“Purpose” – It is Central to Business Success
Says a Sustainable Brands Thinker
As He Explores the Sustainability/CR Intersection What may sound at first glance to be “touchy-feely” management advice turns out to be solid guidance to corporate executives and managers strategizing about “bullet-proofing” their companies and brands for the immediate and the long-term. Dimitar Vhalov, the Director of Content for Sustainable Brands, explains in our Top Story the importance of “purpose” for companies as the enterprise is made more resilient and focused as part of “future-proofing,” especially for brand marketers. There are seven trends to watch in 2016 at the “intersection” of sustainability and purpose, he explains. These include “next level leadership frameworks” to provide an integrated, interdisciplinary innovation mindset that will help executives put systems-driven processes in place to set the right goals and take concrete actions to achieve the goals. These include “Evonomics” and “The Embedding Project” and “Vaultus.” Are these new to you? Read more in our Top Story to learn what they mean – and the importance of “purpose” in the context of sustainability and corporate responsibility. And do look into the fantastic conference presented every year by the Sustainable Brands organization (this year in June in San Diego) -– click here for more information. Top Story
7 Trends at the Intersection of Sustainability and Purpose to Watch This Year
(Tuesday - April 19, 2016)
Source: Sustainable Brands - There is widespread consensus in the global Sustainable Brands community that purpose is trending in the business world, especially among brands that are looking beyond the next quarter and trying to figure out how to thrive in... And -– A Fascinating Look Into the 21st Century –
The Forbes Interview With Hank Boerner by Chris Skroupa
Also on top of this week’s presentations for you in this newsletter is the Forbes interview by Chris Skroupa of G&A Institute chair and chief strategist, Hank Boerner. As we move deeper into the 21st Century, what are some of the ingredients for business success? To a significant degree, these will include the important foundations put in place in the 19th and 20th Century. As we innovate, we also build on the previous decades’ innovations, Boerner suggests. And while it is difficult, of course, to predict the future, we can look at what worked in terms of breakthrough thinking and tinkerers’ insights (such as John Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, all the way back to the 18th Century breakthrough by James Watt and the steam engine) that led the way for industrialization and continue to point the way in the 21st Century to future innovations and breakthrough thinking (like that of Elon Musk).This is a fascinating conversation that we think you will enjoy reading. It’s a good companion piece to the insights offered by Sustainable Brands’ Dimitar Vhalov. And do tune in to the Skytop Strategies and G&A Institute conference on the 21st Century company coming in June at Baruch College/CUNY in New York City -- click here for more information. Top Story
The 21st-Century Company: Is It Different From Companies Of Yesteryear?
(Tuesday - April 22, 2016)
 Source: Forbes – Christopher P. Skroupa: Here we are in the middle of the second decade of the 21st Century. What is different for “21st Century companies” from those of the previous century? Hank Boerner: In general, there is a fascination with the concepts of centuries and decades. Kids growing up in the 1960s were different from those of the 70s and so on. Decades as we recall them may be somewhat similar, but there are very dramatic differences between centuries in business, politics, culture, economics, and other human endeavors… Sustainability in Focus The Big and Small Questions of Sustainability
(Monday - April 18, 2016)
Source: Bucknell University - At the fourth annual Sustainability Symposium at Bucknell University, students, faculty and staff examined sustainability globally and locally. From pocketbooks to sweaters to restaurant logos, the ‘look’ of sustainability helps sell Maine
(Monday - April 18, 2016)
Source: Press Herald - The state's brand has swapped lighthouses and lobsters for an outdoorsy, authentic, handmade yet sophisticated aesthetic. Is H&M misleading customers with all its talk of sustainability?
(Monday - April 18, 2016)
Source: Quartz - H&M probably talks about sustainability more than any other fast-fashion brand. It produces a Conscious collection made using sustainable and recycled materials, creates glossy ad campaigns to encourage garment recycling, and has... Sustainability 101: Your Guide to Traveling Responsibly
(Tuesday - April 19, 2016)
Source: US News - Earth Day is fast approaching, and if you're feeling inspired to leave a positive impact on your next trip, there are plenty of ways to become a more conscientious traveler. "It begins with being aware and mindful of your travel... Unilever Tops Food Companies in Oxfam Sustainability Ranking
(Tuesday - April 19, 2016)
Source: Bloomberg - Unilever received top ratings from Oxfam International for sustainability and human rights, including treatment of women and farm workers, part of an annual ranking that showed industry-wide improvement. Kimberly-Clark: Why sustainability matters
(Tuesday - April 19, 2016)
Source: Eco=Business - As consumers and NGOs last year called for boycotts of products linked to deforestation and the haze crisis in Southeast Asia, Kimberly-Clark is one of the firms that emerged unscathed from the consumer movement. Corporate sustainability should be core strategy, requires paths unique to each business
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: Science Daily - In an effort to qualify the process of investing in corporate sustainability, researchers examined two major international apparel brands, Nike and Adidas, to determine the paths taken to reach corporate sustainability... Sustainability Technologies Can Be Disruptive
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: Forbes - A voluminous number of initiatives has risen: there is environmental, social and governance (ESG), there is responsible and sustainable investment (RSI), corporate social responsibility, corporate shared value, impact investing... The Knowledge Revolution: Big Data and Sustainability
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: TriplePundit - Sustainability poses many questions. For a long time, answers were scarce. But thanks to new analysis methods and an increasing willingness to share data, solutions that were completely inconceivable until recently are now... A gentler approach to sustainability
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: Pamplin Media - Since arriving in Lake Oswego, Slepian has pushed for the replacement of lighting at all City facilities with energy-efficient LED bulbs and composting at all of the City’s fire stations. She led the City’s initiative to purchase...
Sydney Sets Benchmark In Sustainability
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: The Urban Developer - Global leaders reinforced Sydney’s status as a leader in sustainability at the 2016 Green Cities Conference last month in Sydney, where industry figures gathered in a bid to set higher benchmarks for forward-thinking development... Together, Working to Build Stronger Sustainability Practices
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: 3BL Media - In March 2016, members of Goldcorp’s global team convened for the company’s bi-annual Sustainability Summit to further our sustainability journey. Teams from Sustainability, including CSR, Environment and Security; Technical... Milestone events at UN to kick-start action on new sustainability goals, climate pact
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: United Nations - In a watershed moment for international cooperation, global political, business and civil society leaders are headed to New York where they will pledge fast action on the new United Nations sustainable development agenda and the... Sustainability Ratings: Coming to an Investment Near You
(Friday - April 22, 2016)
Source: Triple Pundit - Last month Morningstar Inc., an investment research and management firm, announced a new sustainability rating system would be available for funds on its North American and European websites as well as in Morningstar Advisor... Pursuing sustainability
(Friday - April 22, 2016)
Source: Harvard Gazette - Clark sees the Paris Agreement as just one step, though an important one, in this urgent pursuit, as officials wrestle with how to meet the needs of a growing human population without jeopardizing the planet for future... ESG Issues & Players Most Americans say climate changing, humans to blame
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: USA Today - But polls show that a vast majority of Americans believe climate change is happening — and young people especially want the United States to do something about it. Ethics: The Foundation Of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – OpEd
(Monday - April 18, 2016)
Source: Eur Asia Review - There is no question that, ethics is the great foundation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Why? Let’s discuss it piece by piece. Dear Washington, DC, Establishment:
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: Larry Checco - It didn’t have to come to this. Really. It didn’t. The Republican Party didn’t need to be pulling out its collective hair trying to figure out how to keep a bloviating billionaire from cleaving its party apart—or worse... Global wind capacity to nearly double in next five years: GWEC
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: Reuters - Global wind energy capacity will nearly double in the next five years, largely led by further market growth in China, but also as a stronger industry emerges in the United States, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said on... This May Mark the Beginning of the End for Obamacare
(Monday - April 18, 2016)
Source: My San Antonio - The Affordable Care Act, which you likely know better as Obamacare, should really come with a whiplash warning, because it's been a roller coaster ride since it was fully implemented on Jan. 1, 2014. Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Finds Falsified Fuel Mileage Tests
(Wednesday - April 20, 2016)
Source: New York Times— Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the Japanese automaker tarnished by a massive recall-cover-up 15 years ago, owned up to another scandal Wednesday, saying employees had intentionally falsified fuel mileage test data for several...
Asset Managers, US Pension Funds,
Sovereign Wealth Funds Lew Op-Ed: Why We're Reviewing Asset Management
(Thursday - April 21, 2016)
Source: Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew - Opponents of financial reform are cheering a court decision to rescind the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s designation of MetLife for heightened regulatory supervision. FSOC designated MetLife after determining that... REPORT: How Saudi Arabia Can Have the Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund
(Thursday - April 21, 2016) Associated Profiles : National Social Security Fund (SPF)
Source: swfinstitute.org - Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of King Salman and a chief political powerbroker, revealed publicly that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to have a colossal sovereign wealth fund... 'Let Them Sell Their Summer Homes and Jets': NYC Pension Dumps Hedge Funds
(Saturday - April 16, 2016) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
Source: NBC News - The move by the fund, which had $51.2 billion in assets as of Jan. 31, follows a similar action by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers), the nation's largest public pension fund, and public... | 
G&A Institute Sustainability Update™
Informative, insightful, thought provoking
Governance & Accountability Institute's blog focusing on the sustainable world evolving daily before our eyes. Read it, absorb it, question it and challenge. Recent posts:
FLASH REPORT: G&A Institute and Bloomberg LP Partnered to Examine Bloomberg ESG Disclosure Scores For S&P 500 Companies Reporting VS Not Reporting on Sustainability FAST APPROACHING: The Deadline For Registering for the Corporate Social Responsibility Certificate Program at Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership Sounds Like a Good Sustainability Strategy in the C-Suite / Board Room — But What About On the Ground in Locations Thousands of Miles Away? _______________________________ G&A Supports GSC
17 Weeks / 17 SDGs Initiative  The Global Sourcing Council (GSC) proudly commits its support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda by educating and inspiring companies to do their part and take action to help achieve extraordinary sustainable results throughout the globe. To join us, please download our GSC 17/17 SDG Prospectus and contact Louis Coppola or Wanda Lopuch.
_______________________________
Governance & Accountability Institute Service Highlight
Many Reasons to Contact
G&A Institute! Is this one yours?
Awards & Recognitions Program
Your corporate sustainability journey may have begun. Or, the journey may be far along, maturing – and the story being told through the GRI sustainability report. Who is taking notice? Who is recognizing the company's reporting effort (the progress report for corporate achievements), and bestowing recognition? Which of the many “best of” lists, and ratings, rankings, scores ,and other third party judgments is your company being included in – where are you positioned in the race to the top? Learn more About G&A's Awards & Recognitions Program
_______________________________
Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports
Learn More @ G&A! _______________________________ Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting G&A Institute is the exclusive Data Partner for the Global Reporting
Initiative's (GRI) in the USA, UK and Ireland. A G&A team of six or more perform this pro bono work on behalf of GRI. Over the past 5+ years, G&A has analyzed more than 5,000 sustainability reports in this role and databased more than 100 important data points for each of the five thousand reports.
 _______________________________ 
Navigating the way to sustainability...
Contents © 2009 - 2016 | All Rights Reserved
Copyrights for other providers are noted where appropriate. Please credit the source if quoted.
_______________________________ |
