How brands are evolving in the area of sustainability marketing and communications — and how their stakeholders are asserting their own needs and preferences.
In celebration of World Water Day, brewer Stella Artois and National Geographic have joined forces to create Our Dream of Water, a documentary by Crystal Moselle spotlighting the effects of the global water crisis. The film, which was commissioned by Stella Artois, will premiere on National Geographic on March 22nd at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST. Our Dream of Water is an extension of the brewer’s Buy a Lady a Drink campaign, an ongoing partnership with Water.org.
When a U.S. President can impact stock valuation and sway public dialogue in just 140 characters, what’s a brand to do?
Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Proctor & Gamble has launched a new campaign dubbed We See Equal along with an ad spot highlighting its latest gender equality initiative.
The language of business can be combative (launch, target, strategize), or very often it is about profits, sales, shared value - the language of money. We are either warriors or accountants when it comes to business. However, both warring and counting money are inherently non-productive. In themselves, as actions, they are incapable of producing growth.
Growing demand for seafood and a global population growing at a rate of 75 million people every year has put ocean resources under significant strain. Approximately 90 percent of global fishing grounds are now over-fished or fully-exploited. Sustainable consumption of seafood is therefore imperative, and one of the only ways to reverse the decline and collapse of fish stocks within our lifetime.
The year has hardly begun and we’ve already witnessed radical shifts throughout society - growing anti-establishment contingencies, women’s rights marches, and the new US administration are some of the major talking points of 2017. Many have called this the ushering of a new era, one where institutions are met with anxiety rather than trust; in such a climate, brands and businesses can play an important role through establishing a distinct POV and by supporting actions that address critical societal issues of the day.
The political unrest seems to be good for advertising with a conscience, as this year’s Super Bowl saw the highest number of Goodvertising campaigns ever.
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Environmental and corporate social responsibility non-profit As You Sow has called upon four major US companies — Amazon, McDonald’s, Target and Walmart — to ditch polystyrene foam packaging from their operations. And they’re not the only ones: A new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, endorsed by leaders of 15 global brands, has also called for globally replacing polystyrene.
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. The question is no longer if an organization will engage with society, it’s how. Yet, from Brexit to Trump to Black Lives Matter, how is now harder than ever before. So, throughout the year, we will illuminate the “how” for business and societal impact. We started by asking the Purpose Collaborative – North America’s largest community of purpose, corporate responsibility, and sustainability experts: “What key recommendations would you share with clients to accelerate the impact of their work in 2017?” Their wisdom follows.
A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the heart of popular culture, the follow-up to the watershed environmental documentary, An Inconvenient Sequel, will make its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival as a Day One screening, part of The New Climate - a program dedicated to conversations and films about environmental change and conservation.
Minority groups are usually the ones that have the most to lose when it comes to polluting fossil fuels, both in terms of their climate change and health-related risks. But with its Fueling U.S. Forwardcampaign, the Koch brothers are trying to tell another story in a desperate attempt to save a dying industry, spinning fossil fuels as the saving grace for minorities and low-income families.
‘Science Guy’ Bill Nye is coming back to television this Spring – this time to put climate deniers in their place.
One year after its formation, the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TFCD), a global task force created by the G20’s Financial Stability Board (FSB) to prevent market shocks stemming from climate change, has published its report, Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.
As we indulge in holiday goodies, food waste becomes an inevitable consequence. This holiday season, a projected 50,375 tons of food and drink will be thrown out; Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is aiming to show citizens how to avoid this – and to save money – simply by shopping smart and avoiding food waste. According to figures from ZWS, in December alone Scots are expected to throw away over 3.5 million mince pies, more than 240,000 Christmas puddings, and the equivalent of over 100,000 turkeys. Using these items up – or not over-buying them in the first place – could represent a potential saving of over £3 million.
Earlier this year, Radley Yeldar launched its 2016 Fit for Purpose Index, which explores how global brands are adapting to the shifting expectations from their stakeholders to play a positive role in society. The research was conducted at a global level, which gives insight into how purpose breaks down over three major regions: Europe, North America and Asia. One of the findings from the research is that the global community remains incredibly diverse when it comes to engaging with purpose.
If ever there was a time for the world’s leading brands to show leadership in sustainability, that time is now. Globally, the political resolve to combat climate change is being challenged by the arrival of a new US president who considers global warming a “hoax.” Resource scarcity and shrinking biodiversity are a growing concern for more and more areas of the planet. Immigration fears are being stoked by nationalist politicians throughout the world; and attaining racial and gender diversity continues to be an unattained goal in many parts of global society.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted unanimously to update U.S. organic standards to exclude ingredients derived from next-generation genetic engineering and gene editing.
There has been a millennial marketplace shift - the type of companies that this generation of consumers want to patronize - and work for - are companies that align with their personal values. How is the consumer informed of those values? Long-form storytelling is becoming increasingly powerful in its ability to communicate story in a way that can enhance brand value, relate purpose to consumers and act as a ‘social insurance policy.’
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. Drawing on the work of Reporting 3.0 - in particular, its Reporting Blueprint and forthcoming Accounting Blueprint - this panel on the final afternoon of New Metrics ‘16 facilitated an animated discussion on true materiality, exploring the broad range of definitions of materiality, and whether they may coalesce into a more common definition or continue to be disparate for different audiences.
Certification has, over the years, played a significant role in the development and execution of ethical supply chain programs across industries, providing frameworks within which brands can analyze and make improvements to their practices and business models. It has also provided a means to communicate brand values and commitment to these values to the public. Though certification has evolved to become an essential component of the corporate landscape, it still faces a number of challenges.