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”
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”
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”
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…”