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Walking the Talk

These companies have moved beyond pledges and are making good on their commitments to pursuing a purpose beyond profit.

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Airbnb to Combat Overcrowding with New Office of Healthy Tourism

With 4.85 million active listings, Airbnb commands the largest portfolio in the industry, larger than the top five biggest hotel companies combined. The company that put home sharing on the map recently shared some of its 2017 data and celebrated its diverse community of travellers from over 190 regions of origin. 38 million US travelers used Airbnb internationally and 31 million travelers stayed at an Airbnb listing in the US.

Why the Food Industry Can’t Risk Anything Less Than ‘Radical Transparency’

As food supply chains grow more complex, consumers are setting higher expectations for food quality, safety and sustainability as they seek more aspirational choices around what they eat. But food scares continue to happen, one of the most famous being the horse meat scandal in 2013.

New Evidence Suggests That Sustainability Standards Drive Action

New evidence suggests that sustainability standards are drivers of the adoption and improvement of corporate practices. Its welcome news following CDP’s recent examination of the gap between corporate intentions and action on tackling climate-related risks.

About the Clout: Pro-Sustainability Businesses Lobby For Greater Good

Increasingly, businesses are using their clout to influence governments to advance a fair, inclusive and sustainable society and position their business for success. They recognize that government leadership is essential to develop progressive economic, social and environmental public policy to realize a future in which business and society can prosper.

Hershey Using ‘Cocoa for Good,’ Investing $500M to Support Farming Communities

The Hershey Company has announced a new comprehensive strategy for cocoa sustainability with an emphasis on addressing pressing issues facing cocoa-growing communities such as poverty, poor nutrition, at-risk youth, and vulnerable ecosystems. Cocoa For Good will involve collaborative programs, partnerships, and a half-a-billion dollars in investments by 2030.

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McDonald’s Endeavors to Reduce GHGs, Improve Chicken Welfare, Phase Out Plastic Straws

McDonald’s has made strides towards sustainability this month: it’s the first restaurant company to set an approved Science-Based Target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; it’s launching a Chicken Sustainability Advisory Council; and it will begin trials to test paper straws – rather than plastic – in several of its U.K. locations.

A ‘Unicorn’ in Business: Lessons from BrewDog on Truly Authentic Engagement

Sustainable Brands has recently reported on a range of really interesting, wide-range of initiatives coming out of the beer industry, including innovative packaging solutions, the use of renewable energy and efforts to address climate change and water scarcity.

Q&A: Dr. John Izzo on Creating Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good

Good products and profits have long been the hallmark of successful businesses, but in a shifting economic landscape these traditional metrics no longer hold up, as consumers, employees and investors are increasingly looking to corporations to act on environmental and social issues. So how can businesses succeed in an age of disruption?

Despite Progress, More Corporate Climate Action Needed to Drive Long-Term Change

Ceres has released a new interactive web-based analysis examining how more than 600 of the largest publicly traded companies in the US are responding to urgent calls to act on climate change and other sustainability issues, and positioning themselves for success in a world shaped by these unprecedented environmental and social challenges. This is the third assessment of these companies, which represent more than 80 percent of the US market share.

Following Parkland, Growing Number of Brands Sever Ties with the NRA

Following the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on February 14 that left 17 people dead, businesses are using their influence to drive change. Over the past several weeks, an onslaught of corporations ranging from Delta to Symantec and Enterprise have announced that they will be cutting ties with gun advocacy group National Rifle Association (NRA).

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Climate Strategies Step Into Scope 3: Tips for Science-Based Scope 3 Climate Targets

When Walmart announced its Project Gigaton goals in 2017, it raised the bar for corporate climate action. This ambitious commitment is aimed at reducing emissions from Scope 3 sources by one billion tons by 2030.

Why Most Companies Are Failing at Purpose (And How You Can Succeed!)

This is the third in a series of articles examining how business leaders and companies can transform their corporate culture in order to succeed in the midst of the impending Purpose Revolution. Find links to the full series below.

Why Take a Duck to CES? How Tech Is Helping Aflac Put Purpose Into Practice

Nested between smart mirrors, driverless cars, and paper-thin TVs, a little duck fluffed its feathers, awaiting its big debut. Unlike most of the 3,900+ products at the crowded cultural phenomenon that is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the duck was not for sale. No matter: the response from attendees was remarkable.

How a ‘People Dam’ Helped Save a Regional Community in Japan

Naruto City, on the northeast tip of Tokushima Prefecture — Shikoku, Japan. The Naruto Strait’s whirling tides are popular with tourists, but in recent years the region, like many others, has struggled to cope with the exodus of people and industry to urban areas.

Walking the Talk

Hundreds of companies around the world have taken it upon themselves to set often-ambitious goals for themselves, in order to monitor and hold themselves accountable for their impacts on the planet and society. Here, we highlight those that have moved beyond pledges, and are demonstrating that progress by walking their sustainability talk and making good on their commitments to purpose beyond profit.

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Turn Any Venture Into a Brand — by Caring Deeply About a Mutual Cause

This is an excerpt from Fabian Geyrhalter’s upcoming book, Bigger Than This: How to Turn Any Venture Into an Admired Brand. One of eight traits discussed in Bigger Than This is ‘cause,’ which we dive into here …

Tech, Oil, Auto Industries Top 2018 Global 100 Index of Sustainable Corporations

Corporate Knights has released its 14th annual Global 100 list of the most sustainable corporations in the world. Global 100 companies were selected from a pool of 5,994 publicly listed companies representing 22 countries and encompassing all sectors of the economy. Each was evaluated on a set of up to 17 environmental, social and governance indicators relative to their industry peers using publicly available information.

Trending: New Apparel Industry Commitments Push New Textiles Economy Forward

Fashion and textile industry heavy-hitters are heeding the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s recent call for a New Textiles Economy with the rollout of new agreements and action plans that consider the full life cycle of garments.

MLK’s Triple Bottom Line: The Length, Breadth and Height of a Complete Life and Business

Sixty-four years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his first sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. We named our son Dexter with this in mind.

Newsweek Names L’Oréal, Unilever, CVS 2017's Top Corporate Sustainability Performers

Newsweek has released the results of its 2017 Global 500 Green Rankings, an annual assessment of the sustainability performance of the largest publicly-traded companies in the US and the world by revenue. This year, beauty giant L’Oréal came out on top, ranking as the top-performing global company and best performing personal products company.

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