CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Today, in honor of International Day of the Girl, HP and Girl Rising — a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating poverty by providing education to girls — are celebrating 12 stories of female empowerment gathered from around the globe as part of the first-ever Girl Rising Creative Challenge. Introduced on International Women’s Day in March, the challenge was a call-to-action to highlight storytelling that has the power to change the world.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
In 2015, the world got one step closer to a better future when 193 countries committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for addressing the global community’s most critical economic, social and environmental challenges. These goals aim to eliminate poverty and hunger, promote global access to healthcare and education, protect earth’s natural resources, achieve gender equality, and more.
NEW METRICS -
At its core, the #NewMetrics series of events has always been about quantifying previously ignored risks, costs and revenue potential associated with sustainability impacts. Over the years, we have explored important new metrics related to the whole range of vital capitals — natural, human, social, relationship, intellectual and financial — with the same end goal of helping businesses understand the full picture of their presence in the world, so they can then improve it in informed, holistic ways.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In the past few years, Schneider Electric — a global specialist in energy management and automation — has partnered with its customers around the world in various capacities to co-create smart solutions for a more sustainable future. It focuses its energy on prioritizing resource productivity and management, promoting energy efficiency and rethinking energy consumption. It has also adopted science-based emissions targets and helped its clients set their own.
We spoke with Erik Mohn, Director of Americas Sustainability Services at Schneider Electric, to learn more about the company’s multi-pronged strategy to spread sustainability.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
The Indonesian Network of the United Nations Global Compact today announced a partnership between Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Martha Tilaar Group (MTG) — a leading Indonesian manufacturer of cosmetics and herbal medicine — to train 1,000 women from forest communities to help preserve herbal plants and become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
We live in the Fourth Industrial Revolution – an era with unprecedented technological advancement. This revolution has also come at a time with serious global ecological and social challenges. Thankfully, companies around the world are committing themselves to finding innovative, profitable solutions to these problems.
PRESS RELEASE -
In the world of marketing, less than seven percent of directors are women.* Gillette Venus wants to help close that gap with the launch of the Her Shot campaign, a social experiment in storytelling and celebration of all the ways a female perspective can disrupt and improve the world.
Gillette Venus is partnering with 10 up-and-coming female directors to create video content spotlighting the importance of a woman’s point of view and sharing unique perspectives on the positive impact this can have on the world. The brand is also partnering with actress/director Regina King to serve as a voice of inspiration to the directors, providing tips and advice on success so they can elevate their voices in the industry.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Ten women entrepreneurs have been selected as the first cohort entering the POWERED Accelerator program — a first-of-its-kind accelerator focusing on women-led businesses in the energy value chain, in an effort to address twin Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Affordable and Clean Energy (
PRESS RELEASE -
The first #sheinnovates Girls’ Lounge in Africa is opening at the SAP Next-Gen Lab location at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa.
The launch of #sheinnovates Girls’ Lounge at UCT coincides with the #sheinnovates Festival taking place today at Startupbootcamp AfriTech.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
When multiple layers of the supply chain work together, transformation is most effective. At Archer Daniels Midland Company, we have seen this firsthand, through providing financial and other support to improve the lives of quinoa farmers in Bolivia. Together with our partner, Andean Naturals; and our customer, Kashi, we have been working to promote sustainable quinoa and improve the welfare of the farmers and their families by empowering women farmers, improving access to education, and increasing quinoa productivity.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
Sanitation is one of the most pressing social and public health challenges today. 1 in 3 people worldwide do not have access to a safe toilet — and 892 million people have no choice but to defecate in the open. Every two minutes, a child dies from a preventable diarrhea-related disease — approximately 288,000 children each year. The issue also contributes to the number of girls who drop out of school, since they are especially affected by a lack of hygiene and sanitation during their period.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
A new film, WATERSCHOOL, takes viewers on a journey with several young female students who live along six of the world’s major rivers — the Amazon, Mississippi, Danube, Nile, Ganges and Yangtze — to shine a light on the importance of safeguarding the continued supply of fresh water and the work of the Swarovski Waterschool education and community investment progra
PRESS RELEASE -
The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has been named to Forbes Magazine’s first-ever America’s Best Employers for Women 2018.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Last week, over 2,000 representatives from our global community of sustainability practitioners, brand strategists, product and service innovators, thought leaders and other change-makers converged at SB’18 Vancouver to share their latest insights on a multitude of themes pertinent to all of those committed to improving business around the world. Here, we dig into brand and organizational efforts to get consumers to deliver their part of the equation, through responsible consumption.
P&G: The road to responsible consumption
By Marissa Rosen
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
In recent conversation with Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at P&G, we spent our time talking about shifting out from old paradigms and models, to create new frameworks for building brands and advancing sustainability. Here are Pritchard’s top five paradigms to shift:
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
Are you or someone you know helping create a gender equal world? Individuals are being invited to share stories of initiatives big and small in the form of video, audio, essays and artwork as submissions to the Girl Rising Creative Challenge, Powered by HP.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) made history today by unveiling the new Scout Me In campaign that features girls, as well as boys, in its iconic Cub Scout program for the first time. Starting this summer, all kids are invited to say, “Scout Me In,” as they join the fun, adventure and character-building opportunities found in Cub Scouts. The campaign presents an energizing Scouting experience that speaks to kids by putting them in the middle of the action. It also engages parents who are looking for ways to make the most of the time they have with their kids and help them to be Prepared. For Life.
PRESS RELEASE -
In line with its commitments to reflect the diversity of its audiences and to support the next generation of creatives and technologists, 21st Century Fox has made a multi-year commitment to back the groundbreaking organization, Girls Who Code (GWC), with financial and in-kind resources.
This support will go toward two significant initiatives: GWC’s new College Loops program, which will drive retention and community among female computer science majors by connecting and engaging Girls Who Code alumni at colleges and universities, and the development of the organization’s international presence. Both efforts will help the organization move closer to its goal of closing the gender gap in technology.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Dow Chemical Company has joined the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change – a transformational diversity and inclusion initiative launched by Catalyst, a global thought leader and partner in accelerating the progress of women at work for more than 50 years.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Larry Fink’s recent clarion call to capitalism that managing “environmental, social,and governance (ESG) matters demonstrates the leadership and good governance that is so essential to sustainable growth” should not fall on deaf CEO ears.