Tag: Responsible Business

Ethics: ‘Future of Procurement’ in The Times

New writing... Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Future of Procurement.

The piece explores how  workers are often the victims when there are gaps between legal and ethical procurement. Figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO), released most recently in 2017, revealed that more than 40 million people worldwide were in modern slavery in 2016, including around 25 million in forced labour. Of those in forced labour, some 16 million were being exploited in the private sector. Furthermore, there were more than 152 million estimated victims of child labour, almost half of whom were aged between 5 and 11.

The heat is on, however. Businesses nowadays have a lot to lose if they neglect their responsibilities and the lines between profit and social conscience are no longer so easily defined. Brands are playing with fire when it comes to ethical procurement and those that muddy transparency, frustrate traceability and neglect communications get burned.

To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click here:

• ‘Human rights falter in grey areas of procurement policy’.

The full 16-page Future of Prcurement report is available to view/download here.

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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Puropse: ‘Responsible Business’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on Responsible Business.

The piece explores how purpose must be core to any commercial offering, but requires company-wide transformation to deliver on its promises and impact. Not every buinsess will make the cut and no amount of ‘rainbow-washing’ will paper over the cracks in CSR. In fact, against a backdrop of activism on the streets, market evolution has aguably already begun a process of natural selection. A pincer movement of public scrutiny and shareholder pressure is putting the squeeze on the charlatans and laggards. The writing is on the wall.

Tough talk is effectively over for responsible business. With big issues such as climate breakdown, plastic pollution and modern slavery making headlines and populating posts every day, surely the time to act is now?

To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click the following link:

• ‘Corporate purpose requires a mindset shift’.

The full 16-page Responsible Business report is available to view/download here.

 

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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Learning to love carbon: ‘Responsible Business’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on Responsible Business.

Restorative is radical. To do more good, rather than just less harm, sounds simple enough, but it is actually revolutionary for responsible business. For a start, you need to love carbon. From a perspective of the grand energy transition, carbon is obviously in play, commercially speaking. When it comes to the language of financial instruments and commodities, there is already a market for carbon, which can be counted, priced, traded and offset. Reimagining carbon as an asset, though, means considering it afresh in all its forms, from efficiency savings to ecological sequestration. My piece explores the benefits of restorative approaches to business and obstacles to delivering on those aspirations: from the principles of Net Positive, to the challenges of supply-chain engagement; and from carpet, to construction:

• ‘Restorative business revolutionising carbon use’.

The full 20-page Responsibe Business report is available to view/download here.

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Plastics & Circularity: ‘Future of Packaging’ in The Times

New writing…. Pleased to say I have had another couple of articles published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Future of Packaging.

Ocean plastic is not a new problem, however it took David Attenborough and Blue Planet II to turn the tide of public opinion. My opening article investigates how prime-time endorsement of the core sustainability message proved a public gamechanger, but there is still a long way to go before we reach peak plastic in our waste streams. From high-street retail and global brands, to entrepreneurial start-ups and consumer activism, I am sharing smart insights of key influencers and seeking out sustainable solutions to the problems of a packaging sector under intense pressure. Issues are complex and commercial realities a challenge, but the question remains:

• ‘What next after Blue Planet?’

The first step towards fixing something is often to admit it is actually broken. Well, the plastics system is broken. So, since the problem is big, the fix must be even bigger, right? My second piece for the report explores how society must move away from the ‘take, make, dispose’ mindset that has long-informed linear consumption patterns and business models, towards a win-win scenario that simultaneously keeps plastics in the economy, but out of the environment. This discussion of proposals and prospects for the New Plastics Economy and UK Plastics Pact includes interviews with project leads at both the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WRAP UK:

• ‘UK Plastics Pact is central to forming a circular economy’

The full 24-page Future of Packaging report is available to view/download here.

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Human Rights: ‘Responsible Business’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on Responsible Business.

The piece discusses how companies and their supply chains are becoming increasingly involved in safeguarding human rights, as they grapple with the complexities of business responsibilities in a broader context. The discussion includes insights from global names such as CIPS and M&S; also comment and case studies from campaigning and advocacy organisations involved in protecting Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) at risk and bringing their causes to the attention of the wider world.

It is a tough challenge: From product miles in a hi-vis vest to violence in the humble avocado of your guacamole, supply-chain stories can be complex, even criminal. Nevertheless, responsibility is real and inescapable – you can read the full story online (with no paywall) here:

• ‘Human rights are now part of business’.

The full 16-page Responsible Business report is available to view/download here.

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