Leadership
Exemplary cases of sustainability leadership and intrapreneurship, and the qualities, ethical principles and/or dilemmas inherent within them.
Bea Perez: From 'Sustainability' to 'Social Purpose,' and Why Mistakes Lead to Success
You could say she’s unconventional. You could say she’s ambitious – her first job was an administrative assistant to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. But you can’t say she’s in it for herself – her proudest professional achievement is that of the individuals on her team. But who inspires Bea Perez – Coca–Cola’s Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP of Global Assets, Partnerships, Innovation, Licensing, Retail & Attractions – and what are her values?
The Science of Transformational Leadership, Part 2: Understand the Resistance
Some leaders make change look easy. While most people strive to drive change through persuasion, they stoke our imaginations and inspire us to embrace daring new visions of what could be. How do they do it? Believe it or not, a breakthrough from the behavioral sciences called the Voice Code has finally answered this question, offering us profound new insights into the invisible levers of influence. These insights have now been made actionable through the LUCK cycle, the following four-step engagement sequence:
Paris 2024 Taps Into Technology for the Most Sustainable Olympic Games Ever
The Olympic Games offer an opportunity for the world to come together on peaceful terms and helps generate a sense of comradery among the global community. But it’s not only the athletes and spectators who feel the Games’ impact — the environment does too. An event of such scale can have significant implications for the natural landscape and careful environmental management and sustainability strategies are essential in order to lessen negative impacts.
H&M, Zara Boycott Dhaka Apparel Summit Over Worker Treatment Issues
If there existed any question about the effectiveness of boycotts, recent actions taken across the retail industry by both consumers and brands should remove any doubt. The performance of Ivanka Trump’s fashion line plummeted as her father’s presidential campaign gained momentum, leading major retailers such as Nordstrom to pull the plug on her products not long after his inauguration.
Feed the Truth to Put Public Health — Not Special Interests — First in Food Industry
Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks, has launched an independent organization that seeks to improve public health by making truth, transparency and integrity the foremost values in today’s food system.
Systems Thinking: Life-Enhancing Business Through Leadership
Change is one of the most challenging elements of life within an organization. To sustain a change agenda moving away from behaviors and decisions that are life-destroying to becoming life-enhancing, the nuances of both corporate culture and the patterns of human behavior need to be understood. This requires systems thinking - also called visual seeing and thinking skills. I sat down with Fritjof Capra, one of the world’s most distinguished scientists and systems theorists, to discuss the implications of systems thinking for business, leadership and society.
Outdoor Brands Divided on Attending Retailer Show in Utah
In response to Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s resolution urging the Trump administration to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument, Patagonia announced that it would be opting out of this year’s Outdoor Retailer trade show. Outdoor Retailer (OR) is held every year in Salt Lake City, Utah, and brings in an estimated $50 million to the state according to the Outdoor Industry Association.
SDSN Highlights Youth-Led SDG Innovation Projects in New Solutions Report
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has released its first edition of the Youth Solutions Report, which identifies 50 youth-led projects that aim to solve the world’s toughest issues, during the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters.
Fellowship Program Equips Business Leaders to Drive Impact Through Innovation
With growing demand for business leaders to embrace progressive business practices that respect both people and planet showing no sign of slowing down, it is now more important than ever to empower high-potential professionals to innovate and lead change. Companies already have social intrapreneurs in their midst — accomplished innovators inside companies — whose efforts are helping them meet these new sets of pressures and expectations.
Boy Scouts of America Opens Its Doors to Transgender Boys
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) made history on Monday, announcing that it will begin accepting members based not on the gender listed on their birth certificates, but by the gender indicated on their application. The new policy, which is effective immediately, opens the door for transgender boys to join both the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts programs. With communities and state laws interpreting gender identity differently, BSA felt the practice of determining eligibility based on an individual’s birth certificate — which they have done for more than a century — was no longer sufficient.
New Finance Platform Aims to Scale Up Circular Economy in Europe
One year after adopting an ambitious Circular Economy Package, the European Commission has partnered with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to establish the Circular Economy Finance Support Platform, to help bring investors and innovators together and keep up the momentum in the transition to a circular economy.
China, Auto Industry Stride Forward with Clean Energy Transition
As the Obama administration’s climate change pages disappear from the White House website, scientists scramble to backup precious climate data and resources, and a new world order starts taking shape in the United States, China and the auto industry continue to push forward with clean energy initiatives.
RE100 Annual Report: Corporate Sourcing of Renewables Transforming Global Energy Economy
Corporate sourcing of renewable electricity can be a major driver of the transition to a robust, zero-emissions economy, according to the RE100 Annual Report, released last week to coincide with the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
USDA Transitional Certification Program Makes It Easier for Farmers to Go Organic
According to the USDA, demand for organic foods and products have grown significantly every year since the 1990s. But despite increasing popularity, organic acreage hasn’t been able to keep up. Only one percent of US farmland is currently dedicated to organic farming, and those looking to make the transition to organic face real barriers.
Over 80 Major Companies Across the UK Urge PM to Deliver on UN SDGs
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, more than 80 leading companies have united in a call on the government to demonstrate its commitment to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Purpose-Driven Storytelling: 12 Tips for Embracing Opportunity, Challenge and Change
In a world where consumers are increasingly buying into brands that stand for more than just positive gains in profit, having the ability to clearly communicate your company’s social good efforts is more important than ever. From educating consumers on how to make better consumption and lifestyle choices, to inspiring other business leaders and decision makers to follow suit, the opportunities that come with being a purpose-driven company (and being able to effectively communicate this differentiating factor) extend far beyond the sales numbers. As with most things in life, however, these opportunities don’t come without challenges – challenges which tend to stem from the lack of both strategic and creative communication knowledge and leadership skills.
Europe Needs to Cut Transport Emissions by 94% to Keep Climate Commitments
According to a new report by Germany’s Öko-Institut, Europe has its work cut out for it if it intends to stop the planet’s temperature rising above the two-degree limit agreed upon by world leaders at COP21. As it stands, the EU will need to cut global warming transport emissions by 94% by 2050 — a lofty goal that will require significant efforts be undertaken by all Member States. The Paris Agreement, which came into effect in November 2016, sets the cap at two agrees above pre-industrial levels, with an aspirational goal of 1.5%. But climate experts warn that even a two-degree rise could have catastrophic impacts.
New Gold Standard Framework to Unlock Billions for High-Impact Sustainable Development
In collaboration with Climate-KIC, South Pole Group and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Gold Standard — a global benchmark for climate and development initiatives — has announced a new framework designed to unlock billions of dollars needed to scale-up clean technology and sustainable development in cities around the globe.
117 Orgs, 70k People Urge Obama to Fulfill Pledge to Fund Climate Action Before Inauguration
Just one month from the inauguration of Donald Trump and the appointment of his cabinet of climate deniers, an international coalition of human rights and environmental groups is appealing to President Obama to take one final action to advance justice and action on climate change in spite of Trump.
When the Board Is on Board: Steering the Organization Towards Sustainability Leadership
Boards are the last great sustainability frontier. They set the sustainability tone at the top, which then cascades throughout the company. It is essential for boards of directors to be engaged in the sustainability agenda. They define the long-term view, anticipating and addressing risks from social and environmental impacts. Progressive boards recruit and incentivize leaders to build sustainability into the company’s business model and value chains. And now that the sustainability ROI has been proven, sustainability has become part of the board’s fiduciary responsibility.