“Building the Muscle” to Manage Business Impact on People: Three Key Priorities
In late 2024, as “state of sustainability” reports began hitting our inboxes en masse, we began interviewing colleagues and clients to explore the way that trends were playing out on the social side of the field – the human side, the side focused on the way companies impact the people they depend on to succeed. […]
Empowering Women in Supply Chains: Celebrating the Impact of the WOW Programme
As we celebrate International Women’s Day #IWD2025, I am delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate the work and achievements of the Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) programme, which comes to a close this month. WOW has been working to advance women’s economic empowerment in supply chains for 7 years, and I have been […]
The Evolving Landscape of Gender Equality
Despite decades of progress on gender equality, the journey towards a truly equitable world remains challenging and constant. As a responsible business and sustainability community, we’ve witnessed an ongoing evolution in how we approach this complex issue. The early 2010s saw a surge of corporate commitments focused on empowering millions of women through training and […]
The Silent Voices of the Global South: How USAID’s Funding Freeze Exposes the Need for Change
I write this as an African, as a Ugandan, and as someone who has seen both the promise and the failures of international aid. I have benefited from aid in the past. I know what it means to receive free healthcare because of a foreign-funded programme. I have witnessed communities transformed when funding reaches the […]
DEI: Do or Die
When Elon Musk posted on X at the end of last year that “DEI must DIE”, he encapsulated the growing backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), particularly in the United States. This pushback has intensified with Donald Trump’s return to office, where one of his first Executive Orders targeted DEI. The effects are already […]
Five Bridges to 2045: How Business Can Deliver a Fairer, More Resilient World
From Crisis to Vision Imagine it’s 2045. What kind of world do you see? Today’s headlines paint a bleak picture—a tangled knot of political, economic, social, technological, and environmental crises. But step back from the noise, and we can ask a more important question: What kind of world do you want to see? While we […]
How Businesses Can Use Behaviour Change Science to Improve Access to Safe Water, Clean Toilets, and Better Hygiene Habits
More than two billion people around the world still lack access to safe water and sanitation facilities. When these services are unavailable, people rely on unsafe sources of water such as rivers, ponds, and water bodies shared with animals for drinking, cleaning, and other daily tasks. With no available toilets, many must practice open defecation, […]
From Risk to Resilience: The Power of Women in Global Supply Chains
Download the Toolkit for Business: Investing in Women’s Economic Empowerment to Strengthen Supply Chain Resilience. Supply chains are under immense pressure — from escalating geopolitical tensions and the impacts of climate change to conflicts and economic instability. Companies must somehow navigate these risks whilst simultaneously driving growth, embracing sustainability, satisfying investor demands and meeting ever-evolving […]
Protecting Garment Workers from Climate Extremes
The Case for Climate-Responsive Worker Insurance. Climate extremes—ranging from heat waves to torrential rains and droughts—are increasingly severe occupational hazards for workers in global garment supply chains. Among the many responses fashion brands can explore is the concept of ‘a climate-responsive worker insurance.’ While strengthening government social security schemes remains essential, a private insurance program […]
Growing Prosperity in a Warming World: A Strategy for Resilient Agriculture
As we make our way into 2025, the impacts of climate change are ever more prominent everywhere we look. Rising greenhouse gases are supercharging the atmosphere to trap more of the suns’ heat, hold more moisture, and set the stage for more weather extremes. This has had a disproportionate impact on smallholder farmers who face growing […]
Climate Change and Biodiversity: The Inextricable Link
The world is heating up, habitats are being lost, and species are facing extinction. These are all facets of the same problem, unsustainable development. Fritz Schumacher, our founder, talked about this in his book, Small is Beautiful: “An attitude to life which seeks fulfilment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth—in short materialism—does not fit into […]
5 Insights to Guide the Business Fights Poverty Community into 2025
Together for 2025 Community Forum After a politically turbulent 2024 when many internal strategic decisions were put on hold, 2025 promises to be the year of ‘getting on with the job’. Mandatory sustainability reporting begins in earnest in 2025, and there are only five years until the world is meant to meet the 2030 Sustainable […]
Harnessing the Power of Local Networks for Climate Preparedness
As climate-related emergencies intensify, local networks of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses are emerging as key players in disaster risk management. By catalysing early action and anticipatory measures, these networks play an essential and complementary role to governments in fostering more resilient communities. Examples from El Salvador, Madagascar, Peru, and the Philippines showcase that stronger […]
Agribusiness and Market Systems for Climate Justice
More than 500 million smallholders form the backbone of global food systems, particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Here, agriculture is often the main source of employment and economic activity. With these regions also facing the brunt of climate impacts, investing in climate resilience is not just urgent—it is vital to sustain livelihoods, reduce […]
Empowering Young Green and Social Entrepreneurs: A Call to Collective Action
The challenges of our time—climate change, inequality, and environmental degradation—demand urgent and innovative solutions. Traditional profit-driven business models have often contributed to these crises, but business itself holds the potential for transformation. By redefining success to prioritize environmental stewardship, economic inclusion, and social well-being, businesses can be the driving force for achieving the Sustainable Development […]
The Power of Mattering: A New Lens for Social Impact
Mattering transforms workplaces and communities, fostering engagement, wellbeing, and social impact. Employees thrive when they feel valued and make a meaningful contribution. Through initiatives like employee volunteering, businesses can create shared value, enhancing workplace culture and driving community change. This was the focus of Sarah Wilson’s presentation at the recent Global Corporate Volunteer Council (GCVC) […]
Farmers Hold the Key to Climate Action: It’s Time to Listen
For Benjamín Alas, climate change is not a distant threat – it’s a daily reality. While leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society gathered at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss strategies for promoting regenerative agriculture, Benjamín was busy putting these vital practices into action. As we participated in panels […]
Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights: Smart Climate Action and Good Business
Fire, heat, flooding and drought are a recipe for climate disaster for workers. Companies urgently need to not only mitigate their causes but must also invest in resilience – especially in the health and well-being of women workers in corporate supply chains. Women’s health is material to human rights, productivity, and climate resilience. Women represent […]
Why is Doing Business Differently Critical to Combatting Climate Injustice?
Why growth for growth’s sake is not sustainable As the global COP29 community gathers in Baku, Azerbaijan, we continue to hear about and see greater and greater impacts of climate change negatively affecting communities and their livelihoods, all around the world and in new and unexpected places. There is no way now of denying the […]
She Knows What Her Business Needs—So Why are Systems Holding her Back?
There’s a credit gap, not a confidence gap, limiting women entrepreneurs. Women represent only one in four high-growth entrepreneurs globally. Yet, they are not holding themselves back. Instead, they are systematically disadvantaged by social and institutional barriers, leaving one in three unable to access the critical financial resources needed for business growth. New research conducted through the […]