MARKETING AND COMMS -
Corporate spending on product sustainability initiatives will likely accelerate as sustainable product pioneers such as H&M, Nokia and PUMA share evidence of the business benefits they have achieved, according to a new report from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The study draws on data from a survey of 250 heads of sustainability in 13 countries, as well as interviews with product sustainability experts at PE International, PRé Consultants, Pure Strategies and Quantis.
COLLABORATION -
Introducing the Communispace Client Index — an index designed to track the stock market performance of our top 25 clients (i.e., those clients investing the most in consumer collaboration) against the S&P 500. Our nerd-o-licious intent was to see if our clients — companies who are engaged in an ongoing collaborative relationship with their consumers — are doing any better than the rest of the companies out there.The Index by no means shows causality between our work and the share performance of any given company. However, it does say some pretty interesting things:
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Investors achieved notable victories during this year’s shareholder proxy season, with a near-record 110 shareholder resolutions filed with 94 U.S. companies on corporate sustainability challenges such as climate change, supply chain issues and water-related risks, according to Ceres.
Mexican-owned baking company Grupo Bimbo, as part of its drive towards a fully sustainable supply chain, has inaugurated the first Ecologic Sales Center in the Historic Center area of Mexico City, with an investment of close to 20 million pesos ($1.5 million USD).The eco-friendly facility will have 73 distribution vehicles with electric engines completely designed by Grupo Bimbo technicians, the company says. The Ecologic Sales Center is intended to serve as the company’s new sustainable distribution model.
NEW METRICS -
Bob Willard is an expert on quantifying and selling the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. He serves on the advisory boards of The Natural Step Canada and Forum for the Future US, and his fourth book, The New Sustainability Advantage was published in 2012.
Recyclebank, a company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals, has announced a 27 percent reduction in its corporate carbon emissions, down from 830 metric tons in 2011 to 602 metric tons in 2012.Since 2009, Recyclebank has partnered with NativeEnergy to calculate the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, paving the way for Recyclebank to reduce its operational footprint. Each year, Recyclebank offsets its remaining emissions partnering with NativeEnergy, providing critical funding for GHG reduction projects.
Institutional investors and their investment managers must integrate the financial risks from climate change, resource scarcity, supply chain failures and tighter water supplies into their investment practices if they are to be successful in the 21st century, according to a new Ceres report.The 21st Century Investor: Ceres Blueprint for Sustainable Investing outlines the urgency and long-term competitive advantages for investors that incorporate sustainability across all aspects of their investment practices. It includes 10 action steps for integrating sustainability into investment beliefs, asset allocation strategies, corporate engagement, proxy voting and other areas.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
As the fourth and final piece in our 4-part series of ‘hot lists’ (check out our other picks for hot products, books and business model innovations), this week we introduce 13 hot research reports tracking the state of various aspects of corporate sustainability, as well as respective consumer attitudes and behaviors.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Patagonia is renowned for its consistent environmental support; each year, the outdoor apparel company gives away 1% of its profits to grassroots environmental nonprofits. Now, its new venture capital fund of more than $20 million will support eco-friendly for-profitbusinesses, focusing on energy, food, water or waste-related startups.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Mosaic, an online marketplace that connects investors to solar energy projects, is tackling more and more ambitious projects. Recently, it started the Golden State Series, a string of solar investments that will total $100 million. The first project, seeking a investment $153,000 in a solar charity in San Diego, sold out in just six hours.
NEW METRICS -
Three cheers to Bill McKibben and 350.org for raising much-needed awareness through their campaign urging university endowments and pension funds to divest from fossil fuel-producing companies.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
SAP AG today announced the SAP Integrated Report 2012, its first report that brings together the information usually shared in an annual report with the information normally contained in a sustainability report.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Dunkin’ Donuts will set a target date to source all of its palm oil from sustainable sources or purchase offset certificated covering its sourced palm oil, according to a recent announcement by New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Only one out of eight insurers said they have in-depth climate change strategies, according to a recent survey by investor advocacy group Ceres.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
A record number of investors have filed shareholder resolutions on environmental and social issues as part of the Proxy Preview 2013 report released today.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The Ethical Markets Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS), which tracks private investments growing the green economy worldwide since 2007, found $4.1 trillion invested or committed as of Q4 2012, promising long strides away from the fossil-fueled Industrial Era in 2013.
CLEANTECH -
SolarCity has partnered with Honda to establish a $65 million investment fund to make solar power more affordable and available to Honda and Acura customers in the U.S.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Häagen-Dazs has partnered with General Mills to invest $125,000 dollars over two years in Madagascar’s Sava region to encourage sustainable agriculture in one of the world’s most important vanilla production centers.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Last year’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro concluded under a cloud of ambiguity. Some organizations called it an outright failure while others deemed it a moderate success.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Investor decisions can be influenced by a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure in the short-term but may not lead to higher stock returns over the long-term, Deloitte said in a recent report.