Claire Sommer
#NewMetrics '15: Everything You Need to Succeed at Sustainability Investing, Impact Reporting
The final morning’s plenaries at New Metrics ‘15 started with a warm welcome and call from MC Paul Herman of HIP Investor to be energized and ready to focus in on sustainability investing.Herman started with a reminder that 84 percent of the mark... View More
UN SDGs Prompting Business Collaboration for a Better World
Back in the ballroom for the last afternoon of Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’15, SustainAbility’s research director Chris Guenther hosted a discussion on the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), what they mean for brands, and how the... View More
Better Analysis, Better Choices: A New LCA Tool for a Climate-Challenged World
New Leaf Paper founder Jeff Mendelsohn hosted a workshop on day one of Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’15 about an improved Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework that helps users make better decisions by incorporating current climate science imp... View More
ASBC Summit Attendees Chart Path and Policies to a Sustainable Economy
The American Sustainable Business Council’s (ASBC) third annual summit Nov. 13 and 14 in Washington, D.C. brought together 150 entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and elected officials to discuss the state of play—and possibilities—for p... View More
Global Forum Attendees Design 'Flourishing' Solutions to Real-World Challenges
On Thursday, the first full day of Flourish & Prosper: The Third Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit in Cleveland, Ohio, the morning’s plenaries and CEO panels explored how business can move beyond how social and environmenta... View More
Moody-Stuart Challenges Global Forum Attendees to Collaborate to Eradicate Malaria
UN Global Compact chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart used his time on the main stage at the Third Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit on Thursday to propose how business can join the global fight to eradicate malaria.In addition to his... View More
#NewMetrics '14: TD Bank, Intel, CA Technologies, WeSpire Share Employee Impact Case Studies
Rounding out the final afternoon of Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ‘14, Susan Hunt Stevens, founder & CEO of WeSpire, led a candid, data-rich conversation with representatives from TD Bank, Intel and CA Technologies about their employee enga... View More
#NewMetrics '14 Panel Explores Data-Derived Solutions to Top Global Supply Chain Risks
It’s Friday afternoon at New Metrics ’14, and next on the agenda is a workshop offering data-based insights and recommendations on top global supply chains risks from specialists in the field.The conversation was co-led by Andrew Savini, Manager ... View More
#NewMetrics '14 Day 3 Highlights Power of Consumers to Change Brand Behavior ... and Vice Versa
Bill BaueThe final morning of Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’14 conference started with an invitation from MC Bill Baue, co-founder of the Sustainability Context Group, to imagine “what if?” sustainability pioneer Donella Meadows were in th... View More
#NewMetrics '14 Panel Dives Into #SocialFootprint Approach for Ensuring Product Sustainability
Thursday, the second afternoon at Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’14 conference, featured a follow-up deep dive session into the topic of one of the morning’s well-received plenary presentations — how to quantify a product’s “social foot... View More
The #CVSEffect in Action: 'Walk the Talk' Edition with Intel, Verizon, Ford and Google
Seven months ago, this series kicked off with CVS’ surprise announcement that it would no longer carry tobacco products in its retail stores. Fast forward, the company announced Sept. 3 that it had met its goal a month ahead of schedule and had a n... View More
The #CVSEffect in Action: Wagon Train Edition — IKEA, GM, Mars Stand Up for Climate Policy
Previous articles in this series talked about leading businesses taking bold steps on their own for the common good — because it's the right thing to do — even if it costs the company financially in the short term.This time I want to point to the... View More
The 'CVS Effect' in Action: SAP, Starbucks, Tesla Show How to Lead by Sharing Information
Here are three new examples of the CVS Effect in action that show how brands can change how business operates — for the better (the “CVS Effect” is shorthand for recognizing brands that are doing the right thing, because it’s the right thing ... View More
On #SB14sd Day 3, Brands, Innovators, Entrepreneurs Redesign How Business Works
Kicking off Wednesday, the third day of the SB’14 San Diego conference, business leaders, social entrepreneurs, business disruptors and innovators presented a full morning of business challenges and opportunities to attendees gathered in the Paradi... View More
Getting to Zero: Multiple Sectors Convene Around Deforestation at SB '14 San Diego
When all the right people work together — from suppliers to brands who use their products to NGOs — and commit to extraordinary goals, transformational change is not only possible, it happens. That’s what participants saw in action at Monday’... View More
Wirtenberg Examines How BASF, Alcoa, Pfizer and More Are Building a Culture for Sustainability
Jeana Wirtenberg knows sustainability is about people. Living, caring human beings – who get things done.It’s not “green.” Or “eco.” Not goals or dashboards. Not on their own, at any rate. It’s people who make these things actually happ... View More
The 'CVS Effect' in Action: Lessons from Chipotle's #BurritosNotBullets CSR Win
After a bruising shareholder vote-down on executive pay last week, Chipotle Mexican Grill sure needed a win.It got one, courtesy of some loaded semi-automatic weapons and some pissed-off moms. In a May 19 statement, the company asked customers not to... View More
The CVS Effect in Action: Customers Speak — Avon, Honeymaid, Mozilla, Chili's Respond
In earlier articles, I asked whether consumers will back up brands that makes decisions “because it’s the right thing to do” over pure profit motives.My bet is that these decisions will be rewarded by consumers as it become more normal for comp... View More
The Big Pivot: A Realist's Guide to a Climate-Challenged Present
If you’ve ever thought of dropping a book on your boss’s desk, in the hopes of sparking a Ray Anderson-type conversion, here’s a tip. Don’t use the new IPCC report: It’s gloomy, terrifying and a muddle.Try this instead: Andrew Winston’s b... View More
The 'CVS Effect' in Effect: Apple, Disney and Chipotle Step Up
Five major brands have just made news for decisions that buck the bottom-line mantra. Could this be momentum for the "CVS Effect"? Take a look and see if you agree. And note too how brands are joining with allies on these issues, while one ... View More
