Leadership
Exemplary cases of sustainability leadership and intrapreneurship, and the qualities, ethical principles and/or dilemmas inherent within them.
A Bit of Environmental History and a Salute to a Sustainability Hero
I had the good fortune recently to sit next to Richard Liroff at a dinner — what I learned made me very thankful. He is retiring after over 45 years of serving the environment, and hearing his story made me think that we all could benefit from remembering where we came from and being grateful for those who made it their mission to save the environment for future generations.
Purpose After Polman: How the Poster Child for Purpose Paved the Way for Future Leadership
Last month, when news broke that Unilever would begin the search for Paul Polman’s successor, it sent shockwaves through the business world. As the poster child for Purpose in business, what would this mean for the future of businesses that aim to grow while prioritizing sustainability?
France Scores Top Spot on Food Sustainability Index
France has once again topped the Food Sustainability Index (FSI), an annual ranking of major countries on their commitment to food sustainability created by The Economist Intelligence Unit in partnership with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition.
Volvo Ocean Race: A Microcosm of a Successful, Purpose-Driven Business
Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) is considered one of the longest and toughest professional sporting events in the world; sailing’s toughest team challenge and one of the sport’s Big Three events, alongside the Olympics and the America’s Cup.
Bard: A Burgeoning Brand in Sustainable Business
Dr. Eban Goodstein is a contradiction of sorts. Trained in “the dismal science” — economics — Goodstein is an inveterate optimist about the prospects for business to lead the way to a sustainable future, and sooner rather than later. He is turning that optimism into reality as director and founder of the Bard MBA in Sustainability program in New York City. That Goodstein is at the forefront of the sustainable MBA world is not surprising when one considers his career path.
Depok: The Front Line in Indonesia’s Fight Against Waste
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.
Earning Trust Through Transparency
Trust. It can sound a lot like a buzzword or business jargon, a word or phrase thrown around by leaders when trying to identify, define or solve a problem. Sometimes it’s not even a consideration until it’s lost. According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, only about half of the general population trusts business, government, media and nongovernmental organizations to do the right thing. Trust in business fell to 52 percent, and CEO credibility also fell globally.
C40 Mayors Commit to Fossil-Fuel-Free Cities by 2030
Zero emission-cities are the way of the future and the mayors of London, Paris, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle, Auckland, and Cape Town are taking strides to bring the far-reaching goal to fruition. The aforementioned mayors have signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration, a pledge to procure only zero-emission buses from 2025 and ensure that a major area of their cities are zero emission by 2030. The policies outlined in the agreement aim to drive down air pollution, improve the quality of life for all citizens and tackle climate change.
Starbucks’ ‘Upstanders’ Returns to Share Stories of Real People Effecting Extraordinary Change
Starbucks is harnessing the power of new media to highlight the efforts being made by real people across the United States to effect positive changes in their communities. The coffee giant has brought back its Upstanders original series for a second season, which features stories of ordinary people showing extraordinary courage.
Corporate Climate Action Aims Higher to Lead the Way to a 1.5°C Future
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.
Making the Impossible Possible: Learning Authenticity for Conscious Leadership
Today’s companies are being tasked with the impossible: How can we make money for our shareholders, pay our employees well, and positively impact the environment and society as a whole? The purpose of a business used to be specifically to increase value for the shareholders. While this still clearly holds importance today, there is a growing pressure to expand this value to all stakeholders, and the perception of value is changing.
HEINEKEN, Vital Voices Aim to Brew a Better World by Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
Creating a sustainable, inclusive future requires helping a diverse range of individuals realize their fullest potential — particularly women. On Saturday, September 30, HEINEKEN USA will lead a workshop in Washington, D.C. at Vital Voices’ Global Freedom Exchange (GFE) Program, a two-week dynamic educational and mentoring opportunity for emerging women leaders.
The Same, But Different: Some Thoughts on Japanese Business
I recently visited Tokyo on a business trip and had the chance to meet with a number of Japanese companies. At the end of a three-hour meeting with sustainability professionals from a dozen or so multinationals, the host asked me for my impressions of Japanese organizations and their sustainability efforts. My honest answer: “I’m confused.”
The Time Is Now for a More Soulful Way of Business
Customer experience design is the forgotten dimension of sustainability. We need to transcend what have now become well-defined approaches and definitions of customer experience, to help companies understand why their offerings are no longer resonating with people, and how to develop a profound understanding of the lived experience of every single person whose lives our organisations touch. This understanding is just as applicable to those businesses and organisations developing sustainable products, services, technologies and initiatives.
Shiva Hotels Launches Industry-First Anti-Slavery Campaign to Eradicate Human Trafficking
UK hotel group Shiva Hotels is looking to take human trafficking and modern slavery head on, launching an industry-first anti-slavery program, which it began rolling out across its hotels last week.
5 Reasons Why Impact Is Competitive: Insights from the World’s Top CEOs
Corporate social and environmental responsibility has developed to a point where the world’s leading CEOs believe it is essential to their companies’ long-term business success. The movement is growing, and companies around the world are approaching social and environmental problems as opportunities to drive profit as well as progress for humanity.
'America's Pledge' to Track, Quantify Non-Party Contributions to US Climate Commitments
In response to the federal government’s failure to take action against climate change, Michael Bloomberg and California Governor Jerry Brown have launched a new initiative to track and quantify the contributions of local governments and businesses to tackle greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.
RE100 Reaches 100 Companies Committed to 100% Renewable Energy
As further evidence of the global corporate momentum behind renewable energy, the RE100 initiative has reached 100 members, following new commitments from AkzoNobel, AXA, Burberry and Carlsberg Group to transition to 100 percent renewable power.
Never So Relevant: Fritjof Capra on the Earth Charter Initiative
Last year saw one of the most historically symbolic events of recent years when 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement to cut back on pollution contributing to climate change. So, last month when President Donald Trump announced that he would pull the US out of the agreement, there was a huge reaction, with many leaders of countries around the world expressing their dismay.
The Evolution of Fiduciary Duty: Bringing Boards of Directors Into the Future
“Boards should understand the broader environmental and social consequences of business operations, and must set their own priorities and account for the associated outcomes.” This sentence was included in the guidance document entitled, “Human rights: expectation towards companies,” released in February 2016 by NBIM, which manages the assets of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.