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…”
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”
Sustainable consumer behavior has improved only incrementally, and remains stagnant or has become less sustainable in areas such as transportation, housing and consumer goods, according to the 2014 Greendex survey. Let’s examine some ways that consumers can change their behavior to increase their sustainable consumption. The fifth edition of this Greendex survey detects increasing concern about the environment, together with increasing awareness of human activity as the cause for climate change coupled with growing concern about how a changing climate will worsen people’s … “5 Ways to Whet Consumers’ Appetites for Sustainability”
Segmenting the Market Using the 2014 Greendex Data Welcome to the first of 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. Find After launching the 2014 Greendex at the Sustainable Brands New Metrics conference, we are kicking off … “Changing Food Habits: Moveable Masses Greendex Segment”
On September 26th, National Geographic’s Chief Science and Exploration Officer, Terry Garcia, and I were in Boston MA to publish the 2014 Greendex survey on the status of sustainable consumption across 18 countries, the fifth edition of this National Geographic / GlobeScan collaboration. If you are unfamiliar with it, the Greendex is a composite measure of sustainable (or not) consumer behavior consisting of 65 different types of choices and behaviors analyzed and tracked across four sub-indexes. Quite aptly, we chose … “New Metrics on Consumer Behavior Change”