Business Strategy

Society Watch: Can investing in education save the S in ESG?

Mark Hillsdon, (Jan 11, 2023)

Mark Hillsdon reports on how companies like Estee Lauder and American Express are prioritising support for SDG 4 as a metric of social impact, not out of philanthropy

'Here’s how the EU’s new rules could finally turn the tide on tropical forest loss'

Matthew Spencer, (Sep 7, 2022)

Comment: Matthew Spencer of IDH says if the EU works with producer countries and commodity companies to implement deforestation-free rules, the results could be transformative

'The backlash to climate-smart investing in the U.S. is based on a blatant lie'

Mindy Lubber, (Aug 30, 2022)

Comment: Investing in ESG isn't a matter of political ideology. It makes sound business sense, says Ceres boss Mindy Lubber

Brands need to put money where their mouths are in fighting nature loss, says CDP’s forests chief

Oliver Balch, (Aug 30, 2022)

Despite pledges to end deforestation, 11 million hectares of tree cover are lost each year. CDP's Thomas Maddox tells Oliver Balch why he thinks developments on reporting on forest risk could help reverse the loss

‘If we are to rise to the climate challenge, boards need to embed sustainability, pronto’

David Grayson, (May 4, 2022)

Comment: David Grayson, co-author of the Sustainable Business Handbook, explains why he’s on a mission to turn capitalism into a force for good

Brand Watch: In the face of war, companies need to both act and advocate

Oliver Balch, (Mar 31, 2022)

The host of ‘wicked problems’ confronting sustainable business leave no room to sit on the fence, says Oliver Balch  

Activist investors vow to keep climate in their sights, despite war in Ukraine

Mike Scott, (Mar 17, 2022)

Mike Scott reports on the new breed of shareholder activists, like Engine No. 1, who are focused on accelerating the energy transition from inside companies

From philanthropy to radical new business models in Latin America

Oliver Balch, (Mar 1, 2022)

Oliver Balch meets Felipe Chajin, head of Sistema B, the region’s fast-growing chapter of the B Corp movement

Why all MBA graduates need to be part of the sustainability revolution

David Grayson, (Dec 14, 2021)

Over the past 20 years, David Grayson has seen the same companies forming the ESG mainstay, but now sees positive signs of awareness and commitments taking root in organisations

'‘By 2041, I suspect most major brands of today will be unknown’

John Elkington, (Dec 13, 2021)

John Elkington says even sustainability leaders will have to lift their ambitions by several orders of magnitude to meet the demands of younger generations

Brand Watch: Google's greening of its search engine to unleash power of conscious consumers

Oliver Balch, (Oct 5, 2021)

In his monthly column, Oliver Balch reports on new initiatives to reveal data on the carbon footprint of products, how food brands are embracing systems change, and the impetus for greater transparency in supply chains

To avoid climate-related litigation, organisations must ensure their house is in order

Stephanie Eaton and Michael Rawlinson QC and Samuel Cuthbert, (Aug 18, 2021)

COMMENT: TCFD recommends companies go beyond mere reporting and consider the financial implications and ramifications of climate change. Businesses ignore this advice at their peril, warn lawyers from Signature Litigation and 12 King’s Bench Walk

A decade after the UN Guiding Principles, companies have a new responsibility

Désirée Abrahams, (Aug 3, 2021)

COMMENT: Désirée Abrahams of Global Action Plan argues that a new approach to due diligence is needed that spans both action to address climate change and unintended human rights consequences

Brand Watch 1: One step forward, three back in fashion industry’s sustainability ‘journey’

Oliver Balch, (Jul 26, 2021)

In the first part of his monthly column, Oliver Balch looks at a series of damning reports on a sector that is trying to play up its green efforts, from plastics content to human rights

ESG Watch: Insurers and airlines begin to feel the heat over climate risk

Mike Scott, (Jun 29, 2021)

Mike Scott rounds up the latest ESG news, from the G7 meeting, to the launch of the Task Force for Nature-related Financial Disclosure

Brand Watch: Amazon under fire for incinerating unsold stock and dodging ESG investors

Oliver Balch, (Jun 29, 2021)

In his monthly column, Oliver Balch reports on the importance of ‘walking the talk’ on sustainability commitments, a breakthrough in recycling plastic, and a drive to nudge SMEs towards net zero

‘It’s not enough to rely on sustainable business “heroes”, we need every company to act’

Chris Turner, (Jun 16, 2021)

Comment: B Lab UK’s Chris Turner explains why more than 550 companies and the Institute of Directors are backing a campaign to put people and planet on equal footing with profit in the UK

Why the business of business must be to solve the planet’s problems – not create them

Colin Mayer, (Apr 14, 2021)

COMMENT: Colin Mayer of the Saïd Business School at Oxford University makes the case for a new management perspective that empowers companies to flourish while making a positive impact

‘We’ve dealt Gen Z a bad hand of cards. Now we must give them the tools to rein in Big Tech’

Robert Wigley, (Apr 13, 2021)

COMMENT: Robert Wigley argues that regulators have a duty to ensure companies that control the internet serve society, not just their own profit and loss accounts.

Policy Watch: China’s national emissions trading market boosts global carbon pricing push

Angeli Mehta, (Feb 21, 2021)

In her monthly column, Angeli Mehta rounds up key recent policy developments, from EU carbon border taxes to the rise of vaccine nationalism

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