Organizational Governance
How organizations are addressing the 'G' in ESG – striking the balance of maximizing long-term growth and value while safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders
London Assembly Calls on Mayor to Divest City from Fossil Fuels
Last week, the London assembly told mayor Boris Johnson to pull City Hall’s £4.8bn pension fund out of coal, oil and gas investments, after assembly members voted on a motion to support the fossil fuel divestment movement.The motion calls on the m... View More
European CFOs Publish Practical Ways to Embrace Sustainable Business
Chief Financial Officers (CFO) from Unilever, Sainsbury's and more than a dozen other large European companies making up the Chief Financial Officer Leadership Network (the Network) have published four guides to help the finance and accounting commun... View More
Trending: Big Banks Bringing Sustainable Investing Further Into the Mainstream
Investors of every stripe are increasingly using Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data to design their portfolios. While pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds have led early ESG integration, mainstream banks are foll... View More
RSPO Cleans House of Companies Failing to Meet Standards; NGOs Applaud
On Thursday, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) announced it has taken action against members that are not fulfilling basic membership obligations intended to create a more transparent, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible ... View More
Association of Climate Change Officers Unveils First Professional Credentialing Program
The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) has announced its first professional certificate under the CCO Certification program.The Climate Governance Certificate provides a recognized credential to professionals who have developed the compete... View More
HP Setting Industry Standard with Zero-Tolerance Policy on Forced Migrant Labor
Last fall, HP became the first company in the IT industry to require direct employment of foreign migrant workers in its supply chain with the release of the HP Foreign Migrant Worker Standard.Three months after HP the release of this new standard fo... View More
World’s ‘Most Admired’ Companies Also Are Sustainability Stars
Apple, Google and Berkshire Hathaway are the world’s most highly regarded companies, according to a new ranking by Fortune magazine.Amazon, Starbucks, Disney, Southwest Airlines, American Express, General Electric (GE) and Coca-Cola rounded out the... View More
Why Transparency and Collaboration Are Vital to the European Commission’s CSR Strategy
As the European Commission (EC) prepares its new five-year strategy for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), delegates at their Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR on 3rd and 4th February urged the EC to pick up the pace. Given that this 2015–2020 str... View More
Citi Launches $100 Billion Initiative to Combat Climate Change
Citi announced a commitment to lend, invest and facilitate a total of $100 billion within the next 10 years to finance activities that reduce the impacts of climate change and create environmental solutions that benefit people and communities. Citi's... View More
New Biomimicry Center, Graduate Degree Programs Put ASU at Forefront of Emerging Discipline
A new cooperative venture at Arizona State University aims to make ASU a key academic hub for the emerging discipline of biomimicry. Since Janine Benyus first observed and named the field in her 1997 book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, d... View More
Carbon Onsetting: A Robust Complement to - or Replacement for - Offsetting
Whether as competitive differentiation, long-term risk management, or hedging against future regulation, internal carbon fees are becoming increasingly popular with companies as varied as Shell, Microsoft and Disney. ... View More
For Leaders, the Return on Investment on Humility Is Huge
If there is one aspect of coaching executive leaders that few truly understand well, it is the nature of humility. If you have been born and bred as an alpha-adult - commanding, controlling, dominating - and this is your leadership style, the very wo... View More
CVS Health Hits Record Sales After Knocking Out Tobacco
CVS Health achieved record sales in 2014 — increasing net revenues by 9.9 percent to $139.4 billion — even after a major rebrand and the removal of lucrative tobacco products from its stores’ shelves. ... View More
The Social Purpose Continuum: Changing the Lens, the Focus, Everything in Our Approach to CSR
For 25 years, I’ve developed CSR strategies. And now I see that CSR is becoming business as usual.You’d think I’d be celebrating. But I’m not — because CSR has stalled.This struck me in 2012 when I developed the Qualities of a Transformatio... View More
Independent Evaluation - A Crucial Part of Our Zero-Deforestation Journey
Today marks two years since we launched our Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) and the anniversary is particularly significant as the Rainforest Alliance is publishing its independent evaluation of our progress. I believe this may be the first time tha... View More
Shell Endorses Shareholder Resolution That 'Boldly Questions Its Own Business Model'
Last week, Royal Dutch Shell’s board of directors ratified a shareholder resolution that commits the oil giant to investing in a low-carbon future. The resolution called for the company to commit to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, invest in ... View More
Moving Pieces: UNC's Big-Business Approach to Sustainability Consulting
At the University of North Carolina, sustainability consulting projects have an unique way of taking shape.A marketplace type of approach to teaming up with industry partners has helped UNC’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise take aim at large-scal... View More
The Shared Imperative: How the Humble Pint Is Helping to Advance Sustainability Science
Last week saw the launch of a new initiative that will offer 15 post-graduate scientists from nations across Africa the opportunity to work with UK academic institutions in subject areas such as water management, sustainable farming, energy and waste... View More
Why Business Culture Should Be the Ultimate Aim of Sustainability Leaders
Business schools play a critical role in society.They support the continual evolution of our economies, the industries that shape them, the people that lead them, and the thinking behind it all.But it’s not just a role. It’s also a responsibility... View More
Delivering on Profit and Purpose – a Job for the CFO?
Back in 2012, a Deloitte study remarked how chief finance officers (CFOs) were ‘coming to the table’ in matters relating to board-level sustainability. The CFO role has evolved to the point where it is now widely perceived as an enabler for susta... View More
