In his book Swimming with Sharks, Joris Luyendijk describes the banking sector as ‘a plane without a pilot’ and with no moral compass. His conclusion however is that the problems which created the financial crisis are not personal, but systemic and if we want a stronger system, we must change the incentives rather than wish for nicer guys. With billions now becoming available for sustainable investments, bankers’ incentives are getting aligned with a greener, more sustainable world. Following this green money, the financial … “Greed is Green”
The fashion industry has an incredibly complex and global supply chain. It is one of the largest polluters in the world, from manufacturing to the waste created at the end-of-life stage of old clothes and shoes in landfills. In an era of fast fashion it might seem like consumers don’t know or don’t want to know how their clothes are made, and often there is not a lot of information available at retail. I recently had the opportunity to speak … “Sustainable Fashion Drives Radical Transparency”
Over December 9 and 10, 2015, GlobeScan will be hosting the third Living Progress Exchange (LPX). This online, text-based dialogue is sponsored by the new Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and builds upon the success of two previous LPX discussions and other online collaborations forums conducted by GlobeScan. This upcoming dialogue comes at an important time for sustainable development. The recent launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ongoing COP21 conference have brought such interrelated sustainable development changes facing the … “We Are Still All In This Together: Accelerating Progress Through Dialogue”
Chris Coulter, GlobeScan’s Co-CEO, and I recently participated in the Sustainable Brands Rio 2015 conference. We opened the first morning of the conference by facilitating a workshop to discuss transparency, trust and leadership with an engaging audience of more than 40 participants from companies such as Itaú Unibanco, BG Brasil, SC Johnson, C&A, HP, and Wal-Mart, among others. As a starting point for the debate, Chris presented the results of recent research studies conducted by GlobeScan, which revealed that the … “Introducing The Concept of “Thick Trust” To A Brazilian Audience”
This is the final blog post of a series of three focusing on the financial services sector seven years on from the financial crisis. After quantifying the loss of public trust in banks and financial institutions and exploring how the industry has lost touch with its societal role in different parts of the world, we are now completing this series by looking for lessons from other sectors on how the financial services industry can improve its CSR performance and build … “Seven Years On From The Financial Crisis: Building Pathways To Trust And Reputation”
Join us and BSR for a special, public webinar on Wednesday, September 30th @ 11am New York / 8am San Francisco to launch the results of our seventh annual “State of Sustainable Business” survey, which provides a window into key trends in corporate practices and perspectives of leading companies on the successes and challenges in advancing sustainability. This year’s survey offers unique insights on how companies are implementing sustainability goals, strengthening business resilience, and contributing to global development and climate change agendas. We … “Upcoming Webinar: BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Survey 2015”
In our first blog post in this series, we looked at concerns about trust and confidence in banks and financial institutions showing no signs of diminishing more than seven years on from the financial crisis. In this blog we’ll explore how the industry has lost touch with its societal role in different parts of the world. For nearly 15 years, GlobeScan has been tracking global public opinion of how well the financial services sector fulfils its responsibilities to society. The … “Seven Years On From The Financial Crisis: Optimism in Africa but CSR Ratings Deficit Elsewhere”
More than seven years on from the financial crisis, concerns about trust and confidence in banks and financial institutions show no sign of diminishing. With the latest series of scandals, allegations and billion-dollar fines, questions are being asked about whether the industry has learnt any lessons. As regulators call on banks to ‘raise their game’ to regain the public’s trust, we ask what can be learnt from our public opinion and stakeholder research about the roots of distrust, the opportunities … “Seven Years On From The Financial Crisis: Trust In Banks Remains At All Time Low”
M&S Stakeholder Transparency Study Highlights This is the last blog post of a series of three uncovering key insights from the recent stakeholder study on transparency that GlobeScan conducted for Marks & Spencer (M&S). After defining what corporate transparency really means and assessing the state of corporate performance in this area, we are now closing our blog series with a deep dive into M&S’ response to the survey findings. Here are three ways in which M&S is using stakeholder feedback … “Three Ways M&S Is Improving Its Transparency”
Full Report from the M&S Stakeholder Transparency Study.