COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
In sustainability, the 'lone wolf' will soon be a thing of the past, as collaboration becomes increasingly necessary to make real changes.In October, Dell outlined its 2020 Legacy of Good plan, but admitted that it wouldn't be able to achieve its ambitious goals alone.Step in #theBIGshift — Forum for the Future's latest (and potentially biggest) initiative aims to transform the key systems that we rely on, and champion the rewards for those businesses and other organizations who are stepping up to the challenge of creating a sustainable future.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Across numerous countries, the economic contribution of the not-for-profit sector has been on the rise since the late 1990s. In Canada, for example, not-for-profit institutions now contribute 8% of the country’s gross domestic product. Moreover, in the U.S. the not-for-profit (NFP) sector grew significantly faster than the for-profit (FP) sector between 2001-2011, despite the financial crisis of 2008.
NEW METRICS -
Ecosystem services — or the flows of natural capital from the environment into human economies and societies – have traditionally been thought of and treated as ‘free,’ resulting in their mismanagement and degradation. Emerging research is beginning to change this paradigm by quantifying the values of ecosystem service flows — and the implications are becoming especially relevant for corporations.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Beginning this month, Sustainable Brands will launch a new Issues in Focus editorial channel examining sustainable supply chain management.The SB editorial team — with the help of guest editors Dave Meyer of EORM, Tara Norton of BSR and Sam Hummel of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council — are seeking articles, interviews and case studies for publication throughout the year.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In this interview from the Sustainable Brands 2013 conference in San Diego, BBMG co-founder Raphael Bemporad discusses the need for businesses to engage consumers in ways that will help drive transformational change.To learn how some brands are driving change, check out our #BrandInnovation channel.
With nearly a billion people hungry, over a billion more suffering from the effects of obesity and roughly 40% of food in the U.S. wasted each year, our current food system is in dire need of an overhaul. Here are some examples of organizations, brands and technologies that are helping to drive much-needed shifts in the way we produce, distribute and consume food around the world — hopefully just a small taste of systemic improvements to come.
PRESS RELEASE -
Secretary-General Appoints New Global Compact Board Members, Strengthens
Focus on Business Engagement
(New York, 19 April 2012) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed 14 new
members to the Global Compact Board, the UN’s highest-level advisory body involving
business, civil society, labour and employers organizations.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The ice cream brand aims to help 5,000 female cocoa farmers in Côte D'Ivoire achieve financial stability and diversify their incomes, for greater prosperity in the cocoa-farming offseason, by 2025.