SUPPLY CHAIN -
Trucost finds the world’s large-scale diamond producers infuse billions of dollars in benefits into communities, provide higher than national average wages and are working to minimize environmental impacts.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Conservation scientists, NGOs and indigenous leaders urge governments to adopt a “Global Deal for Nature” as a companion to the Paris Climate Agreement, to tackle the interlinked crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. A corresponding study establishes science-based conservation targets for the entire planet.
NEW METRICS -
With 65% of the Caribbean’s reefs generating tourism dollars, the study reveals
an opportunity for tourism-associated businesses — such as cruise lines,
airlines and hotels — to work together to protect the region’s environmental health.
LEADERSHIP -
“B Corp acts as a filter. You’re much more likely to get quality and follow-through in a long-lasting way from a B Corp.” — Luke's Lobster co-founder Ben Holden
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
New step-by-step guide from Natural Capital Finance Alliance builds on launch of web-based tool, ENCORE, in November.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Tiffany begins disclosing the provenance of its diamonds, commits to 100 percent geographic transparency.
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.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Sustainable Brands® community gathers today in Philadelphia, PA to kick off the 8th annual New Metrics conference. Over 300 global executives from brands like Nike, Salesforce, and Eileen Fisher are convening to unveil cutting-edge corporate practices that measure and quantify environmental and social impacts and tie them to financial and business value.
NEW METRICS -
The Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA), together with the Natural Capital Coalition and VBDO, has launched a groundbreaking guide to help financial institutions understand and assess their reliance on natural capital — i.e. the clean air, oceans, ecosystems and minerals that most of our goods and services depend on.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Today, Ceres and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announce the addition of Target and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, to the AgWater Challenge. The two companies’ new water stewardship commitments were shared today at the Financial Times Water Summit in London.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Circulate Capital, the impact-focused investment management firm dedicated to financing companies, projects and infrastructure that prevent ocean plastic; and SecondMuse, a global business accelerator that works with local stakeholders, leading corporations and government agencies to build resilient economies, today announced the launch of The Incubator Network by Circulate Capital and SecondMuse, a new initiative to accelerate solutions to ocean plastic waste by partnering with existing incubators t
COLLABORATION -
Over the last few years, the bioeconomy — a global economy that uses biological resources and waste from the land and sea as inputs to food, industrial and energy production — has been a major point of discussion for scientists and policymakers alike. According to the World Economic Forum, our bioeconomy is far from sustainable as it presently exists, as companies across many industries continue to rely on environmentally damaging practices.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
FoodShot Global today launches a new investment platform aimed at accelerating food system transformation through an annual challenge — a call for “Moonshots for Better Food” that will create a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food system worldwide.
FoodShot is a nonprofit, global consortium of mission-aligned venture funds, banks, corporations, universities and foundations. A combination of equity and debt funding will be awarded to innovative businesses, while a GroundBreaker Prize of more than $500,000 in philanthropic capital will be awarded to researchers, social entrepreneurs and advocates.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
In the early days of my career, more years ago than I care to admit, I spent a good part of my time explaining to people what e-waste was, that it was hazardous and that it shouldn’t be landfilled. I’m pleased to report that those days are over. Most of us today are well aware of the tide of electronics washing up in China, Africa and elsewhere. The vast majority of us want to ensure our discarded electronic paperweights are properly recycled. We are moving in the right direction.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
In Nestlé Waters North America's second annual survey of 6,142 US consumers and experts on water-related topics, released this week, respondents ranked clean water higher than getting enough sleep (25 percent of consumers and 22 percent of experts) and eating healthy foods (23 percent of consumers and 25 percent of experts) as factors important to living a healthy life.
WALKING THE TALK -
The release of classified documents such as the so-called Panama and Paradise papers in recent years has provided a glimpse into the opaque world of tax havens and their role in the global economy.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
More than 90 institutional investors, representing more than $6.7T in assets, have voiced their concerns over the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s relevance and effectiveness, and the current disconnect between its criteria and corporate policy commitments.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
For many, the sustainable choice is the alternative choice: alternative lightbulbs, alternative cars, alternative shopping bags, alternative business models. But there’s no longer a need for the sustainability community to present itself this way — especially in relation to business.
Every day, businesses face new and emerging risks related to environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related issues. In a world more connected than ever, these risks can be felt more directly and more immediately than they used to be.
NEW METRICS -
With 3.8 billion years of R&D behind Earth’s systems and creatures, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what we can learn and how we can apply those lessons to our companies, products and processes.
COLLABORATION -
Over 60 organizations including businesses such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola and M&S have signed a Catchment Management Declaration agreeing to step up action to address the increasing pressures to UK water through improved catchment management.