As we enter the final weeks of the year, we take a look at our forecast trends from this time last year. How have our seven predictions for 2014 panned out? 1. Inequality and vulnerability. We forecast increased global concern about inequality, which has been borne out in our Radar study of citizens around the world, as well as post-Davos conversations and the huge debate around Thomas Piketty’s book, Capital in the 21st Century. And Oxfam’s analysis shows the richest … “A Look Back at 2014 Predictions: GlobeScan’s Year in Review”
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Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Segmenting the Market Using the 2014 Greendex Data This is the last in a series of four short articles that examine the potential for more sustainable consumer behavior within the food category. Again, we draw on the Greendex 2014 study of consumers in 18 countries, conducted with National Geographic, to mine for insights to help governments, companies and NGOs unlock further change. Greendex Article Series Our first installation of the series described the “Moveable Masses” segment, largest of the five groups that … “Changing Food Habits: Immobilized Greendex Segment”
Harriet Lamb has been the CEO of Fairtrade International since 2012. As Executive Director in 2001-12, Harriet guided the Fairtrade Foundation through a period of staggering growth, with estimated sales of Fairtrade products in the UK growing from £30m to £1.3bn. GlobeScan Director Caroline Holme recently interviewed Harriet to gain insight on the value Fairtrade puts on stakeholder intelligence to help build recognized leadership in an uncertain world. Fairtrade is different from our non-profit and corporate clients in that you sit … “Recognizing Leaders: Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade International”
As Fairtrade celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, what does the future look like in the hands of the generation who have grown up with Fairtrade? Following on from our first blog on young consumers’ demand for sustainable products and their views on the future for Fairtrade, we switch focus now to look at young people’s expectations of business. The infographic below highlights some of the findings from our recent study with UK teenagers (aged 13-20 years old) focused on the role of companies in … “Generation Fairtrade: Bridging the Trust Gap”
Segmenting the Market Using the 2014 Greendex Data This is the third in a series of four short articles that examine the potential for more sustainable consumer behavior within the food category. Again, we draw on the Greendex 2014 study of consumers in 18 countries, conducted with National Geographic, to mine for insights to help governments, companies and NGOs unlock further change. Our first installation of the series described the “Moveable Masses” segment, largest of the five groups that our analysis has … “Changing Food Habits: Conflicted Consumers Greendex Segment”
GlobeScan’s co-CEO, Chris Coulter, will moderate a lively discussion with a number of GlobeScan colleagues who will present our most insightful findings from 2014 to help us prepare for 2015. Femke de Man, Caroline Holme, James Morris, and Eric Whan will draw on our greatest insights from our ongoing public and stakeholder trends, as well as our custom work to help us understand challenges and opportunities for leadership in 2015, including how to rebuild trust, how to engage and mobilize consumers and stakeholders and … “Upcoming GlobeScan Radar Webinar: State of the World – Progress and Purpose”
It made the news, yet it wasn’t really news to those paying close attention. The world’s leading international body on climate change, United Nations offshoot the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recently proclaimed that human-induced warming of the climate system is unequivocal and increasingly likely to result in permanent damage. Specifically, the IPCC warned, “[C]ontinued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts … “Companies Take Note: Consumers Trust Climate Change Warnings”
Winnie Byanyima is Executive Director of Oxfam International. She served 10 years as a member of the Ugandan parliament. A recognized women’s rights advocate, she founded the still-thriving civil society organization, Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE). Ms. Byanyima served at the African Union Commission and as Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Programme. As part of her drive to bring women’s perspectives into core development issues, she co-founded the Global Gender and Climate Alliance and … “Recognizing Leaders: Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International”
19 November 2014 – GlobeScan, a specialist consultancy offering stakeholder intelligence and engagement advisory services, announced today that it is opening its Cape Town office in South Africa. With offices in London, San Francisco and Toronto, this new office opening marks an important milestone for GlobeScan who, for the past 27 years, has been partnering with South African and global clients with an interest in building stronger and more trusting relationships with their stakeholders. Christophe Guibeleguiet, GlobeScan co-CEO said: “We are … “Globescan Launches South Africa Office”
A few weeks ago I moderated a lively discussion with four thought leaders working on the front lines of business’ role in mobilizing action on climate change. Steve Howard (Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA), Niall Dunne (Chief Sustainability Officer at BT), Paul Dickinson (Executive Chairman at CDP) and Edward Cameron (Director of Partnership Development and Research at BSR) each shared their views on the challenges and opportunities for business to play a more active role in engaging the public in … “Climate Change Mobilization – The Role for Business to Engage Consumers”
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Sometimes, the present bodes well for the future. Last week I attended the 2014 Net Impact conference in Minneapolis, and it was a buzz of energy and enthusiasm: everywhere one looked there were high-caliber students and “professionals” in CSR and sustainability wanting to forge greater connections to deliver impact. The energy in the sprawling Convention Center was contagious, with professionals feeding off the ambition and enthusiasm of rising leaders in the room. While the focus of this event tends to be … “Net Impact 2014: The Future of Sustainability Leadership”
I had the pleasure of attending the 2014 BSR Conference last week, and was blown away by the number of interesting, thought-provoking speakers the event featured. There were many inspirational moments during the three days of convening, and so I thought I’d share my top 5 quotes from the conference. These comments not only sum up some of the key themes that ran through the entire event, but are also great food for thought for the GlobeScan nexus of brand, … “BSR 2014: Five Quotes to Make You Think”
Segmenting the Market Using the 2014 Greendex Data This is the second in a series of four short articles that examine the potential for more sustainable consumer behavior within the food category. We draw on our recently published Greendex 2014 study of consumers in 18 countries, conducted with National Geographic, to mine for insights to help governments, companies and NGOs unlock further change. Our first installation of the series described the “Moveable Masses” segment, largest of the five groups that our … “Changing Food Habits: Motivated Greens Greendex Segment”
In my last blog, I argued that publishing sustainability reports does not equal stakeholder engagement, and that reporting is instead an important preparatory step towards stakeholder engagement. In this blog, I wanted to share some good news for reporters and sustainability communicators who are keen to engage with their stakeholders. Our data shows that, despite traditionally low levels of trust in companies, there is a growing number of the general public who want to engage with companies. GlobeScan, in collaboration … “Aspirationals: “Engage and collaborate with us!””
For the past six years, GlobeScan has partnered with BSR in conducting the annual State of Sustainable Business survey. This survey gleans insights from professionals within BSR member organizations on emerging trends, priorities, and practices across a range of environmental, social, and governance issues. In 2014, for the first time, some of the survey questions were extended to undergraduate and MBA members of Net Impact (read the report). The goal was to measure the ways that current and future sustainability leaders view … “State of Sustainable Business – Perspectives from Current and Future Sustainability Leaders”
Full Report of the BSR/GlobeScan/Net Impact State of Sustainable Business Survey – Perspectives from Current and Future Leaders.
A Study on Sustainability Trends & Business Priorities SAN FRANCISCO, USA – 6 November 2014 – BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), GlobeScan, and Net Impact have jointly released a new industry study which reveals how current and future leaders view the state of sustainable business, including some notable similarities, differences, and emerging trends. Overall, there is remarkable alignment between the perspectives of current and future leaders on the state of sustainable business. Results suggest that prospective business professionals are fairly realistic about the challenges that current sustainability … “Comparing the Perspectives of Current and Future Sustainability Leaders”
After touching on the relationship between brands and consumers on Day One, Day Two of the Sustainable Brands conference in London offered a wealth of insights and real life experiences in how to embed sustainability into an organisation. Three “must-do’s” stood out for me: First, embedding sustainability starts with identifying a corporate purpose and a set of values which will guide how employees behave as individuals, and collectively. David Wheldon, Head of Brand, Reputation and Citizenship at Barclays Group shared his … “Sustainability Starts From Within: 3 Key Takeaways from Day Two at Sustainable Brands London 2014”
Three themes stood out for me in the midst of all the great presentations and discussions on the first day of the Sustainable Brands conference in London. First, we kept hearing about shifts in the relationship between brands and consumers and the opportunities that are opening up for marketers. James Goodman (Forum for the Future) reflected that brands need sustainability and that the relationship with consumers is moving from the linear to the circular. There’s also increasing complexity in channels of influence, … “Opportunities to Reimagine Brand Purpose: 3 Key Takeaways from Day One at Sustainable Brands London 2014”
Our annual State of Sustainable Business Survey, conducted with BSR, again provides important insights into the priorities, perceptions and challenges being faced by businesses and the sustainability professionals who work within them. The infographic below highlights just a few of the key findings from this year’s survey. We see that transparency is both a significant challenge for business, but also a highly important tool in helping to improve continuing low levels of public trust in business. This year we also point the … “Infographic on the State of Sustainable Business”
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In early October, some 200 experts met in Berlin to discuss the future of sustainability reporting during the 2nd annual conference of the Reporting 3.0 platform. The statement above set the stage for the first of three discussions around the theme of stakeholder engagement. During my opening remarks I made the case that the premise was missing the point and that it is actually not the reports, but the reporters themselves that do not cut it. They need to change … “Sustainability Reports Don’t Cut It, Or…”
Full Report of the BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Poll 2014, released at the BSR Conference 2014.
I had the honour to moderate an insightful and inspiring webinar on October 27 with three diverse and remarkable thinkers, all of whom have recently published excellent books on the topic of enlightened business leadership: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Foundation for the UN Global Compact and former Chairman of Shell and Anglo American, and author of Responsible Leadership: Lessons from the Front Line of Sustainability and Ethics. Christine Bader, a visiting scholar at Columbia University,former policy manager at … “On the Front Lines of Progressive Leadership: Lessons Learned for Shared Success”
As Fairtrade celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, what does the future look like in the hands of the generation who have grown up with Fairtrade? What is Generation Fairtrade? Generation Fairtrade represents a future cohort of citizens and consumers that have never known a world without Fairtrade and the eco-label movement that Fairtrade sparked. They are used to seeing the Fairtrade mark on mainstream products from Cadbury Dairy Milk to Nestle Kit Kats, from Starbucks lattes to Sainsbury’s basic … “Generation Fairtrade: Looking to the Future”