Walking the Talk
These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.
Finance, Tech Giants Top 2023 List of US’s Most JUST Companies
JUST Capital and CNBC have released the 2023 rankings of the country’s most JUST Companies and Marquee JUST 100 List, which consistently outperform the Russell 1000 — highlighting the link between stakeholder governance and corporate success.
How to Calculate Fair Company Carbon Targets for the Energy Sector
Fair carbon-reduction targets and the assessment of a company’s performance relative to targets are an incredibly powerful way to assess how well a company is performing. It also sends a clear risk message: The greater the difference between a company’s fair target and its actual performance, the greater its value at risk.
The Vibe Shift Is Here: What That Means for Us and the Planet in 2023
From my perspective as a scientist who’s been working on climate change and environmental resilience since before the crisis made front-page headlines, here are the four biggest trends I foresee defining 2023.
2022 Lessons: How to Improve Employee Engagement Through Responsive Company Culture
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. Many employees are re-evaluating what they want and expect from their employers. This is a pivotal moment for companies to recalibrate program offerings and better support employees in applying their unique talents to purposeful projects in the communities where they live, work and raise their families.
2 New Funds Show Companies, Investors Putting Money Where Their Mouths Are on Biodiversity Commitments
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. With a fresh spotlight on the critical role of biodiversity in the health of the planet, climate and economy, two ambitious new funds aim to mobilize millions in resources to scale on-the-ground, nature-preservation and -regeneration projects and nature-based climate solutions around the world.
2022 Trends in Purpose and What They Mean for the Year Ahead
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. This year, we saw companies double-down on purpose amidst a rise in consumer skepticism and politically motivated attacks on ESG. Below are six notable trends and what they might mean for 2023.
Climate Policymakers Denounce UK Approval of New ‘Net-Zero’ Coal Mine
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. The mine’s operator and UK government pledge to offset nearly 500,000 annual tons of emissions through carbon credits; but the clear greenwashing has been lambasted by critics the world over.
Give Greater: The 2022 SB Holiday Gift Guide
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. As always, the goal of our gift guide is to encourage a more conscious approach to gift-giving by highlighting products, services and experiences that create value and benefits beyond short-term gratification for the recipient. Here’s this year’s list of some of the many companies, platforms and products that we’d be happy to support anytime.
Opinion: Why Some Big Brands ‘Aren’t Convinced’ by Plastic Credits
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. 80M tons of plastic waste will end up in the environment just in the next 10 years. Without voluntary, global producer responsibility programs to unlock capital towards infrastructure and bridge the policy vacuum, how else do polluters suggest for us to tackle this massive financing gap in the meantime?
Why Activism, Advocacy and Allyship Are Essential to Corporate Diversity
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. If a corporation really wants diversity and its benefits, the only way to get it is to regularly hire and promote people who don’t look like the current leadership. The task is to create not just the appearance of change, but a genuine commitment to creating equitable organizations and systems.
COP27: Holding Both Hope and Despair as We Fight For Every 0.1°C
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. The first COP took place in 1995 — 27 years later, and it’s easy to understand the scepticism. We’re still quite a long way from universal adoption by all nations and private sector actors of net-zero strategies that align with the urgent timescales science tells us are needed. But no other issue brings 198 nation states together in this way.
Record Number of Companies Recognize Biodiversity Risks, But Struggling to Turn Commitments Into Action
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Self-reported data from over 7,700 companies that responded to questions on biodiversity through CDP’s climate change questionnaire shows they are ready to disclose on biodiversity, sending a powerful signal to negotiators ahead of COP15.
As 2022 Season Closes, World Surf League Reports Progress of ‘We Are One Ocean’ Initiative
In 2021, WSL launched WAOO to protect and conserve surf ecosystems around the world. Over the 2022 tour season, it collaborated with community organizations, indigenous groups, surfers and others on activations including replanting native coastal vegetation in Hawaii, removing plastic pollution from Indonesian waterways, and restoring coral reefs in Tahiti.
UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, Day 2: A Compass for ‘Big Tech'
This is the second of three daily updates from the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2022. Day two proposed redefining tech companies as part of infrastructure — similar to railways and supply chains — that govern people’s lives, and a new ‘UNGPs Compass’ aimed at doing that.
The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2022, Day 1: Holding Business to Account
This is the first of three daily updates from the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2022. Day one started a week that focuses not on holding individual companies to account, but where the systems that will enable this are being framed.
Breaking Through the Logjam to Accelerate Decarbonization in the Energy Sector
Why have the collective efforts of national governments, NGOs, forward-looking companies and citizens had so little impact on curbing carbon emissions? Here are three reasons why high-level pledges are not translating into concrete actions — and what’s needed to break through.
COP27 Yields Landmark Deal to Compensate Developing Nations for Climate Damage, But Backpedals on Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels
COP27 ended with an agreement to create a funding facility to compensate vulnerable nations for ‘loss and damage’ from climate disasters; but weakened language around the phase-out of fossil fuels opens a dangerous loophole that could threaten decarbonization before it’s too late.
Vail Resorts Meets 100% Renewable Energy Goal, on Track to Achieve Net-Zero Operating Footprint By 2030
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. The company reports progress in its climate goals, as well as its work to support local communities and increase equitable access to snow sports and recreation.
COP27 Yields More Impressive Forest-Conservation Commitments; But Will Our Efforts Go Up in Smoke?
From COP27, we see more and more business initiatives focused on not only reaching sustainability, but averting a climate crisis and achieving nature positivity — but have climate-fueled forest fires already nullified our chances at an effective carbon market?
COP27: Focus on Policy and Process, Not Promises
As world leaders prepare to gather for COP27, sharp focus is once again on how governments can tackle the ongoing climate crisis. But there is a danger that retailers and brands will take a ‘wait-and-see’ approach about any resulting policy change, rather than tackling the challenges head on.
