THE NEXT ECONOMY - As a record number of global investors calls on governments to accelerate action on climate change, a new CDP analysis shows that some of the largest U.S.-based corporations view climate change as an increasing risk to their bottom line and reputation among consumers and investors.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Report: Chinese viscose sector’s sustainability roadmap fails to deliver
BUSINESS CASE - Nearly three-quarters of organisations surveyed (72 percent) mention the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their annual corporate or sustainability reports — an increase of 10 percent on last year, according to a new study by PwC. But concrete measures and integration remain elusive for many as organisations struggle to identify actions beyond business-as-usual targets.
SUPPLY CHAIN - Let me tell you a few things about failure — a subject on which I’m something of an expert.
COLLABORATION - A solid argument can be made that corporate America has made significant progress in the sustainability arena.
LEADERSHIP - Following the analysis of over 6,000 studies, the world’s leading climate scientists at the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last month released a Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. The main conclusion from the report was that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C in just 12 years if current rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue. To halt warming at 1.5°C and thus avoid the most disastrous impacts of climate change, the IPCC states that anthropogenic GHG emissions must reach net zero by 2050. This is a monumental task and one that will require what the IPCC calls “rapid and far-reaching transitions.”
MARKETING AND COMMS - A growing roster of celebrities are no longer satisfied with endorsing corporate products, instead creating (or at least investing in) their own. Think George Clooney, Dr.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Today, the Corporate Reporting Dialogue — a coalition of major international corporate reporting standard setters and framework providers — announced a groundbreaking, two-year project focused on driving better alignment in the corporate reporting landscape, to make it easier for companies to prepare effective and coherent disclosures that meet the evolving information needs of capital markets and society.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Corporate culture sets the groundwork for how your team interacts with each other and your customers.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - This is the first in a series of posts by Dr. Gregory Unruh about geomimicry and its implications for sustainability.
SUPPLY CHAIN - With the Our Ocean conference taking place in Bali, Indonesia, this week, ocean sustainability has been a hot topic: The event burst with sweeping commitments from the public and private sector alike aimed at cleaning up and protecting this precious resource. One such commitment came from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which launched a £1 million Ocean Stewardship Fund.
COLLABORATION - NOTE: This article was updated on October 30, 2018 at 11:45am ET. A Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source has been signed by 250 organisations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. For some signatories, the Global Commitment is just one facet of their plan to overhaul their approach to plastic. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), in collaboration with UN Environment, and was officially unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali today.
NEW METRICS - Novo Nordisk is the first global company to have completed a Future-Fit self-assessment and to have the results independently assured. In advance of Sustainable Brands’ New Metrics ’18 event next week in Philadelphia, I sat down with Cora Olsen, Global Lead on Integrated Reporting at Novo Nordisk, to discuss what the company learned from this process.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE - Meat-heavy diets have been under increased scrutiny of late, spawning a host of research and campaigns linking them to the accelerating impacts of climate change around the world. Now, a new report from the Changing Markets Foundation, Mighty Earth and Compassion in World Farming points the finger at governments, which they say are failing to tackle meat over-consumption to meet climate targets.
SUPPLY CHAIN - Today, Ceres and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announce the addition of Target and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, to the AgWater Challenge. The two companies’ new water stewardship commitments were shared today at the Financial Times Water Summit in London.
NEW METRICS - In formulating strategy, shaping communications and improving their impact in the world, companies, and their sustainability teams, must answer two big questions: "What is important to our business?” and "What is important to our stakeholders?” (Sometimes as a proxy for the larger question: “What is important to the world?")
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Jennifer Motles and her colleagues at Philip Morris International (PMI) are on a crusade to end smoking. They know many of us probably won’t believe them. And they are OK with that; they just want the chance to prove it.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Responsible investing has been an overriding theme of the past two weeks, with a proliferation of new initiatives, campaigns and reports joining a growing list of recently released resources for sustainable and impact investors to increase the quality of their investments emerging during last week’s Global Climate Action Summit and this week at Climate Week.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE - “Tourists, go home.” “Tourists: Your luxury trip, my daily misery.” “Your tourism kills my neighborhood.” These kinds of sentiments have likely been heard in travel destinations that have become victims of their own success and attractiveness. Indeed, for many residents living in popular landmarks, tourism can often be a nightmare rather than a dream. While many cities have been overwhelmed by mass tourism and what is now called “overtourism,” Seoul has been striving to promote alternative forms of tourism that do not put pressure on destinations and offer quality experiences to citizens as well as visitors.
WASTE NOT - The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization that made waves in 2015 with its grand plans and new approach to ridding the oceans of plastic, last weekend launched the world’s first ocean cleanup system from the San Francisco Bay. “System 001” headed to a location 240 nautical miles offshore for a two-week trial before continuing its journey toward the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 1,200 nautical miles offshore, to start the cleanup. System 001 is being towed from the San Francisco Bay by the vessel Maersk Launcher, which has been made available to the project by A.P.