Walking the Talk
These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.
Beyond ‘Carbon Neutral:’ Refining Corporate Carbon-Credit Claims
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. With the explosive growth of the voluntary carbon market came concerns around carbon-reduction claims lacking clarity or being misleading. Several refined claims frameworks have emerged to bridge these gaps.
The Tennessee River’s Biggest Fan Is a 14-Year-Old Boy Passionate About Conservation
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. In this conversation with ‘the Conservation Kid,’ Cash Daniels, we learn more about what drives his passion to clean up the Tennessee River and lead his generation toward a brighter future.
Report: Economic Uncertainty, Systemic Inequity Preserving Intention-Action Gap
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. A recent study shows that people across the socioeconomic spectrum care about climate action; but taking that action remains cost-prohibitive for lower-income groups.
More Companies with Large Water Footprints Are Taking Action; But Gaps Remain
Adequate water-stewardship goals must address the full range of water issues across the value chain — including amount of water used, impacts on water quality, ecosystem health and communities’ access to safe water.
Brands Rally to Bolster Maui in Wildfire-Relief Effort
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. Here are some of the companies and organizations that have stepped up to contribute to relief for the affected community.
Renovate or Rebuild: M&S Oxford St Planning Decision Fuels Debate About ‘Sustainable’ Construction
The retailer argued that a new store would be 25% more energy efficient; but environmentalists say the Oxford Street demolish-rebuild plan would have sent 40K tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Problem with Hiding from ‘Anti-Woke’ Crusaders
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Anti-ESG agitators are telling a story that’s both inaccurate and bad for business. And silence won’t deter further attacks — though it certainly could compromise long-term brand value.
What CFOs Need to Know About Fast-Emerging Biodiversity-Credit Markets
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. When companies invest in biodiversity credits, the ‘unitization’ of biodiversity outcomes in the form of credits takes the guesswork out of designing the investment. But they are not intended to offset an equivalent, negative impact on biodiversity elsewhere.
We Can’t Let Vogue Words Hinder Climate Action
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. ‘Regenerative’ has become the latest trend — a label that’s stuck on anything as a way of making it sound positive and reassuring. To guarantee genuine progress, we need a universal set of principles underpinning regenerative economics and a standardised way of quantifying success.
Is the Chocolate Industry Ready for Europe’s Strict Due Diligence Requirements?
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. The EU’s mandatory environmental and human rights due diligence laws will require companies, traders and farmers around the world to rethink how they source major commodities. But cacao may be the one to watch to see the impacts of these regulations.
Nestlé Advances Efforts to Source Key Ingredients Grown with Regenerative Ag Practices
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. The food giant is investing to help US farms in its DIGIORNO wheat and tomato supply chains shift to more holistic agricultural practices.
Social Purpose at BCLC: What We’ve Learned and Where We’re Going
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. Even though a social-purpose model seemed like a natural fit for BCLC, we knew there would be many questions to answer before we could start to deliver on a social purpose. Now, we are reflecting on some of the key steps and insights gained through our approach.
New Guide Helps Fashion Brands Take Meaningful, Measurable Action to Protect Nature
The report provides a critical introduction for the fashion, textile and apparel industry to setting measurable, science-based targets for nature; and will act as a blueprint for other industries to follow suit.
Carbon Neutral Is Dead; Long Live Nature Positive
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. If we invest in public campaigns for nature positive and brands shout it from the rooftops, we save what was originally valuable about the voluntary carbon market while actually doing what’s right for nature.
Inequality: The Sustainable Business Blind Spot
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Climate change affects everyone but in vastly unequal ways. To address this and drive real, sustainable change, businesses must ensure their sustainability strategies do not exacerbate existing inequalities even further.
How Fusing Purpose and Employee Experience Is Creating ‘Win-Wins’ for the Greater Good
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. A positive company culture provides a foundation for an organization’s beliefs, values and business approach. But this can only be sustained by staying true to the company’s core values.
Authentic Purpose: How Bruce Katz, Founder and CEO of Rockport Shoe Company, Ignited My Purpose Journey
I learned a tremendous amount about creating an authentic purpose from Rockport’s journey. Together, we created one of the first purpose-driven companies. Thank you, Bruce, for that opportunity.
Study: Billions in Brand Value at Risk If Sustainability Perceptions, Performance Are Unaligned
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. New research quantifies the financial value of sustainability perceptions for hundreds of the world’s biggest brands — and the substantial risks of not living up to them.
New Certification Raises Bar for Restaurant Sustainability Practices
The Food Made Good Sustainability Standard is the only certification designed to measure restaurants’ social and environmental impacts, wherever they are in the world. It also highlights areas for improvement and provides credibility in communicating sustainability practices to customers.
New B Corp Standards to Address Multinationals, Accountability, Imperative for Systemic Change
B Lab’s standards have offered a flexible approach to achieving B Corp certification; but that flexibility has been criticized as not holding bigger companies accountable for driving systemic change. We sat down with B Lab to learn more about its evolving standards.
