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Walking the Talk

These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.

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Investors Can No Longer Ignore China’s Lagging ESG Performance

Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. For brands that pulled out of Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the cost was in the billions. But Russia is a tiny economy compared to China; and the costs of inaction on ESG issues could be multitudes of magnitude bigger.

It’s Not Easy Being Green: How to Avoid the Many Shades of Greenwashing

Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. With keener public awareness and growing scrutiny of brand sustainability claims, greenwashing hasn’t gone away but become a ‘many-headed beast.’ Experts weigh in on the best way forward for brands.

Brands Rally to Support Türkiye-Syria Earthquake-Relief Efforts

The 7.8-magnitude quake is the strongest to hit the region since 1939. A growing number of brands have been quick to offer various forms of relief support for the area.

From Messages to Painted Pictures: How Storytelling Drives Social Purpose

Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Messaging is about telling an audience something; storytelling shows them something. Engaging social-purpose storytelling can shape the way people think and feel, and motivate them towards a desired action.

Jackson Family Wines Partners to Advance Industry Opportunities for Students of Color

Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. JFW has become a key partner in the Urban Grape’s Wine Studies Award for Students of Color program — which uses a three-pronged approach of education, work experience and mentorship to increase DEI in the wine & spirits industry.

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Study: CSOs Committed to Decarbonization But Skittish About Offsetting

Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Carbon management is top priority for Chief Sustainability Officers; but many are stymied by uncertainty around the most impactful strategies. Here, South Pole adds context and insight to the debate.

WWF Tool Helps Companies, Investors Mitigate Biodiversity Risks Across Their Operations

Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. The tool includes over 50 biodiversity-relevant data layers that collectively provide a global, holistic picture of nature-related risk — the first-ever platform that brings together such a diverse range of data specifically for the purpose of analyzing biodiversity-related risks to corporates and investors.

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, American Forests Advancing Tree Equity in Communities Across the US

After meeting their goal to plant 1M trees three years early, Bulleit and American Forests are now focused on improving tree equity in communities that need it most — starting with two in Houston, Texas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.

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.

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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.

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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.

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