Policymakers everywhere now have a blueprint — and role models — for purposeful policy to better align corporate behaviour with public interest and to create allies for the work that lies ahead.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Promising developments in expanding the blue economy, philanthropy for climate action, and heavy industry net-zero commitments were among hopeful highlights from the annual gathering.
WASTE NOT -
Updated federal guidelines that reduce donor liability could begin to change the conversation around what is acceptable to consumers, especially as much-needed food begins to make its way to those who need it most.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The collaboration, using Steakholder’s proprietary 3D bio-printing technology, is a significant step forward in both companies’ mission to cultivate and scale sustainable alternatives to conventionally farmed and fished foods.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
This year, we saw companies double-down on purpose amidst a rise in consumer skepticism and politically motivated attacks on ESG. Below are six notable trends and what they might mean for 2023.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Due to the urgency of solving our most formidable climate- and health-related challenges, we regard decision-makers’ behavior vis-à-vis cellular agriculture — and cultivated food products, in particular — to be of some consequence when considering what lies in store for 2023.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
How does identifying with a certain political party, generation or minority group influence whether consumers think more highly or more disapprovingly of a brand taking on a cause? Here is what we learned.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
COP15 again highlighted the importance of ensuring money moves in the right direction to bring about lasting environmental protection. One example is The Nature Conservancy’s recent purchase of a coral reef insurance policy to protect Hawai‘i’s marine environment from damage by hurricanes or tropical storms.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The mine’s operator and UK government pledge to offset nearly 500,000 annual tons of emissions through carbon credits; but the clear greenwashing has been lambasted by critics the world over.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
80M tons of plastic waste will end up in the environment just in the next 10 years. Without voluntary, global producer responsibility programs to unlock capital towards infrastructure and bridge the policy vacuum, how else do polluters suggest for us to tackle this massive financing gap in the meantime?
COLLABORATION -
The first COP took place in 1995 — 27 years later, and it’s easy to understand the scepticism. We’re still quite a long way from universal adoption by all nations and private sector actors of net-zero strategies that align with the urgent timescales science tells us are needed. But no other issue brings 198
nation states together in this way.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
For most readers, bribery or corruption aren’t part of your everyday experience — though they should be part of due diligence processes on your business partners and supply chain. However, the danger that one department says one
thing and another does something different and inconsistent is clear in every company.
WALKING THE TALK -
Why have the collective efforts of national governments, NGOs, forward-looking companies and citizens had so little impact on curbing carbon emissions? Here are three reasons why high-level pledges are not translating into concrete actions — and what’s needed to break through.
WALKING THE TALK -
COP27 ended with an agreement to create a funding facility to compensate vulnerable nations for ‘loss and damage’ from climate disasters; but weakened language around the phase-out of fossil fuels opens a dangerous loophole that could threaten decarbonization before it’s too late.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The USDA has awarded Bridgestone $35M to grow its investment in desert shrub guayule to advance a climate-smart domestic rubber industry and offer a water-smart solution amid the ongoing drought in the Southwestern US.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
If we continue to be distracted by our biennial game of political ping-pong, we are unlikely to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change — unless we fundamentally address the underlying causes of polarization and disinformation as part of our sustainability agenda.