Walking the Talk
These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.
Together Towards Zero: Carlsberg Commits to Decarbonise Its Breweries by 2030
Carlsberg Group has pledged to eliminate carbon emissions and halve water usage at its breweries worldwide by 2030, as part of a new sustainability drive, launched today. The beer maker also intends to switch to 100 percent renewable electricity for its breweries by 2022, as one of several intermediate goals.
Unilever: Reconnecting with Nature to Build Better Food Systems
The Farm to Fork Disconnect Nowhere is the disconnect between people and planet more evident than in our broken food system. For the vast majority of human history, people lived in rural communities shaped by the natural environment. The ebb and flow of seasons, the right amount of rainfall and its impact on the all-important harvest, dominated lives and livelihoods. But today, over half the world’s population lives in an urban dwelling and by 2050 this is predicted to increase to 70 percent. With the rise of sprawling mega cities comes obesity and its related health problems; with a shrinking and aging rural population comes poverty and malnutrition; in the meantime, the gap between the farm and our forks grows ever wider.
Not All of US: Response to Trump Administration's Decision to Withdraw from Paris Agreement
Cross-Posted from Business Case. While telegraphed for days and choreographed down to the military band playing soft jazz in the background before the announcement, President Trump’s June 01, 2017 declaration that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris Agreement still jarred and dismayed.
HPE Becomes First IT Company to Set Science-Based Targets for Supply Chain
To meet the growing demand for connectivity while managing emissions throughout the value chain, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has launched the world’s first comprehensive supply chain management program based on climate science. The initiative will provide suppliers with the tools they need to develop a customized plan to reduce emissions and drive a global standard for supplier greenhouse gas engagement and reduction.
SB'17 Detroit, Day 2: Consumer Preferences, Unintended Consequences and 'Leading with Delicious'
Day two of SB'17 Detroit picked up the momentum from day one and ran with it. ... Transforming Consumption Norms Around Food By Hope Freedman
SB’17 Detroit, Day 1: Redefining the Good Life with Courage, Reinvention and Pashon
We jump-started an incredibly action-packed week here at SB'17 Detroit with powerful plenaries from thought leaders, researchers and on-the-ground change-makers working to Redefine the Good Life in Detroit and beyond.
Ant Financial Harnesses Blockchain Technology to Finance Solutions for Global Sustainability Challenges
Alipay parent company Ant Financial Services Group has released its first-ever Corporate Social Responsibility Report and committed to leveraging the company’s technology, partners and employees to tackle issues such as climate change, inequality and poverty. The report includes the company’s progress update on Ant Forest, the in-app carbon tracking and tree planting initiative in Alipay, and Ant Love, its philanthropic platform.
Sustainable Living Products Continue to Drive Unilever's Growth
Six years after launching its Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever’s efforts to deliver brands and products with purpose and sustainability at their core are finally paying off.
Trending: Cutting-Edge Textile Policies Set New Bar for Apparel Industry
A more sustainable apparel industry is on the horizon thanks to continued efforts by industry leaders to develop innovative textile policies that value natural resources.
Dannon Builds a Healthier Future with Revamped Product Portfolio
The food industry is undergoing a major shift, with companies responding to growing consumer demand for transparency and products that put health and sustainability first. A new announcement from The Dannon Company provides yet another example of how brands are taking action and tapping into public-private partnerships to stay on par with the changing landscape.
Authenticity: The Key to Winning with Purpose (Or, What Brands Can Learn from Nike)
Increasingly brands are turning to purpose as they realise that traditional marketing approaches are less and less effective among today’s consumers. Globally, 60 percent think that branded content is just clutter (Meaningful Brands 2017, Havas Media). Faced with seemingly endless product proliferation, they are choosing brands that offer more than just functional or emotional benefits. Instead, they are searching for a value proposition that makes a meaningful and authentic contribution to their lives and broader society. Consumers are seeking brands that demonstrate a purpose that contributes to the creation of a better world.
Virginie Helias: How P&G Is Helping to ‘Redefine the Good Life’
It’s already been a busy year for Procter & Gamble – full of new milestones, goals and partnerships aimed at continuing to improve its products and operations along the entire value chain. We caught up with P&G’s VP of Global Sustainability, Virginie Helias, ahead of her upcoming keynote at SB’17 Detroit, to hear the latest on the company’s progress on its multifaceted sustainability agenda.
IOI Pledges to Clean Up Supply Chain One Year after RSPO Suspension
A year after being suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and dropped by companies such as Unilever, Mars, Incorporated, Nestlé and Kellogg for clearing peatlands in Kalimantan, Indonesia, Malaysian palm oil producer IOI Group has announced plans to eliminate deforestation and exploitation throughout its supply chain.
From Commitment to Action: Progressing Past the CSR Plateau
Corporate social responsibility is stuck. When it emerged on the scene 20 years ago, businesses and other stakeholders had high expectations for what a focus on CSR could deliver. But the reality is that neither business nor society are on track to enable nine billion people to live well within the boundaries of the planet by 2050 - let alone 2030. There’s a lot at stake: Unless business collectively steps up to contribute substantively to embracing and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, many business models will be at risk.
Apple Unveils Ambitious Plans to Use Only Renewable, Recycled, Conflict-Free Materials
In its annual Environmental Responsibility Report, tech giant Apple has revealed ambitious new plans to develop a closed-loop model for its supply chain. To achieve this goal, the world’s second largest smartphone producer will focus on using only renewable resources and recycled materials and eliminating conflict materials from its value chain.
CVS Health Nixes Harmful Chemicals from Beauty, Personal Care Products
Following the announcement of its new store renovation initiative, CVS Pharmacy has revealed that it will be eliminating parabens, phthalates and the most prevalent formaldehyde donors in nearly 600 beauty and personal care products in its CVS Health, Beauty 360, Essence of Beauty and Blade lines. CVS Pharmacy will stop shipping store brand products that don’t meet these standards to distribution centers by the end of 2019.
Shell Considering Linking Executive Bonuses to GHG Emissions Management
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Coming off a string of apparent strides toward recognizing the benefits of sustainability – including ratifying a shareholder resolution that commits the company to investing in a low-carbon future, earning a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) earlier this year, launching an online tool for low-carbon startups to access financing, and last month
Valuing the Invaluable: How WWF Is Helping Companies Protect the Ultimate Shared Resource
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. Water is essential to business of all kinds — from resource extraction to retail. Its scarcity poses collective risks; not just to a company’s facilities, but also to the municipalities in which it operates and the communities comprising its consumer base.
Zero Deforestation: The New Norm — Implications for Major Brands
Future 500 CEO Bill Shireman moderated two discussions during Sustainable Brands 2014 earlier this month that explored major progress made in the past two years in advancing zero-deforestation supply chains and implications for climate, human rights and transparency.Shireman kicked off the session on day one with an intriguing quote by a famous revolutionary: "There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen."
GSK Building Better Business from the Inside Out by Bringing Low-Cost Diagnostics to Africa
Last month, Ashoka Changemakers announced four winners of its League of Intrapreneurs: Building Better Business from the Inside Out competition, honoring initiatives within organizations that are pioneering game-changing models for business and society.
