Walking the Talk
These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.
Patagonia Blacks Out Homepage, Calls on Consumers to Protect Public Lands
Outdoor retailer Patagonia is no stranger to throwing its weight behind worthy causes, particularly those aligned with its mission to “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” In the past, this has included shuttering its doors on Election Day to highlight pressing environmental issues, donating 100 percent of its Black Friday sales to environmental organizations, calling for a boycott of the Outdoor Retailer
Third Year of REI's #OptOutside Movement Gives the Power to the People
With the launch of its #OptOutside campaign in 2015, REI set a new precedent in retail, shuttering its stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, giving its employees a paid day off and – on a day that has come to represent consumerism at its most extreme – encouraging staff and consumers alike to forgo the shopping frenzy in favor of the great outdoors. The move epitomized the company’s ethos and kickstarted a movement to drive positive behavior change and impacts.
UPS Ramps Up Use of Renewable Natural Gas to Deliver on 2025 Sustainability Goals
UPS is ramping up its use of renewable natural gas (RNG), signing a new agreement with Big Ox Energy, a subsidiary of Environmental Energy Capital (LLC), to purchase 10 million gallon equivalents of RNG per year until 2024 — the largest investment in RNG to date for the company. Compared to convention diesel, RNG yields up to a 90 percent reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.
'Mizu to Ikiru': Suntory’s Commitment to Society
This post has been translated from Japanese — read the original interview here.
Microsoft Commits to Cutting Operational Carbon Emissions by 75% by 2030
Taking the next step in its carbon neutral journey, Microsoft has pledged to reduce its operational carbon emissions by 75 percent by 2030 against a 2013 baseline. In a blog a post written by Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith, the move will translate to savings of 10 million metric tons of carbon over the next decade. The commitment puts Microsoft on a path to meet the below 2 degrees Celsius goal set in the Paris Agreement.
Report Reveals Tech Industry Giants Failing to Keep Child Labor Out of Cobalt Supply Chains
Cobalt is back in the news, as a new report from Amnesty International reveals that tech industry giants such as Microsoft, Lenovo, Renault and Vodafone aren’t doing enough to keep child labor out of cobalt battery supply chains in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China.
P&G: Aiming for the ‘Sweet Spot’ Between Sustainability and Strategy
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship — in an era when the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This is the 14th article in the series.
SB'17 Copenhagen, Day 3: Moving Forward on an Even More Positive Note
From empowerment, optimism and sustainability in space to a whole strategy designed to ‘Make It Better,’ SB’17 Copenhagen rounded out with a host of speakers espousing positivity as a key component of the change that purpose-driven brands are aiming to create in the world. Compensating for your environmental impact has never been easier by Marius Cortsen
Practicing Purpose: How to Turn Social Purpose Into Growth
Launched during SB’17 Detroit, the Practice of Purpose Project seeks to drive the widespread adoption of social purpose by identifying the differences between traditional marketing and marketing based on purpose-drive brand strategies.
SB'17 Copenhagen, Day 1: Redefining the Good Life Through Brands, B Corps, Burgers and … Poetry?
As we continue to explore our global theme of "Redefining the Good Life," we kicked off our second annual Copenhagen conference with fresh perspectives from a host of Scandinavian and European innovators leading the charge — and the change — in this part of the world. Max Burger: Redefining the Cheese Burger by Melanie Vella
Unilever, L’Oréal Raise the Bar on Corporate Climate Action, Topping CDP's A-List
Global environmental disclosure platform CDP has released the results of its annual tracker of how the largest, most environmentally impactful companies are responding to climate change.
3 Key Takeaways from Engaging an Industry in Sustainability
The vinyl industry recently marked its first “sustainability community anniversary” — that moment where industry leaders came together to pledge to embark on our sustainability journey. In the year since, we’ve adopted common sustainability positioning focused on doing more with less, agreed on a purpose-driven continuous improvement path forward, formed the Vinyl Business and Sustainability Council (VBSC), and initiated an industry-wide materiality assessment. There’s still much work to do.
Liverpool FC Comes Under Fire for Controversial Deal with Tibet Water Resources
Liverpool Football Club’s latest sponsorship deal, with Tibet Water Resources Limited — a company committing ongoing human rights and environmental atrocities in the region — is a case example of the kind of partnership brands just cannot make in today's world if they are striving for sustainability. This matters because England-based Liverpool FC is a widely recognized sports brand. According to Forbes, the team is worth $1.49 billion, making it the eighth most valuable soccer club in the world.
Radley Yeldar Tackles 10 Myths in Its 'Reality Check' on Purpose
‘Purpose’ is not a buzzword, a strapline, a communications campaign, or repackaged CSR – nor is it a recruitment tool for millennials or only suited for worthy businesses, asserts independent marketing and communications agency Radley Yeldar (RY), which has released qualitative research on how purpose has transformed some of the world’s largest brands, from the people who work there and make it happen.
Apparel, Textile Industry Giants Unite Around SDGs at 2017 Textile Sustainability Conference
Big news has been rolling out of the Textile Exchange 2017 Textile Sustainability Conference near Washington, D.C. this week, providing evidence of the major paradigm shift taking place in the apparel and textile industry.
Trending: Stella McCartney, Patagonia, Target Deliver Big Wins for Ethical, Sustainable Fashion
While faced by a myriad of social and environmental challenges, the fashion and textile industries continue to edge ever-closer to a more sustainable, equitable and circular future thanks to the innovative thinking of industry leaders.
Survey: Corporations Expected to Contribute to Social, Environmental Health of Communities
I recently moderated an enlightening panel discussion — between Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Bay Area Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman, San Francisco Travel President & CEO Joe D’Alessandro, and Oakland Zoo President & CEO Dr. Joel Parrott — on why the new California Trail development, an $80 million expansion project at the Oakland Zoo, matters to the people who live, play, work and visit the Bay Area.
Redefining Ethical Business, Education, Activism, Customer Experiences All Key to 'The Good Life'
Last week, at the third and final SB Buenos Aires event of 2017, perspectives from the worlds of arts, finance, education, big business, healthcare, urban planning, consumers, activist brands and more provided a 360-degree look at how organizations around the world are working to manifest our changing vision of “The Good Life” – and highlighted the amount of work yet to be done.
Trending: New Tools Provide Businesses with Roadmap to Deliver on SDGs
Following through on the commitments outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals is one of the best shots companies have to maintain a competitive advantage and future-proof their businesses, but progress has thus far been lacking.
HP Inc. Launches HP School Cloud to Improve Education Access in Developing World
As part of a $20 million learning investment, HP Inc. has announced the new HP School Cloud, featuring the HP Open Learning Platform, during Global Citizen Week. HP School Cloud will provide access to educational materials and apps to students, teachers and adult learners in rural and poor communities around the world.
