Top Story of the Week 7th Annual Survey of Companies
By UN Global Compact & Wharton School Checking in on the progress of companies in terms of living up to the commitments made as Global Compact signatories, UNGC and the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) conduct a survey each year; the 2013 results are in and the Global Corporate Sustainability Report documents the responses. There were 1712 responses to the survey (56% were large enterprises, the balance, small-to-medium sized businesses). Using a Six-Sigma approach (commit, assess, define, implement, measure, communicate), the report authors looked at human rights, labor, environment, anti-corruption, and other important elements of supply chain management and global sourcing. Four key findings are documented in the Top Story from Triple Pundit. UN Global Compact Releases Sustainability Research Findings
(Wednesday - October 09, 2013)
Source: Triple Pundit - The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) recently released its 2013 Global Corporate Sustainability Report on the state of corporate sustainability. The UN Compact’s pool of respondents have committed to pursuing the UN’s defined... Sustainability in Focus The Sustainable Workforce: Part of a Global Sustainability Strategy
(Friday - October 11, 2013)
Source: Huff Post - In a National Work and Family Month post last week, Eve Tahmincioglureflected on the observations of "suits and hipsters" who are questioning workplaces that make it hard to blend work with the rest of life. Given my background... Target Sets Sustainability Standards For Product Sourcing
(Thursday - October 10, 2013)
Source: Twin Cities Business - Target is asking certain vendors to assess the sustainability of their products; the “sustainability scores” will help guide Target's merchandising and product-placement decisions. What Do 'Sustainability' Executives Do? Let Us Know: Survey
(Thursday - October 10, 2013)
Source: Bloomberg - Many companies now have chief sustainability officers or the equivalent. What roles do they play? That's the question we're asking today as we launch a new survey. In less than a decade, sustainability has gone from a feel-good... Linking Sustainability Performance to Compensation: A Must for Success
(Wednesday - October 09, 2013)
Source: Huff Post - Many companies tout sustainability as important and highlight their accomplishments on their website and in their sustainability reports. Unless it is directly linked to staff performance across the organization, however, it is... The best way to integrate sustainability into business
(Tuesday - October 08, 2013)
Source: GreenBiz - Let’s start with the basics: I don’t speak Swedish. So when I was in Sweden recently, attending the World Water Week Conference, I noticed something about language that provides an interesting parallel to my day job of talking... Why “sustainability” should be more than a meaningless buzzword
(Tuesday - October 08, 2013)
Source: Reuters - The term “sustainability” crept into the business lexicon slowly, by way of the environmental movement. It no longer means covering operating costs with profits, the definition I learned at Harvard Business School six years ago.... Coca-Cola study finds leadership key to sustainability
(Monday - October 07, 2013)
Source: GreenBiz - Leaders who grasp the importance of sustainability are the most important driver behind a company's green strategy. That is the key conclusion of a new study (PDF) by Coca-Cola Enterprises, which interviewed more than 300... 4 success secrets for small business sustainability
(Sunday - October 06, 2013)
Source: GreenBiz - Companies typically implement sustainability programs because they want to improve company culture, encourage employees to contribute to positive change and increase profitability by reducing costs. Yet even when the commitment... ESG Issues & Players Natural gas 'fracking' has flipped US energy map, study says
(Thursday - October 10, 2013)
Source: Christian Science Monitor - Natural gas pipelines that for a half century sent natural gas flowing northward from energy-rich Gulf Coast states to heat and power the megacities of the chilly Northeast are seeing a role reversal. Northeast shale-gas... Water Shortage Seen Worsening on Climate Change in Potsdam Study
(Wednesday - October 09, 2013)
Source: Bloomberg - Water scarcity will increase around the world due to climate change, with more than 500 million people affected if mean global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), based on modeling studies by the... Are we experiencing a corporate social responsibility bubble?
(Friday - October 11, 2013)
Source: Guardian - Corporate social responsibility (CSR) used to live down the hall from brand, with less budget, influence and, frankly, less friends. It was OK though, CSR didn't mind, CSR had all the integrity and soul that brand had sold years... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds Ben Bernanke helped lead nation out of crisis
(Thursday - October 10, 2013)
Source: USA Today - It's finally official: Ben Bernanke, one of the most influential Fed chairmen in history, will step down on Jan. 31 when his second term ends. Why the Debt Ceiling Matters
(Tuesday - October 08, 2013)
Source: Joe Nocera, NY Times - The word we keep hearing is “catastrophe.” “A U.S. Default Seen as Catastrophe, Dwarfing Lehman’s Fall,” screams the headline in Bloomberg Businessweek. “A default would be unprecedented and has the potential to be catastrophic”... Pension funds in NY to get greater scrutiny
(Friday - October 11, 2013) Associated Profiles : New York City Comptroller’s Office: Bureau of Asset Management
Source: Press & Sun-Bulletin - The letters went to the New York City pensionfund, the state pension fund and the New York Teachers’Retirement System. "These are huge funds that provide for the retirement of... Many SWFs still bound to politics, study finds
(Wednesday - October 09, 2013) Associated Profiles :Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (Statens pensjonsfond – Utland) , Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Norway
Source: opalesque.com - Five years after the signing of the Generally Accepted Principles and Practices (GAPP), only six sovereign wealth funds have been considered compliant, according to a new study. A Swiss political consulting firm... Watching the Watchers Fairtrade Labelling OrganizationsInternational
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
Established: 1997 KEY PARTNERS
World Fair Trade Organization and theEuropean Fair Trade Association, plus around 25 member organizations of FLO
OVERVIEW/MISSION
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) describes itself in brief as: “We are 25 organizations working to secure a better deal for producers. From our headquarters in Bonn, Germany, we set international Fairtrade standards and support Fairtrade producers.” FLO states its vision as “a world in which all producers can enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods, fulfill their potential and decide on their future.”
The 25 member organizations include Fairtrade Labelling Initiatives that license companies to use the FAIRTRADE mark. Producer groups may also join Producer Networks: there are three Producer Networks, covering Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Latin America/the Caribbean region.There are 19 FairTrade Labelling Initiatives covering 23 countries.New standards in late 2012 included those for grapefruits and pomegranates.
News Sweeps What's Fairer Than Fair Trade' Try Direct Trade With Cocoa Farmers
(Thursday - October 10, 2013) Associated Profiles :Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
- truth-out.org - Poverty and Cocoa Cooper and his wife, Pam, can support themselves by making chocolate, but life ... stops on my journey was Southeast Asia, where I got an up-close look at the labor involved in chocolate farming.... FLO Releases Annual Report for 2012-13
(Thursday - September 05, 2013) Associated Profiles :Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
- thenews.coop - Fairtrade International (FLO), the largest certifier of Fair Trade products worldwide, just released its 2012-13 Annual Report. The 20-page report is one of the best sources of global statistics on producer... Fairness of fair trade: A food for thought
(Wednesday - June 26, 2013) Associated Profiles : Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
- China Daily - It is a member of the German Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International(FLO), a global alliance of labeling initiatives that sets fair trade standards (fairtrade.net currently lists no partner... | G&A Announces...
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