Walking the Talk
These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.
Why Working Regeneratively Is (R)evolutionary
Regenerative practice starts and continues with personal development. It is not a tool but a practice of conscious participation and co-creation. Working regeneratively is about revealing potential, rather than disappearing down rabbit holes of solving problems in isolation.
On World Chocolate Day, Remember – Our Choices Can Change the Lives of Cocoa Farmers
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. A new campaign around World Chocolate Day aims to help consumers understand the exploitation that too often accompanies the farming, trade and production of chocolate treats — while highlighting the positive impacts of choosing fair and ethically sourced cocoa.
All Porsche Parts Will Now Be Made with Renewable Energy
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. Porsche has announced it is taking further steps to achieve its sustainability goals: The high-performance car maker is calling for its roughly 1,300 series suppliers to use exclusively renewable energy in the manufacture of Porsche components, starting this month.
Rethinking How Brands Engage Pride, Worldwide
As we exit Pride month and look to WorldPride in August, it’s apparent that we’re at an inflection point for purpose — one that requires consistent corporate action that positively impacts LGBTQIA+ people, no matter where they are in one’s workforce or world.
Target Unveils Plan to Co-Create an Equitable, Sustainable Future for All
Among the retailer’s goals are to achieve 20% Black team member representation across the company by 2023; and reach net zero in both waste to landfill and value-chain-wide emissions, and 100% owned-brand product circularity, by 2040.
Color of Change Holding Corporations Accountable to Racial Justice Promises
The nation’s largest online racial justice organization has outlined new demands of corporations that made racial justice statements to urge them to move #BeyondTheStatement.
Leading Brands Share Mix of Success Stories, Cautionary Tales at SB’21 Madrid
While showcasing brands leading the charge toward sustainability — including Interface and Tony’s Chocolonely — SB’21 Madrid gave equal weight to just how much work we have left to do: Only 13% of companies can accurately deem themselves “sustainable.”
Best Intentions: Surviving a Sustainability Story Setback with Transparency and Truth
When Kevin Murphy announced that all of its packaging would be made from “plastic pulled from the ocean,” it had every intention of delivering that. While the claim was doomed from the start, the company quickly communicated its mistake with tact, transparency and a plan to make it right.
Fix the Economy, Fix the Climate: A Deeper Dive Into the Win-Win of a Circular Economy
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. At a recent virtual event, Dame Ellen MacArthur and an esteemed lineup of business and policy leaders discussed how to push siloed circular efforts to scale. And while the unknown and upfront costs are delaying progress, MacArthur asserted: “Everybody loses if we continue with business as usual.”
WWF’s ‘Forests Forward’ Helps Companies Deliver on Science-Driven Strategies to Benefit Nature, Climate, People
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. Companies including HP, IKEA, Kimberly-Clark, Lowe’s and Williams-Sonoma are working with WWF to create lasting change that makes tangible differences in people’s lives and the health of our natural world.
How the UK Is Promoting ‘Social Value’ Through Its Public-Sector Procurement Process
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. When organisations start measuring performance beyond the balance sheet, we can make real progress on our most pressing social issues. The UK Government's new procurement policy could provide a model for other countries to move closer to a more sustainable and equitable world.
Efforts to Achieve the SDGs Are Revitalizing Communities in Japan and Beyond
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. This year’s International Forum on SDGs for Regional Revitalization examined the acceleration of sustainable development initiatives in and outside Japan, through corporate and government cooperation, and the positive ripple effects on communities around the world.
US Demand for CSOs Grew 228% in 10 Years, But Diversity Remains a Challenge
Cross-Posted from Leadership. The good news: According to a new report from the Weinreb Group, hiring of Chief Sustainability Officers surged in 2020 in the US, and women now account for 54% of CSO positions. The not-so-good news: The field remains overwhelmingly white.
How to Empower the Next, Diverse Generation of Inventors
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. For those who cultivate innovation and invention, it is our responsibility to provide opportunity for those historically marginalized. Our society must take the harsh realizations uncovered by the pandemic and use them to fuel ambition and drive, to ensure access and opportunity for every student.
Is Sustainable Business ‘Complicit,’ a ‘Distraction,’ and ‘Duplicitous’? A Response, Part 2
Schendler is clearly most right in his assertion that sustainable business has not achieved its potential. But I believe it is still possible for the field to become the hero we need more than ever, along with other complementary and synergistic changes from others.
Just Brands ’21: Where the Rubber Meets the Long, Bumpy Road to Truly Equitable Workplaces
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. At Sustainable Brands’ latest Just Brands event, experts from across the spectrum of business discussed corporate efforts to support diversity, equity, inclusion and justice issues — and how stakeholders will no longer tolerate a gap between commitments and actions.
Corporate Treasurers Get Serious About Shifting Cash to Communities
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. There’s been some skepticism regarding the announcements of big corporate investments in CDFIs and minority deposit institutions — are these one-offs just to generate a press release or first steps on long-term commitments?
Is Sustainable Business ‘Complicit,’ a ‘Distraction’ and ‘Duplicitous’? A Response, Part 1
It will take many things to address society’s many immense problems. But there’s no reason an elevated sustainable business sector (or better, someday, a sustainable business-centric economy) can’t play a disproportionately positive and critical role.
Reimagine Gender: Helping Corporate America Create Truly Inclusive Workplace Cultures
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. We caught up with Reimagine Gender CEO Lisa Kenney, to discuss why it's critical for businesses to embrace a broader understanding of gender as part of their inclusivity efforts.
In a COVID-19 World, What’s the Future of Organisational Purpose?
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. As immense disruption continues around the globe, the spotlight on the role of business in tackling social and environmental challenges is intensifying. Here, Dr Sally Uren, Chief Executive of Forum for the Future, outlines why now is the time to re-evaluate corporate purpose.
