FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
While the use of green chemistry is critical to mitigating adverse
environmental impacts, there remains a gap in education of chemists and an overall lack of awareness in the industry. We sat down with John Warner, one of the founders of the field, to better understand how green chemistry is helping to enable a more sustainable future through science.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
As the latest company to use its size and scale to help equip the next generation of workers, SBD’s ‘Empower Makers’ grants aim to advance and accelerate vocational skills training programs in the next five years — and change misconceptions that these careers are not financially rewarding.
WALKING THE TALK -
HP, HPE, Intel and Microsoft are launching the HBCU Technology Conference, to equip students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to excel in tech careers; while Apple has expanded its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative with $30M worth of new programs.
WALKING THE TALK -
These forward-thinking companies' efforts show that committing to education as part of a brand’s CSR strategy is, truly, a commitment — but one that can pay dividends both to society and the company itself.
WALKING THE TALK -
AT&T committed $10M to respond to the need for increased at-home connectivity for students during the pandemic, and worked with Connected Nation to make it happen. The 124 awardees in the program represent 81 schools and 43 nonprofits spanning 26 states.
WALKING THE TALK -
Reversing ingrained social inequities is critical to achieving the UN SDGs and averting catastrophic climate change. The pandemic has laid bare the many costs of inequality — now is the time for brands to make good on their promises to address this global issue.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Japan’s idyllic Shirakawa Village has worked to mitigate overtourism and preserve the integrity of the local traditions and landscape by limiting visitors to those who respect the town’s heritage and embrace the spirit of mutual assistance that drives the local culture.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Future Fit Foods’ line of nutritious, sustainably sourced, freeze-dried soups is the company’s first step in its mission to reinvent food from
ingredients to packaging — and truly democratize sustainable nutrition.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
A new, $25 billion climate-equity-focused philanthropic fund will complement GM's $35 billion investment in EV and AV programs globally through 2025.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
If you’re a brand that cares about the environment or society but doesn’t invest in education, you’re missing an opportunity to expand your impact. This connects
to a larger issue — how CSR and sustainability go far beyond any company’s immediate customer base or market.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
In a recent webinar, representatives from PepsiCo, Vail Resorts and William & Mary shared lessons learned from preparing for our 'next normal.'
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
For those who cultivate innovation and invention, it is our responsibility to provide opportunity for those historically marginalized. Our society must take the harsh realizations uncovered by the pandemic and use them to fuel ambition and drive, to ensure access and opportunity for every student.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill caters to one of 35 food-insecure communities in Georgia’s capital — and provides a scalable model for other cities to begin to address this all-too-common systemic inequity in US cities.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Able Made is a purpose-driven lifestyle brand created to help empower city youth and support
nonprofits with its sustainably made apparel and accessories, and programming aimed at a creating healthier communities through the power of design and sport.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
As part of Chipotle’s mission to ‘cultivate a better world,’ it has expanded its debt-free degree program to include nearly 100 degree options in these fields at 10 US universities.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The companies have launched a variety of new tools and services aimed at fostering a more inclusive tech workforce in the US, with a specific focus on women and underrepresented minorities.
COLLABORATION -
The PepsiCo Foundation and WaterAid are launching a new program to build sanitation facilities and community water systems in the harsh, arid region of La Guajira, Colombia — with the goal of increasing access for the indigenous Wayuu people.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
The nine organizations selected for this year’s sustain[HUMAN]ability® Leadership Recognition Program have displayed tremendous effort and progress to support the wellbeing of people and the planet amid the unprecedented challenges of 2020.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
One major reason that most sustainability writing is bad is that it’s written by a microscopic number of smart people who think and talk the same way,
unintentionally excluding the bulk of audiences that need to be spoken to.