Corporate social responsibility: Good for the bottom line, but doesn’t wash away a firm’s sins

Corporate social responsibility, or CSR — a name for the actions companies take to advance social good, above and beyond that which is required by law — continues to draw interest from practitioners and academics alike. One question that practitioners have is whether CSR impacts their firm’s performance. Frank Germann, an assistant professor of marketing at […] ... lees meer

World’s First Ranking of Largest Companies’ Human Rights Performance Begins

The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) today initiated the important first steps towards the creation of the first-ever ranking of the human rights performance of the world’s largest listed companies. The CHRB has developed a rigorous methodology, which it will pilot with the top 100 companies from the agricultural products, apparel and extractives industries. The […] ... lees meer

Tougher environmental laws do not hurt export competitiveness – OECD study

Countries that implement stringent environmental policies do not lose export competitiveness when compared against countries with more moderate regulations, according to a new OECD study that examines trade in manufactured goods between advanced and emerging economies.  The findings suggest that emerging economies with strong manufacturing sectors like China could strengthen environmental laws without denting their […] ... lees meer

2.5 billion people at risk of hunger and poverty if land rights are not protected

Indigenous Peoples and local communities protect half the world’s land, but formally own just 10 percent, according to a report released today by a global alliance of NGOs. The report, “Common Ground: Securing Land Rights and Safeguarding the Earth,” is published by the International Land Coalition (ILC), Oxfam, and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Together […] ... lees meer

Pincvision Awarded for Keeping IT Giant Cisco Sustainable

Dutch compliance specialist Pincvision and their client Cisco were recipients of the 2015 Oracle Sustainability Innovation Award in San Francisco. Pincvision helps Cisco comply with all environmental obligations and legislation in every country, thus contributing to the IT multinational winning the sustainability award. Each year, the Oracle Sustainability Innovation Award is presented to companies that […] ... lees meer

DSM welcomes new Sustainability Advisory Board member Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli

Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, announces that Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli has joined its Sustainability Advisory Board. Ndidi Nwuneli is a Nigerian social entrepreneur. She has 19 years of experience in international development and business management working with multinational firms, the public sector, and international organizations. She is the […] ... lees meer

Antwerp Management School published CSR Trends Report

What are the main trends in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability? Where is CSR heading? What are the implications for your organization? And which companies are writing the future? Download the CSR Trend Report for free and read about the trends that have been identified by the Competence Center Corporate Responsibility of […] ... lees meer

UN Global Compact Launches “Pioneers” Programme for SDGs

United Nations Global Compact headquarters announced today the launch of a multi-year Local Network SDG Action Plan – the centerpiece being a “Pioneers” programme aimed to spur action and inspire business to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in countries around the world. The overall Action Plan is designed to assist the UN Global Compact’s […] ... lees meer

Intelligent assets report offers vision of a circular future powered by pervasive digital transformation

With up to 50 billion connected devices predicted by 2020, a pervasive digital transformation is reshaping the economy. Will this ‘fourth industrial revolution’ lead to an acceleration
 of the extractive, ‘linear’ economy of today, or will it enable the transition towards a society in which value creation is increasingly decoupled from finite resource consumption? A new […] ... lees meer

The 10 Sustainable Business Trends for 2016

GreenBiz published the ninth annual report ‘The State of Green Business’ in partnership with Trucost. It continues the tradition of taking the pulse of corporate progress in sustainability, in the United States and around the world. It looks at both common measures (energy, waste and carbon) and some less-common ones (corporate reporting of natural capital profit or savings, for example, […] ... lees meer

Trade policy promotes sustainability and human rights

The European Commission and the EU High Representative published today the first report on the concrete effects of the GSP+, the EU trade policy instrument devised to encourage third countries to comply with core international standards in the areas of human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and good governance. Through this system, which builds on […] ... lees meer

Corruption Perceptions Index 2015: Corruption still rife but 2015 saw pockets of hope

2015 showed that people working together can succeed in the battle against corruption. Although corruption is still rife globally, more countries improved their scores in the 2015 edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index than declined. Overall, two-thirds of the 168 countries on the 2015 index scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived […] ... lees meer