A regular blog about (un) sustainable business. A focus on practical stuff, not blue sky pretentious waffle. Around 6000 regular readers, surprisingly.
Here’s some essential reading about sustainable palm oil, selected from the betterpalmoildebate.org website, which I run with Nadine Hawa and Mallen Baker for the RSPO. 1) Feeding the world without costing the earth Palm oil itself isn’t the problem. It’s how much is being produced and at what cost, says Emily Dunstan 2) How GreenPalm is underselling…
Chris Wille After some years working in and studying sustainable business, I sometimes sit back and consider which individuals have inspired me the most. I’ve just spent two days with Interface in the Netherlands. That’s a company made up of people who are genuinely inspirational. More on Interface in later posts but be assured, they…
Here’s a 24 slide deck of images and text I presented today to about 30 managers in a training session. The direct link is here and the deck is embedded below. I tried to cover a fair bit of ground in 45 minutes. I attempted to look at why and how social and environmental issues…
A guest post by Danna Pfahl and Erik Wohlgemuth from the Future500. Listening matters Activists provide the critical checks and balances on the corporate sector, serving as one of the core drivers of progress across the globe. Holding companies accountable for their social and environmental footprint is critical in addressing some of the greatest challenges…
Here are attributes many of us value in co-workers, bosses, employees, friends and vendors: Honest Punctual Curious Proactive Flexible Thoughtful Generous Fun Committed Respectful Organized Interested Creative Likable Positive See the rest of the post from Seth Godin here. As he argues, these attributes also apply to brands, or should. It’s worth a read.
Very much a human tragedy The terrible events that have unfolded in the Philippines gives us all pause for thought. I’m not sure we can connect this event with global warming, yet, but some may argue so. The science clearly shows that the future may contain many more events like this as weather becomes more volatile….
Here’s what will be covered in the forthcoming Getting to Grips with CR Communications management course which begins on November 25 2013. If any blog readers would like to take part, just let me know: Tobias.Webb@stakeholderintel.com Module / Week One: 25 November 2013 Why communicate Corporate Responsibility externally? Vision, mission, values and purpose Communicating policy,…
Naive? Possibly. Going over old ground? Definitely. Worth your time to watch? Probably. At least likely. Here’s the link: The True Cost. Also embedded below:
I recently moderated a session on business models and innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Design’s conference titled “Collaboration, Co-creation & New Business Models” and organised by Martin Charter. More about it all can be found here. Here below are Martin’s ten key take aways from the conference. Foresight: adaption to climate change, circular economy &…
Useful? While well-intentioned, GRI’s new G4 reporting requirements are a serious impediment to the widespread and rapid adoption of this protocol, argues Bob Beer in a guest post. Here are five reasons why many businesses see G4 as a non-starter: Process Changes: A reporting company will need to revamp its processes in order to conduct…
Buy it, read it, read it again After my recent post on some good new reading, I’ve been asked by a few readers to provide some more book recommendations for readers. Here’s a list of some of the books that have really made me think about business, society, governance and the environment, in the last…
As a reader of my so-called Smarter Business Blog (in theory) I want you to know I appreciate your taking the time to read my posts. The blog is free, and is supported by other ventures and products, such as online training. So I do send out and post the occasional message out for marketing. …
Here’s what’s on the bedside table at the moment. All three books are rather different but all worth a read: 1) The Entrepreneurial State: Dubunking Public vs Private Sector Myths This controversial book by Mariana Mazzucato is fascinating. It attempts to debunk the myth that Government cannot spark innovation. It may sound like a left wing…
Here’s a quick and engaging video on the nine mistakes made in CR and sustainability reporting – and how to fix them.
Using aerial photographs that render imperiled landscapes almost abstract, Edward Burtynsky explores the consequences of human activity on the earth’s resources: (Some amazing photos here, around 15 in total, well worth a couple of minutes) http://nyti.ms/1by10z6
I'm Toby Webb, founder of Innovation Forum, a sustainability focused research, publishing and events business. I've also been a lecturer on Corporate Responsibility at Kings College London and at Birkbeck, University of London for eight years. I work with large companies all over the world and sit on the sustainability advisory board for Walgreens Boots Alliance. From 2006-9 I lead the development of UK CSR policy, resulting in the Responsibility Deals framework. I can be contacted at Tobias DOT Webb AT innovation-forum.co.uk
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