Here, we share our thinking on sectors, sustainability topics, and trends.
Among our publications you’ll find the latest edition of our Little Book — (nearly) everything you always wanted to know about corporate sustainability — alongside sector- or topic-specific reports.
We love collaborating. If you’d like to discuss partnering with us on a publication, please contact us.
Want to know your bioplastics from your blockchain? Check out the fourth edition of our Little Book: (Nearly) everything you always wanted to know about corporate sustainability.
A new goal for football Nothing unites a crowd quite like football. While clubs are beginning to engage their key stakeholders in sustainability efforts, FIFA’s recent sponsorship deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco (aka the world’s ’largest corporate greenhouse gas...
We need more women in parliament, and it’s not currently happening. In fact, 2024 saw the smallest rise in the number of women politicians for 20 years. Achieving equal political representation is not only imperative for gender equity — it’s key to tackling the...
How to engage employees in sustainability reporting when it seems like a distraction from the day job.
As we enter a new year, we’ve been reflecting on the key sustainability themes from 2024 months and what it means for sustainability professionals plus some priorities to think about for 2025.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are new EU sustainability legislations with a lot in common — not just in name. Here’s a breakdown of key similarities and differences to help you...
There are plenty of climate issues to tackle at the upcoming COP29 this month, but the overwhelming spotlight has been on the controversial host country: Azerbaijan. This will be the second year running that the annual UN climate change conference is held in a...
Companies currently reporting toward Sustainability Accounting Standard Board (SASB) or Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) will need to transition to the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards...
Corporation: an ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. Ambrose Bierce penned this definition sometime between 1881, when he began a weekly newspaper column, and 1906, when a version was published in The Devil’s Dictionary....
What is nature? It’s not a trick question. I’m inviting you to pause for a moment and think about what the word brings to mind. Chances are your head is full of images of wild landscapes or specific creatures. I’ll wager you didn’t put yourself or another human in...
Working in the field of sustainability, the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges are front and center. In our day-to-day work we cover increasingly extreme weather phenomena, social injustices, and extinct species, to name a few. Working with...
Businesses have long recognised that they can and should make a meaningful contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And there’s a big prize on offer for solving major economic, environmental and social challenges and delivering on the goals — an...
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is the new kid on the block for many large companies active in the EU: here are the key things you need to know now. What is CSDDD? The CSDDD (CS3D) is a new EU human rights and environment due diligence...
Language is a powerful — but often overlooked — tool in sustainability. It is how we shape ideas and understand the world around us. It helps us to connect with each other and with nature. By naming the things we value, we demonstrate what is important to us and to...
Many companies operate, or conduct business with partners, in challenging contexts1 that can pose significant human rights risks. This is especially true for large multinationals with complex supply chains, where the threat of modern slavery and human rights...
Radical transparency has been heralded as the antidote to greenwashing. But how do you decide if your business is ready?
The high cost of train travel gives gas guzzling flights an unfair advantage. Rail is the most electrified mode of transport in Europe and accounts for less than 1% of EU transport emissions. It’s nearly five times less emissions-intensive than air travel (on...
Even if we entirely stopped burning fossil fuels today, emissions from our “business as usual” food system would push average global temperature rise over 1.5°C by 2100. However, a recent study projected that we have a chance of staying below the 2°C threshold—and...
Global wildlife populations have plunged by nearly 70% since 1970. More than 44,000 species are currently threatened with extinction, with 41% of amphibians and 37% of sharks and rays on the brink of collapse. Overdeveloped land and overfishing, exploitation of...
Part three, the last in our series on microplastics, gives us cause for hope. Don’t miss our previous installments covering the basics about microplastic pollution and ways we’re keeping tabs on the problem. If you’ve read our previous blogs about microplastics and...
We are replacing the things we buy more quickly than ever before. UK households buy a new mobile phone on average every one to two years. In 2021, we also bought 60% more clothing than 15 years earlier, but kept items for only half as long. Around one in five of us...
In part two of our three-part series on microplastics, we take a look at how we are tracking their spread and efforts to stem the tide. Part one described our current understanding of the problem. Our final installment will look at hopeful solutions. Many...
Today, we dive into the subject of microplastics in this first of a three-part series taking an initial look at the scientific understanding and extent of the problem. In part two, we’ll cover how plastics are being tracked, and finally, in part three, we’ll describe...
Environmental and social issues have never been far from the headlines over the past 12 months. While they often take a back seat in times of economic or political uncertainty, these issues are returning to the top of the agenda ever more quickly after a crisis,...
Consumers want to hear how brands are transforming both their products and operations. In fact, 90% of consumers indicate it is important for brands to talk about their sustainability programmes. But the EU has found that over half of current communications are vague,...
Research shows consumers have little understanding of important sustainability terms and are looking to brands to help them get to grips with environmental issues. But consumer trust is quickly destroyed by the use of vague and imprecise words like ‘green’ and ‘eco...
Pensions, which are designed to secure our future, may be putting it at risk. These powerful funds — worth more than US$55.7 trillion in global assets and accounting for 69% of GDP across 22 major markets — are quietly funding the climate crisis through major...
Meet the newest member of the board: Pongo pygmaeus. Around a year ago, Eco-Business reported a Malaysian palm oil producer had become the world’s first company to appoint a non-human animal to its board of directors in the form of Aman the orangutan. It was an April...
Double materiality sits at the core of the new European sustainability reporting standards. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) affects more than 50,000 companies, requiring them to disclose the impacts, risks and opportunities associated with...
Two-fifths of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction, much of which we rely on to feed us. Varieties of foods we eat every day — like bananas, corn, and coffee — could be wiped out due to the limited genetic diversity of foods. Changing consumer habits,...
Deep sea mining – the process of extracting minerals from the deep sea floor – has reached a critical turning point. Despite international outcry, Norway has approved future deep sea mining in its territory, becoming one of the first countries to do so. This could...
An estimated 129 million girls are not in school around the world. That is more than the entire population of Japan or Mexico missing out on the opportunity to learn to read and write, to access better jobs and to escape poverty. Those girls will also grow up without...
As the urgency to combat climate change continues to grow, so does the importance of having a robust and credible climate strategy and net zero roadmap. Getting this right is key to the success of your organisation’s wider corporate sustainability strategy. Here are...
Cashmere, once a rare emblem of luxury, now lines the shelves of the fast fashion giants. Demand for the fabric has skyrocketed over the past few decades, and it’s no surprise. A tenth of the width of human hair and reportedly eight times as warm as sheep wool,...
Each year, we produce more than 2 billion tonnes of solid municipal waste globally. By 2050, it will be 3.4 billion — far outpacing population growth. At the current rate, we will need three earths to sustain us. Included in this “waste” are valuable resources such as...
Aisha Shillingford, an artist and strategy consultant from Trinidad and Tobago, asked a room full of suits in New York last month to imagine their “Happy Place.” “Close your eyes,” she whispered. “Think of a place that holds meaning for you. Now, envision it in the...
Countries are banning animal testing for cosmetics, while the UK and EU are backpedalling. This year Brazil, Canada and the US state of Oregon banned the practice — joining 42 other countries and nearly a dozen US states. Meanwhile the EU and UK have started allowing...
Healthy soil is vital to our planet. It’s key to supporting human health and food security, and to fighting poverty and climate change. In recent years, dirt — a once under-examined area — has risen on sustainability agendas. It’s been rebranded under the terms...
Dairy companies know they need to be more sustainable. Cattle farming is one of the biggest contributors to global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The industry also faces environmental concerns such as soil and biodiversity degradation, as well as issues...
For most of us, it’s safe to say that once our trash leaves the curb for the garbage dump, it’s mostly a mystery about what happens next. Not surprisingly, the serious environmental shortcomings of solid waste are also poorly understood, despite the fact that it’s one...
Scores of scientists around the world study all sorts of phenomena related to climate change. Hurricane behavior, coral bleaching, impacts on human health, and jet stream patterns occupy the time of many climate researchers. Emerging from these specialties is a new...
Carbon offsetting is facing increasing criticism, with calls for corporate offsetting to be scrapped. How should companies respond? Corporates are using carbon offsets to address their environmental impact against mounting pressure from investors and consumers...
Is it any surprise that big banks move a little like the Titanic? Veering away from investments that contribute to climate change has been glacial, even as the regulatory tide swells toward carbon reductions and accountability. Big banks have a considerable stake in...
(Nearly) everything you always wanted to know about corporate sustainability.
People want the best for their pets, but the environmental impact of feeding them is massive and demand for more pets is growing. The world’s more than half a billion domesticated animals (mostly cats and dogs) consume up to a fifth of the world’s meat...
A broiling summer on Earth has brought about the hottest June and July on record. Greece, Italy, Spain, and Britain have endured extreme temperatures on the heels of 2022 when heat took the lives of more than 61,000 across Europe. Canada has seen a staggering 25...
New Yorkers are under threat from the climate crisis with increasingly hot summers, deteriorating air quality, and natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.[1] Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is key to tackling the crisis and composting programs can help cities...
Climate change disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities, yet some of the very programs meant to combat the crisis are exacerbating these inequities. California's vehicle electrification efforts primarily benefit wealthy communities to the...
Urban greening projects are well-intentioned. City leaders build parks, trails, and playing fields to cut pollution, reduce flooding, offer shade during heatwaves, and encourage healthier lifestyles. But urban greening also leads to “green gentrification.” Property...
Sustainable investing — considering ESG factors and/or improving investees’ sustainability performance — is on the rise. Between 2018-2020, sustainable investments in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australasia grew 15% to $35.3 trillion. Companies are increasingly...
Major corporations are betting heavily on sustainability. Apple just doubled to $400 million its climate fund — one dedicated to saving ecosystems and removing carbon from the air. Earlier this year, BP said it would significantly increase by as much as $8 billion...
Industrial quantities of palm oil substitute are now being made in the lab. While this is certainly good news for Orangutans and their fast-vanishing forests, are faux products like oils and plant-based meats good for us and nature? What seems good now...
This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating Helen Fisher, our Managing Director at Context Europe. "The worst career advice I ever got was to not take too many risks,” Helen says. Last year, she took the risk to shift from freelancing for Context Europe to become...
Large tracts of Britain’s green and pleasant land are being covered in black glass. These are solar farms providing much-needed clean energy, but is the climate emergency sufficiently severe to industrialise our countryside? Drive through the rolling fields...
While necessary and inspiring, Prince William’s annual Earthshot prize demonstrates our painfully slow progress at finding technical solutions to our environmental problems. “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we...
Photo credit: Thierry Fillieul Your rainforest plant-based miracle moisturizer feeds your skin but also carries cash to the people who protect the trees that provide active ingredients. We can thank a thing called the Nagoya Protocol for making our daily moisturizing...
With a rise in sustainability and ESG related language in marketing communications, regulators are cracking down. But will the new greenwashing legislation be effective? In 2021, for the first time, greenwashing was the focus of the European Commission's annual online...
Increasing demand The dairy industry is currently flourishing. Global demand is growing, driven by various factors such as population growth, urbanisation, rising incomes, and changes in dietary trends — particularly in Asia. Dairy plays a positive role in several...
In recent years, stakeholder demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) information has increased exponentially. Investors need clear, comprehensive, and comparable information to make informed investment decisions. Customers are paying progressively more...
Campaigners have been forecasting ESG for decades. Finally, businesses are starting to listen. It was the early 90s and an Asian logging company was preparing an IPO in Hong Kong. I was writing a report for the Financial Times on a campaign to boycott the offering...
George Soros is restructuring his sprawling foundation, causing anguish among staff and fundees. The wailing and gnashing of teeth at George Soros’s Open Society Foundations during its painful restructuring is a warning of the perils that face campaign groups who...
Social entrepreneurs are key to repurposing blighted economies. Secateurs for shovels: lavender offers jobs and hope for former miners in West Virginia. In Appalachia it’s lavender instead of coal, in Cornwall it’s art instead of china clay. Oceans apart, two...
As part of my work experience with Context, I learned how one of the world’s biggest fashion companies, H&M Group (a Context client), is reporting on sustainability. I wanted to find out more about how some of its competitors are dealing with sustainability and reporting on their progress. This is a report on my findings.
I used to think the concept of materiality in sustainability-speak was rather hard to understand until I came across the concept of “double materiality” in the EU proposal for improvements to company reporting. Is double-materiality significant or merely a...
You’re thinking of including more sustainability information in your annual report. Given that universal standards for fully integrated reporting are some way off, what do you do? It’s a good time to make a start, for three reasons: Integrated reporting will be the...
The difficulty of finding opportunities to invest in nature.
Is Blue the new Green?
Review of Bill Gates book on climate change.
Should the tobacco industry be supported in its bid to transition to a reduced-harm future
Nuclear waste is best left where it is.
Summary of developments in setting ESG reporting standards
Headlines from UK government report on the economics of biodiversity
Coronavirus has meant a difficult year for Europe’s fur industry, with mass culls and breeding bans. Could this be the beginning of the end for fur production in Europe? In November, six countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the US) reported...
We’re taking too much from the earth, pushing the planet beyond its limits. With our unfettered greed for natural resources and our slovenly despoiling of our environment, we’re digging our own grave. That’s the argument of many in the environmental movement (WWF for...
Download the full report Every year 200,000 tonnes of tiny particles shed by tires are flushed into the sea, says a new study. This is just one of the many sustainability issues facing the global tire industry; from sourcing (natural rubber remains a major...
What’s wrong with burning unwanted clothes? Surely this is a quicker route to circularity than trying to unpick and recycle modern, blended fabrics? Chuck the stuff in an incinerator, capture the energy and make sure you catch the toxic fumes too. Job done? Fashion...
How we uses Covid as an excuse to litter and pollute.
3 lessons the sustainable fashion industry can learn from consumer packaging
Will sustainability messaging become the norm after Covid-19 has passed?
Growth is good, right? It’s what learn from birth. Grow up. Aspire. Make more stuff. Make more money. And since the 1940s, a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has become the universal indicator of growth – a measurement of economic wellbeing that enables nations...
Does C-19 give you a reason to skip a year in your sustainability reporting? It’s a fair question, given that most companies will be short of resources and looking to save a few pennies. We have a solution that saves money and time. More important, it helps you...
Business needs to protect nature for its own survival.
Will C-19 help us become creatures of change?
A look at requirements across Europe.
Credit: SophieB Resilience is probably not the first word that comes to mind as Dennis Gakuru, Fairtrade officer at Valentine Growers in Kenya, ponders his unsold, wilting roses. A well-known expletive is more probable as he and his fair trade farmers bemoan their...
Will he political culture wars between left and right scupper a chance of a green deal recovery from the pandemic?
Current corporate climate change terms described
The convention centre in Glasgow which was to house the annual climate change negotiations in November is now a coronavirus field hospital. Climate change is off the agenda. Way off, for now. But while the ravages of Covid-19 will eventually diminish, climate...
Context's special report investigates how leading companies use LinkedIn for sustainability communications. Click here to download the report We ranked 100 companies from 10 sectors on their use of the platform. In the report we explore: Who's making the most of their...
As conversations around sustainability grow more urgent and nuanced, so does the language we use to describe the forces shaping our planet and society. Whether you're new to the field or brushing up on the latest frameworks and movements, this glossary covers...
By 2050 there will be at least twice as many cars on the road, and more cars mean more tyres, and more rubber. Natural rubber is a crucial ingredient in modern tyres (see box). The world’s tyre industry consumes around 70% of the planet’s natural rubber supply –...
Which companies came out on top in the Context #Susty social media ranking? Our ranking reveals how 100 leading companies, with strong sustainability reputations, are using social media, and who is having the most success. Which company... Posts most frequently? Has...
Dateline London October 7. Heading for a breakfast meeting, I exit the Tube to walk across St James’s Park with Buckingham Palace to the left and the government office on Whitehall on the right. In front of me is a white-haired couple bent by considerable age and from...
Download the report Costa, Starbucks, Illy, Nespresso – there’s a lot of choice when it comes to coffee. But it’s no longer just down to taste. If we continue to drink coffee as predicted, production must double or even triple by 2050. Brands increasingly need to...
The digital universe Our lives are tangled up in the internet. It’s difficult to go an hour, much less a day, without firing off an email, reading the news, or scrolling through social media. These exchanges are made possible by the “Internet of Things” (IoT) — a...
Context ranks susty story telling by leading coffee brands
Recycling locally is in. This week, Malaysia followed China in taking a tougher stance on plastic waste imports – with mislabelled waste sent back to its country of origin. It’s time to think how the UK can create a better system for handling plastic waste. Enter the...
“My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things.” Bill Gates Let’s be honest. We are not going to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C. That target is a bust. We are already two thirds of the way towards 1.5 degrees, having reached one...
A few days ago Victor Vescovo, a pony-tailed Texas investor and former naval officer, dived about 11km to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific – the deepest a person has ever gone. While peering out of his titanium submersible at the moon-like vista he saw...
Today, Sonos published their Fiscal Year 2018 Sustainability Report. It has everything you would expect a tech company to cover, from product design to inclusion and diversity to supply chain responsibility. But what makes this report different? It’s only 25 pages....
Nature – and the importance of biodiversity to the health of business – is set to ascend the global agenda. This is because concerned groups – environmental and business – are gearing up to raise awareness of the important deliberations about the future of the UN’s Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), in Beijing in 2020.
Download the report Good storytelling is good for business: it reassures customers, attracts and retains top talent, and boosts your reputation with investors, consumers and civil society. It’s especially important in getting the best return on your investment in...
Sustainable apparel was a key topic during this year's London Fashion Week, and for good reason. The apparel industry knows their current status quo — the one that made them the fourth largest polluter of air and water, and responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas...
Alongside Ariana Grande and Brexit, you might’ve noticed forests making headlines in early 2019. France adopted its National Strategy to Combat Imported Deforestation, Germany released an Action Plan for sustainable, deforestation-free cocoa, and the European...
Your sustainability program is firing on all cylinders. You’ve got goals, you’re making progress, and you’re adding value to your business. After publishing your sustainability report, you think you’ll finally get credit for your efforts. But will you? According to...
Big Food faces its Big Tobacco moment as it is implicated in the syndemic of obesity, undernutrition and climate change
Soy: coming to a vegan restaurant or animal feed lot near you soon Everyone’s a publisher now. Good story telling is good for business: it reassures customers, attracts and retains top talent, and boosts your reputation with investors, consumers and civil society....
There are 2.5 billion social media users globally.[1] As a result, companies made social platforms key to their marketing strategy — but who is taking advantage of the mass audience reach for sustainability? That’s the question we set out to answer in our Susty Social...
Better data enables better decisions. This is especially true in agriculture, where farmers care about preserving soil health and access to water for future years. Tools exist to collect data to inform decision-making. But do they help farmers protect the environment?...
SustainPack, the Barcelona packaging sustainability conference, left me in no doubt that the packaging industry is in crisis – and in the words of glam-rock legends The Sweet, “we just haven’t got a clue what to do”. The industry, especially the plastic sector is...
Was it the jaunty plastic straw rammed up the nostril of a sea turtle? Or maybe the sea horse clinging to a used cotton bud? Or that Coke bottle inside the gut of an emaciated, very dead orca? Visually speaking, single-use plastics are experiencing an animus...
Mars Wrigley Confectionery launched its new cocoa sourcing strategy, Cocoa for Generations, in September. John Ament, Global VP Cocoa at Mars, shares his excitement at the opportunity to meet the many social and environmental challenges of the cocoa industry. ...
Unwieldy is the word I would use to describe the current state of sustainability disclosures. While it’s true that transparency is essential for progress, too many metrics make it harder, not easier, to understand a company’s performance. Especially when those...
No doubt, you’ve heard of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 17 ambitious targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and usher society into a peaceful and prosperous future. The goals, such as SDG2 “Zero Hunger” and SDG4 “Quality Education” remind us...
Can marketers manufacture social movements without creating a #FingerDownTheThroatMoment? Tapping into social movements: Kendall Jenner offers a drink to police in an ill-fated Pepsi ad linked to Black Lives Matter. It seems not, but this has not prevented...
Your sustainability program is firing on all cylinders. You’ve got goals, you’re making progress, and you’re providing value to your business. After publishing your annual sustainability report you think – we’ve done it, people will finally know what we’ve been up to!...
On June 28, 2018, after a last-minute frenzy in the state legislature, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill introducing tough, General Data Protection Regulation-esque restrictions on how companies handle Californians’ personal data. Unless amended before its...
For years CR professionals have argued that ‘employee recruitment and retention’ is part of the business case for companies becoming more ethical and sustainable. HR surveys regularly confirmed that people prefer to work for responsible companies — a rising trend...
Does-certification-make-a-difference Download the report Can sustainability certification help companies do good? Does sustainability certification help make the world a better place? Can certifications, such as Fairtrade and Friend of the Sea, help companies reduce...
The first sustainability report we wrote was for Unilever in 1997. Over the last 20 years, the content, audience, and mode of reporting has evolved. It’s no longer about lengthy, printed disclosures geared toward regulatory agencies — it’s about short storytelling to...
Isobel Roser, Context Intern, investigates the hot topic of 2018: plastics. The tide of popular opinion has officially turned against plastic. This onetime miracle material is now firmly in the public’s bad books, largely prompted by David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet...
How sustainable are you? This is what everyone wants to know from your sustainability report. Customers, co-workers, shareholders and NGOs seek to understand how your company helps tackle global challenges such as the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals....
Experian’s purpose is to create a better tomorrow by unlocking the power of data to transform lives. Its latest Corporate Responsibility Report shows how the company, best known for its credit services, is fulfilling that purpose. Using its extensive data and...
BT’s latest Delivering our Purpose Report finds a welcome balance between ticking the boxes for sustainability experts and offering a clear, compelling narrative for other audiences. It provides an update on progress towards 2020 goals to promote a connected society,...
Context client SIG Combibloc has launched an ambitious new strategy to go Way Beyond Good by contributing more to the environment and society than it takes out. One of the world’s leading providers of food and beverage carton packaging, SIG has set the bar high by...
Outdoor season is upon us but in a cruel twist, the clothes we wear are having a major impact on the places we love. Microfibers, often invisible to the naked eye, are highly damaging to the environment, polluting waterways and filling our food chain with toxins. So,...
Phots: Flickr - mattwalker69 If one thing is constant in our modern world, it is that we are constantly changing. The same can be said for the field of corporate sustainability. It feels like every day there is a new framework, a new ranking, a new concept that...
A red telephone was once standard in the offices of nuclear world leaders, to be used to prevent accidental global destruction. Rather less glamorous procurement departments of large companies had the same, especially those dealing with foodstuffs from faraway places....
End poverty and hunger. Educate every child. Promote decent work for all. Utopian? Yes. Impossible? No. At least not according to some of the world's leading companies and best-known brands. Somewhat surprisingly, given the lofty ambitions involved, they are embracing...
In Part 1 of this blog series – Sustainable investing is on the up and up – we discussed how sustainable investing is going mainstream. In November 2016, US SIF reported that one-fifth of all professionally managed assets consider environmental, social, and governance...
Source: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment - Sustainable and Impact Investing in the United States Overview Sustainable investing isn't just for do-gooders. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we explore the growth of sustainable investing and discuss...
Photo source: Fortune Ethiopia’s Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), opened in 2016, was developed with concern for industry issues such as human rights, worker safety, transportation, clean and efficient energy, water usage, and community development. HIP was designed...
Photo: Nakashi - Flickr Massive upheaval in US politics may seem seismic for the sustainability of corporate sustainability. But, fear not. We are merely experiencing the aftershocks of the really big societal changes that happened a generation ago when...
Global Reporting Initiative CEO, Tim Mohin. Source: GRI Who said this? “In essence, when we measure too much, we can lose the signal in the noise. One good example of this is the Global Reporting Initiative… … reporting on a dizzying array of topics can...
Habitat loss, elephant loss, rhino loss, fish loss, water loss, air quality loss, climate denier elected president… How is a boy supposed to keep smiling in 2017? Cease that wailing and gnashing of teeth. Here are nine positive thoughts to help you escape the sturm...
As a sustainability professional, the thought of Myron Ebell leading the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seemed like a nightmare. We even wrote about it, here. So last month, when Trump was faltering on his bold statement that climate change is a...
Photo by Mike Mozart Walk into one of the 9,600 CVS Health emporiums around the U.S. and you’ll find almost anything you could need. Snacks, greeting cards, household goods, cosmetics and, of course, drugs dispensed by white-coated pharmacists in the back. But unlike...
When I started in the field of sustainability in 1992, it wasn’t even called that. It was an eccentric career choice, marginal to business, limited in scope and prospects. Twenty-five years later, sustainability is an industry in its own right, offering a multitude of...
A bullet in the head. It’s what you get living under ISIS if you shave, have a cell phone or smoke. That’s why the liberated citizens of Mosul enjoy promenading with a cigarette between the lips and a spare tucked behind the ear. Such is the lure of the backy that...
Jana takes in the scenery in Prescott, Arizona’s Granite Dells #nofilter Long walks on the beach. Fresh mountain air. Fall leaves crunching under my boots. Yes, the clichés all apply, but opting outside is about more than just the perfect #nofilter shot on Instagram....
Myron Ebell… the man, the myth, the great disruptor. Ok, that may be a little dramatic but he is worth discussing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may select Ebell to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the next administration. As an avid climate...
Photo: Noemí Jiménez Our Associate Ashley delves into the age old question: what makes sustainability communication effective and engaging? At Context, we know that progress on sustainability doesn’t happen by accident – it requires critical analysis, detailed...
Photo: Flickr - Shever The effects of climate change are felt by millions today, and experts believe refugee crises around the world will worsen in step with the symptoms of a warming planet. It appears as if human conflict, like the civil war in Syria, is the driver...
May a white model wear dreadlocks? Is a white male novelist allowed to tell his story through a black female character? Am I permitted to wear a sombrero and say Olé!? The answer is a firm no, unless you want the politically correct (PC) trolls on your back. Welcome...
Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev, the world’s largest brewer, is taking over SABMiller, the world’s second biggest. What does this mean for their respective sustainability programmes? A scan of their latest reports offers some clues. The first comes in the titles. SABMiller...
There’s no denying that the aviation industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Now, they’re stepping up to curb their emissions through an international carbon offset agreement. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN...
Toyota is planning to sell a little robot that behaves like a young child and looks like a cross between a mutant ninja turtle and a short-sighted toddler. So cute! The $400 palm-sized Kirobo Mini is bright enough to learn casual conversations - “are we there yet?” -...
The US big-box retailer meets goals on US employee wellbeing but could do much better on human rights in the global supply chain New shoes? Back to school supplies? A new toaster? Cut-price celebrity designer dress? Chances are you can find what you’re looking for at...
Despite the controversial supply chain issues plaguing the apparel industry, clothes aren’t a commodity we can boycott completely - like a vegetarian giving up meat. But we, as consumers, can make a statement with our wardrobes by ditching the bad brands and...
Photo: Flickr - Chris Potter In a new report published last week, Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, called for investors to factor climate change into decision making. In the report, Blackrock firmly states that climate risk has long been underappreciated...
Photo: Robert Claypool -Flickr Monday is Labor Day in the U.S. – a holiday formally inaugurated in 1894 to pay tribute to the American labor movement. While today it marks the end of summer and an excuse for one last barbecue, it’s also a valuable reminder that there...
Apple CEO Tim Cook is missing the opportunity to enhance the brand and establish his reputation as a visionary. “Maddening and comes from a political place” was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s response today, to the EU ruling that Apple has illegally avoided $14bn in taxes...
10 things you need to know about third-party assurance and deciding whether or not your company should get its corporate responsibility report assured. It’s that time of year again. While we’re still feeling the summer heat, vacations are winding down and corporate...
Jon Pender, Vice President, IP & Access, Global Health in GSK’s Government Affairs Department shares his thoughts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and three ways GSK are facing up to sustainable development challenges.
This morning, our client PepsiCo launched a groundbreaking sustainability microsite, #HowWillWe, which provides an interactive and immersive experience to explore and share ideas about issues relevant to the world and PepsiCo’s business.
The United Nations says that “Big Data represents a new, renewable natural resource with the potential to revolutionise sustainable development and humanitarian practice.”
An accessible guide for businesses wanting to up their game on human rights.
Water & Business: How To Avoid the Coming Crisis
See how digital can get you noticed while contributing to a better world.
Tells you (almost) everything you need to know about Corporate Sustainability (CS).
There is great excitement about the push to get companies to include sustainability indicators in their business and financial reporting.
Strategy has ruined more investors than bad liquor.
In our highly connected world, where you can so easily befriend and be friended, why are companies so socially isolated?
Why should employees want to turn off YOUR lights? Or put that costly compostable cup in the right bin?
What’s quicker, circumnavigating the world or completing the questionnaire for the carbon disclosure project?
This edition discusses the need for super-sharp strategy to extract maximum value in the upturn.
A new goal for football Nothing unites a crowd quite like football. While clubs are beginning to engage their key stakeholders in sustainability efforts, FIFA’s recent sponsorship deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco (aka the world’s ’largest corporate greenhouse gas...
We need more women in parliament, and it’s not currently happening. In fact, 2024 saw the smallest rise in the number of women politicians for 20 years. Achieving equal political representation is not only imperative for gender equity — it’s key to tackling the...
How to engage employees in sustainability reporting when it seems like a distraction from the day job.
As we enter a new year, we’ve been reflecting on the key sustainability themes from 2024 months and what it means for sustainability professionals plus some priorities to think about for 2025.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are new EU sustainability legislations with a lot in common — not just in name. Here’s a breakdown of key similarities and differences to help you...
There are plenty of climate issues to tackle at the upcoming COP29 this month, but the overwhelming spotlight has been on the controversial host country: Azerbaijan. This will be the second year running that the annual UN climate change conference is held in a...
Companies currently reporting toward Sustainability Accounting Standard Board (SASB) or Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) will need to transition to the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards...
Corporation: an ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. Ambrose Bierce penned this definition sometime between 1881, when he began a weekly newspaper column, and 1906, when a version was published in The Devil’s Dictionary....
What is nature? It’s not a trick question. I’m inviting you to pause for a moment and think about what the word brings to mind. Chances are your head is full of images of wild landscapes or specific creatures. I’ll wager you didn’t put yourself or another human in...
Working in the field of sustainability, the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges are front and center. In our day-to-day work we cover increasingly extreme weather phenomena, social injustices, and extinct species, to name a few. Working with...
Businesses have long recognised that they can and should make a meaningful contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And there’s a big prize on offer for solving major economic, environmental and social challenges and delivering on the goals — an...
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is the new kid on the block for many large companies active in the EU: here are the key things you need to know now. What is CSDDD? The CSDDD (CS3D) is a new EU human rights and environment due diligence...
Language is a powerful — but often overlooked — tool in sustainability. It is how we shape ideas and understand the world around us. It helps us to connect with each other and with nature. By naming the things we value, we demonstrate what is important to us and to...
Many companies operate, or conduct business with partners, in challenging contexts1 that can pose significant human rights risks. This is especially true for large multinationals with complex supply chains, where the threat of modern slavery and human rights...
Radical transparency has been heralded as the antidote to greenwashing. But how do you decide if your business is ready?
The high cost of train travel gives gas guzzling flights an unfair advantage. Rail is the most electrified mode of transport in Europe and accounts for less than 1% of EU transport emissions. It’s nearly five times less emissions-intensive than air travel (on...
Even if we entirely stopped burning fossil fuels today, emissions from our “business as usual” food system would push average global temperature rise over 1.5°C by 2100. However, a recent study projected that we have a chance of staying below the 2°C threshold—and...
Global wildlife populations have plunged by nearly 70% since 1970. More than 44,000 species are currently threatened with extinction, with 41% of amphibians and 37% of sharks and rays on the brink of collapse. Overdeveloped land and overfishing, exploitation of...
Part three, the last in our series on microplastics, gives us cause for hope. Don’t miss our previous installments covering the basics about microplastic pollution and ways we’re keeping tabs on the problem. If you’ve read our previous blogs about microplastics and...
We are replacing the things we buy more quickly than ever before. UK households buy a new mobile phone on average every one to two years. In 2021, we also bought 60% more clothing than 15 years earlier, but kept items for only half as long. Around one in five of us...
In part two of our three-part series on microplastics, we take a look at how we are tracking their spread and efforts to stem the tide. Part one described our current understanding of the problem. Our final installment will look at hopeful solutions. Many...
Today, we dive into the subject of microplastics in this first of a three-part series taking an initial look at the scientific understanding and extent of the problem. In part two, we’ll cover how plastics are being tracked, and finally, in part three, we’ll describe...
Environmental and social issues have never been far from the headlines over the past 12 months. While they often take a back seat in times of economic or political uncertainty, these issues are returning to the top of the agenda ever more quickly after a crisis,...
Consumers want to hear how brands are transforming both their products and operations. In fact, 90% of consumers indicate it is important for brands to talk about their sustainability programmes. But the EU has found that over half of current communications are vague,...
Research shows consumers have little understanding of important sustainability terms and are looking to brands to help them get to grips with environmental issues. But consumer trust is quickly destroyed by the use of vague and imprecise words like ‘green’ and ‘eco...
Pensions, which are designed to secure our future, may be putting it at risk. These powerful funds — worth more than US$55.7 trillion in global assets and accounting for 69% of GDP across 22 major markets — are quietly funding the climate crisis through major...
Meet the newest member of the board: Pongo pygmaeus. Around a year ago, Eco-Business reported a Malaysian palm oil producer had become the world’s first company to appoint a non-human animal to its board of directors in the form of Aman the orangutan. It was an April...
Double materiality sits at the core of the new European sustainability reporting standards. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) affects more than 50,000 companies, requiring them to disclose the impacts, risks and opportunities associated with...
Two-fifths of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction, much of which we rely on to feed us. Varieties of foods we eat every day — like bananas, corn, and coffee — could be wiped out due to the limited genetic diversity of foods. Changing consumer habits,...
Deep sea mining – the process of extracting minerals from the deep sea floor – has reached a critical turning point. Despite international outcry, Norway has approved future deep sea mining in its territory, becoming one of the first countries to do so. This could...
An estimated 129 million girls are not in school around the world. That is more than the entire population of Japan or Mexico missing out on the opportunity to learn to read and write, to access better jobs and to escape poverty. Those girls will also grow up without...
As the urgency to combat climate change continues to grow, so does the importance of having a robust and credible climate strategy and net zero roadmap. Getting this right is key to the success of your organisation’s wider corporate sustainability strategy. Here are...
Cashmere, once a rare emblem of luxury, now lines the shelves of the fast fashion giants. Demand for the fabric has skyrocketed over the past few decades, and it’s no surprise. A tenth of the width of human hair and reportedly eight times as warm as sheep wool,...
Each year, we produce more than 2 billion tonnes of solid municipal waste globally. By 2050, it will be 3.4 billion — far outpacing population growth. At the current rate, we will need three earths to sustain us. Included in this “waste” are valuable resources such as...
Aisha Shillingford, an artist and strategy consultant from Trinidad and Tobago, asked a room full of suits in New York last month to imagine their “Happy Place.” “Close your eyes,” she whispered. “Think of a place that holds meaning for you. Now, envision it in the...
Countries are banning animal testing for cosmetics, while the UK and EU are backpedalling. This year Brazil, Canada and the US state of Oregon banned the practice — joining 42 other countries and nearly a dozen US states. Meanwhile the EU and UK have started allowing...
Healthy soil is vital to our planet. It’s key to supporting human health and food security, and to fighting poverty and climate change. In recent years, dirt — a once under-examined area — has risen on sustainability agendas. It’s been rebranded under the terms...
Dairy companies know they need to be more sustainable. Cattle farming is one of the biggest contributors to global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The industry also faces environmental concerns such as soil and biodiversity degradation, as well as issues...
For most of us, it’s safe to say that once our trash leaves the curb for the garbage dump, it’s mostly a mystery about what happens next. Not surprisingly, the serious environmental shortcomings of solid waste are also poorly understood, despite the fact that it’s one...
Scores of scientists around the world study all sorts of phenomena related to climate change. Hurricane behavior, coral bleaching, impacts on human health, and jet stream patterns occupy the time of many climate researchers. Emerging from these specialties is a new...
Carbon offsetting is facing increasing criticism, with calls for corporate offsetting to be scrapped. How should companies respond? Corporates are using carbon offsets to address their environmental impact against mounting pressure from investors and consumers...
Is it any surprise that big banks move a little like the Titanic? Veering away from investments that contribute to climate change has been glacial, even as the regulatory tide swells toward carbon reductions and accountability. Big banks have a considerable stake in...
People want the best for their pets, but the environmental impact of feeding them is massive and demand for more pets is growing. The world’s more than half a billion domesticated animals (mostly cats and dogs) consume up to a fifth of the world’s meat...
A broiling summer on Earth has brought about the hottest June and July on record. Greece, Italy, Spain, and Britain have endured extreme temperatures on the heels of 2022 when heat took the lives of more than 61,000 across Europe. Canada has seen a staggering 25...
New Yorkers are under threat from the climate crisis with increasingly hot summers, deteriorating air quality, and natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.[1] Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is key to tackling the crisis and composting programs can help cities...
Climate change disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities, yet some of the very programs meant to combat the crisis are exacerbating these inequities. California's vehicle electrification efforts primarily benefit wealthy communities to the...
Urban greening projects are well-intentioned. City leaders build parks, trails, and playing fields to cut pollution, reduce flooding, offer shade during heatwaves, and encourage healthier lifestyles. But urban greening also leads to “green gentrification.” Property...
Sustainable investing — considering ESG factors and/or improving investees’ sustainability performance — is on the rise. Between 2018-2020, sustainable investments in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australasia grew 15% to $35.3 trillion. Companies are increasingly...
Major corporations are betting heavily on sustainability. Apple just doubled to $400 million its climate fund — one dedicated to saving ecosystems and removing carbon from the air. Earlier this year, BP said it would significantly increase by as much as $8 billion...
Industrial quantities of palm oil substitute are now being made in the lab. While this is certainly good news for Orangutans and their fast-vanishing forests, are faux products like oils and plant-based meats good for us and nature? What seems good now...
This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating Helen Fisher, our Managing Director at Context Europe. "The worst career advice I ever got was to not take too many risks,” Helen says. Last year, she took the risk to shift from freelancing for Context Europe to become...
Large tracts of Britain’s green and pleasant land are being covered in black glass. These are solar farms providing much-needed clean energy, but is the climate emergency sufficiently severe to industrialise our countryside? Drive through the rolling fields...
While necessary and inspiring, Prince William’s annual Earthshot prize demonstrates our painfully slow progress at finding technical solutions to our environmental problems. “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we...
Photo credit: Thierry Fillieul Your rainforest plant-based miracle moisturizer feeds your skin but also carries cash to the people who protect the trees that provide active ingredients. We can thank a thing called the Nagoya Protocol for making our daily moisturizing...
With a rise in sustainability and ESG related language in marketing communications, regulators are cracking down. But will the new greenwashing legislation be effective? In 2021, for the first time, greenwashing was the focus of the European Commission's annual online...
Increasing demand The dairy industry is currently flourishing. Global demand is growing, driven by various factors such as population growth, urbanisation, rising incomes, and changes in dietary trends — particularly in Asia. Dairy plays a positive role in several...
In recent years, stakeholder demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) information has increased exponentially. Investors need clear, comprehensive, and comparable information to make informed investment decisions. Customers are paying progressively more...
Campaigners have been forecasting ESG for decades. Finally, businesses are starting to listen. It was the early 90s and an Asian logging company was preparing an IPO in Hong Kong. I was writing a report for the Financial Times on a campaign to boycott the offering...
George Soros is restructuring his sprawling foundation, causing anguish among staff and fundees. The wailing and gnashing of teeth at George Soros’s Open Society Foundations during its painful restructuring is a warning of the perils that face campaign groups who...
Social entrepreneurs are key to repurposing blighted economies. Secateurs for shovels: lavender offers jobs and hope for former miners in West Virginia. In Appalachia it’s lavender instead of coal, in Cornwall it’s art instead of china clay. Oceans apart, two...
As part of my work experience with Context, I learned how one of the world’s biggest fashion companies, H&M Group (a Context client), is reporting on sustainability. I wanted to find out more about how some of its competitors are dealing with sustainability and reporting on their progress. This is a report on my findings.
I used to think the concept of materiality in sustainability-speak was rather hard to understand until I came across the concept of “double materiality” in the EU proposal for improvements to company reporting. Is double-materiality significant or merely a...
You’re thinking of including more sustainability information in your annual report. Given that universal standards for fully integrated reporting are some way off, what do you do? It’s a good time to make a start, for three reasons: Integrated reporting will be the...
The difficulty of finding opportunities to invest in nature.
Is Blue the new Green?
Review of Bill Gates book on climate change.
Should the tobacco industry be supported in its bid to transition to a reduced-harm future
Nuclear waste is best left where it is.
Summary of developments in setting ESG reporting standards
Headlines from UK government report on the economics of biodiversity
Coronavirus has meant a difficult year for Europe’s fur industry, with mass culls and breeding bans. Could this be the beginning of the end for fur production in Europe? In November, six countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the US) reported...
We’re taking too much from the earth, pushing the planet beyond its limits. With our unfettered greed for natural resources and our slovenly despoiling of our environment, we’re digging our own grave. That’s the argument of many in the environmental movement (WWF for...
Download the full report Every year 200,000 tonnes of tiny particles shed by tires are flushed into the sea, says a new study. This is just one of the many sustainability issues facing the global tire industry; from sourcing (natural rubber remains a major...
What’s wrong with burning unwanted clothes? Surely this is a quicker route to circularity than trying to unpick and recycle modern, blended fabrics? Chuck the stuff in an incinerator, capture the energy and make sure you catch the toxic fumes too. Job done? Fashion...
How we uses Covid as an excuse to litter and pollute.
3 lessons the sustainable fashion industry can learn from consumer packaging
Will sustainability messaging become the norm after Covid-19 has passed?
Growth is good, right? It’s what learn from birth. Grow up. Aspire. Make more stuff. Make more money. And since the 1940s, a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has become the universal indicator of growth – a measurement of economic wellbeing that enables nations...
Does C-19 give you a reason to skip a year in your sustainability reporting? It’s a fair question, given that most companies will be short of resources and looking to save a few pennies. We have a solution that saves money and time. More important, it helps you...
Business needs to protect nature for its own survival.
Will C-19 help us become creatures of change?
A look at requirements across Europe.
Credit: SophieB Resilience is probably not the first word that comes to mind as Dennis Gakuru, Fairtrade officer at Valentine Growers in Kenya, ponders his unsold, wilting roses. A well-known expletive is more probable as he and his fair trade farmers bemoan their...
Will he political culture wars between left and right scupper a chance of a green deal recovery from the pandemic?
Current corporate climate change terms described
The convention centre in Glasgow which was to house the annual climate change negotiations in November is now a coronavirus field hospital. Climate change is off the agenda. Way off, for now. But while the ravages of Covid-19 will eventually diminish, climate...
As conversations around sustainability grow more urgent and nuanced, so does the language we use to describe the forces shaping our planet and society. Whether you're new to the field or brushing up on the latest frameworks and movements, this glossary covers...
By 2050 there will be at least twice as many cars on the road, and more cars mean more tyres, and more rubber. Natural rubber is a crucial ingredient in modern tyres (see box). The world’s tyre industry consumes around 70% of the planet’s natural rubber supply –...
Dateline London October 7. Heading for a breakfast meeting, I exit the Tube to walk across St James’s Park with Buckingham Palace to the left and the government office on Whitehall on the right. In front of me is a white-haired couple bent by considerable age and from...
Download the report Costa, Starbucks, Illy, Nespresso – there’s a lot of choice when it comes to coffee. But it’s no longer just down to taste. If we continue to drink coffee as predicted, production must double or even triple by 2050. Brands increasingly need to...
The digital universe Our lives are tangled up in the internet. It’s difficult to go an hour, much less a day, without firing off an email, reading the news, or scrolling through social media. These exchanges are made possible by the “Internet of Things” (IoT) — a...
Context ranks susty story telling by leading coffee brands
Recycling locally is in. This week, Malaysia followed China in taking a tougher stance on plastic waste imports – with mislabelled waste sent back to its country of origin. It’s time to think how the UK can create a better system for handling plastic waste. Enter the...
“My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things.” Bill Gates Let’s be honest. We are not going to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C. That target is a bust. We are already two thirds of the way towards 1.5 degrees, having reached one...
A few days ago Victor Vescovo, a pony-tailed Texas investor and former naval officer, dived about 11km to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific – the deepest a person has ever gone. While peering out of his titanium submersible at the moon-like vista he saw...
Today, Sonos published their Fiscal Year 2018 Sustainability Report. It has everything you would expect a tech company to cover, from product design to inclusion and diversity to supply chain responsibility. But what makes this report different? It’s only 25 pages....
Nature – and the importance of biodiversity to the health of business – is set to ascend the global agenda. This is because concerned groups – environmental and business – are gearing up to raise awareness of the important deliberations about the future of the UN’s Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), in Beijing in 2020.
Sustainable apparel was a key topic during this year's London Fashion Week, and for good reason. The apparel industry knows their current status quo — the one that made them the fourth largest polluter of air and water, and responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas...
Alongside Ariana Grande and Brexit, you might’ve noticed forests making headlines in early 2019. France adopted its National Strategy to Combat Imported Deforestation, Germany released an Action Plan for sustainable, deforestation-free cocoa, and the European...
Your sustainability program is firing on all cylinders. You’ve got goals, you’re making progress, and you’re adding value to your business. After publishing your sustainability report, you think you’ll finally get credit for your efforts. But will you? According to...
Big Food faces its Big Tobacco moment as it is implicated in the syndemic of obesity, undernutrition and climate change
Soy: coming to a vegan restaurant or animal feed lot near you soon Everyone’s a publisher now. Good story telling is good for business: it reassures customers, attracts and retains top talent, and boosts your reputation with investors, consumers and civil society....
There are 2.5 billion social media users globally.[1] As a result, companies made social platforms key to their marketing strategy — but who is taking advantage of the mass audience reach for sustainability? That’s the question we set out to answer in our Susty Social...
Better data enables better decisions. This is especially true in agriculture, where farmers care about preserving soil health and access to water for future years. Tools exist to collect data to inform decision-making. But do they help farmers protect the environment?...
SustainPack, the Barcelona packaging sustainability conference, left me in no doubt that the packaging industry is in crisis – and in the words of glam-rock legends The Sweet, “we just haven’t got a clue what to do”. The industry, especially the plastic sector is...
Was it the jaunty plastic straw rammed up the nostril of a sea turtle? Or maybe the sea horse clinging to a used cotton bud? Or that Coke bottle inside the gut of an emaciated, very dead orca? Visually speaking, single-use plastics are experiencing an animus...
Mars Wrigley Confectionery launched its new cocoa sourcing strategy, Cocoa for Generations, in September. John Ament, Global VP Cocoa at Mars, shares his excitement at the opportunity to meet the many social and environmental challenges of the cocoa industry. ...
Unwieldy is the word I would use to describe the current state of sustainability disclosures. While it’s true that transparency is essential for progress, too many metrics make it harder, not easier, to understand a company’s performance. Especially when those...
No doubt, you’ve heard of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 17 ambitious targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and usher society into a peaceful and prosperous future. The goals, such as SDG2 “Zero Hunger” and SDG4 “Quality Education” remind us...
Can marketers manufacture social movements without creating a #FingerDownTheThroatMoment? Tapping into social movements: Kendall Jenner offers a drink to police in an ill-fated Pepsi ad linked to Black Lives Matter. It seems not, but this has not prevented...
Your sustainability program is firing on all cylinders. You’ve got goals, you’re making progress, and you’re providing value to your business. After publishing your annual sustainability report you think – we’ve done it, people will finally know what we’ve been up to!...
On June 28, 2018, after a last-minute frenzy in the state legislature, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill introducing tough, General Data Protection Regulation-esque restrictions on how companies handle Californians’ personal data. Unless amended before its...
For years CR professionals have argued that ‘employee recruitment and retention’ is part of the business case for companies becoming more ethical and sustainable. HR surveys regularly confirmed that people prefer to work for responsible companies — a rising trend...
The first sustainability report we wrote was for Unilever in 1997. Over the last 20 years, the content, audience, and mode of reporting has evolved. It’s no longer about lengthy, printed disclosures geared toward regulatory agencies — it’s about short storytelling to...
Isobel Roser, Context Intern, investigates the hot topic of 2018: plastics. The tide of popular opinion has officially turned against plastic. This onetime miracle material is now firmly in the public’s bad books, largely prompted by David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet...
How sustainable are you? This is what everyone wants to know from your sustainability report. Customers, co-workers, shareholders and NGOs seek to understand how your company helps tackle global challenges such as the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals....
Experian’s purpose is to create a better tomorrow by unlocking the power of data to transform lives. Its latest Corporate Responsibility Report shows how the company, best known for its credit services, is fulfilling that purpose. Using its extensive data and...
BT’s latest Delivering our Purpose Report finds a welcome balance between ticking the boxes for sustainability experts and offering a clear, compelling narrative for other audiences. It provides an update on progress towards 2020 goals to promote a connected society,...
Context client SIG Combibloc has launched an ambitious new strategy to go Way Beyond Good by contributing more to the environment and society than it takes out. One of the world’s leading providers of food and beverage carton packaging, SIG has set the bar high by...
Outdoor season is upon us but in a cruel twist, the clothes we wear are having a major impact on the places we love. Microfibers, often invisible to the naked eye, are highly damaging to the environment, polluting waterways and filling our food chain with toxins. So,...
Phots: Flickr - mattwalker69 If one thing is constant in our modern world, it is that we are constantly changing. The same can be said for the field of corporate sustainability. It feels like every day there is a new framework, a new ranking, a new concept that...
A red telephone was once standard in the offices of nuclear world leaders, to be used to prevent accidental global destruction. Rather less glamorous procurement departments of large companies had the same, especially those dealing with foodstuffs from faraway places....
End poverty and hunger. Educate every child. Promote decent work for all. Utopian? Yes. Impossible? No. At least not according to some of the world's leading companies and best-known brands. Somewhat surprisingly, given the lofty ambitions involved, they are embracing...
In Part 1 of this blog series – Sustainable investing is on the up and up – we discussed how sustainable investing is going mainstream. In November 2016, US SIF reported that one-fifth of all professionally managed assets consider environmental, social, and governance...
Source: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment - Sustainable and Impact Investing in the United States Overview Sustainable investing isn't just for do-gooders. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we explore the growth of sustainable investing and discuss...
Photo source: Fortune Ethiopia’s Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), opened in 2016, was developed with concern for industry issues such as human rights, worker safety, transportation, clean and efficient energy, water usage, and community development. HIP was designed...
Photo: Nakashi - Flickr Massive upheaval in US politics may seem seismic for the sustainability of corporate sustainability. But, fear not. We are merely experiencing the aftershocks of the really big societal changes that happened a generation ago when...
Global Reporting Initiative CEO, Tim Mohin. Source: GRI Who said this? “In essence, when we measure too much, we can lose the signal in the noise. One good example of this is the Global Reporting Initiative… … reporting on a dizzying array of topics can...
Habitat loss, elephant loss, rhino loss, fish loss, water loss, air quality loss, climate denier elected president… How is a boy supposed to keep smiling in 2017? Cease that wailing and gnashing of teeth. Here are nine positive thoughts to help you escape the sturm...
As a sustainability professional, the thought of Myron Ebell leading the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seemed like a nightmare. We even wrote about it, here. So last month, when Trump was faltering on his bold statement that climate change is a...
Photo by Mike Mozart Walk into one of the 9,600 CVS Health emporiums around the U.S. and you’ll find almost anything you could need. Snacks, greeting cards, household goods, cosmetics and, of course, drugs dispensed by white-coated pharmacists in the back. But unlike...
When I started in the field of sustainability in 1992, it wasn’t even called that. It was an eccentric career choice, marginal to business, limited in scope and prospects. Twenty-five years later, sustainability is an industry in its own right, offering a multitude of...
A bullet in the head. It’s what you get living under ISIS if you shave, have a cell phone or smoke. That’s why the liberated citizens of Mosul enjoy promenading with a cigarette between the lips and a spare tucked behind the ear. Such is the lure of the backy that...
Jana takes in the scenery in Prescott, Arizona’s Granite Dells #nofilter Long walks on the beach. Fresh mountain air. Fall leaves crunching under my boots. Yes, the clichés all apply, but opting outside is about more than just the perfect #nofilter shot on Instagram....
Myron Ebell… the man, the myth, the great disruptor. Ok, that may be a little dramatic but he is worth discussing. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may select Ebell to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the next administration. As an avid climate...
Photo: Noemí Jiménez Our Associate Ashley delves into the age old question: what makes sustainability communication effective and engaging? At Context, we know that progress on sustainability doesn’t happen by accident – it requires critical analysis, detailed...
Photo: Flickr - Shever The effects of climate change are felt by millions today, and experts believe refugee crises around the world will worsen in step with the symptoms of a warming planet. It appears as if human conflict, like the civil war in Syria, is the driver...
May a white model wear dreadlocks? Is a white male novelist allowed to tell his story through a black female character? Am I permitted to wear a sombrero and say Olé!? The answer is a firm no, unless you want the politically correct (PC) trolls on your back. Welcome...
Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev, the world’s largest brewer, is taking over SABMiller, the world’s second biggest. What does this mean for their respective sustainability programmes? A scan of their latest reports offers some clues. The first comes in the titles. SABMiller...
There’s no denying that the aviation industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Now, they’re stepping up to curb their emissions through an international carbon offset agreement. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN...
Toyota is planning to sell a little robot that behaves like a young child and looks like a cross between a mutant ninja turtle and a short-sighted toddler. So cute! The $400 palm-sized Kirobo Mini is bright enough to learn casual conversations - “are we there yet?” -...
The US big-box retailer meets goals on US employee wellbeing but could do much better on human rights in the global supply chain New shoes? Back to school supplies? A new toaster? Cut-price celebrity designer dress? Chances are you can find what you’re looking for at...
Despite the controversial supply chain issues plaguing the apparel industry, clothes aren’t a commodity we can boycott completely - like a vegetarian giving up meat. But we, as consumers, can make a statement with our wardrobes by ditching the bad brands and...
Photo: Flickr - Chris Potter In a new report published last week, Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, called for investors to factor climate change into decision making. In the report, Blackrock firmly states that climate risk has long been underappreciated...
Photo: Robert Claypool -Flickr Monday is Labor Day in the U.S. – a holiday formally inaugurated in 1894 to pay tribute to the American labor movement. While today it marks the end of summer and an excuse for one last barbecue, it’s also a valuable reminder that there...
Apple CEO Tim Cook is missing the opportunity to enhance the brand and establish his reputation as a visionary. “Maddening and comes from a political place” was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s response today, to the EU ruling that Apple has illegally avoided $14bn in taxes...
10 things you need to know about third-party assurance and deciding whether or not your company should get its corporate responsibility report assured. It’s that time of year again. While we’re still feeling the summer heat, vacations are winding down and corporate...
Jon Pender, Vice President, IP & Access, Global Health in GSK’s Government Affairs Department shares his thoughts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and three ways GSK are facing up to sustainable development challenges.
This morning, our client PepsiCo launched a groundbreaking sustainability microsite, #HowWillWe, which provides an interactive and immersive experience to explore and share ideas about issues relevant to the world and PepsiCo’s business.
Dairy companies know they need to be more sustainable. Cattle farming is one of the biggest contributors to global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The industry also faces environmental concerns such as soil and biodiversity degradation, as well as issues...
(Nearly) everything you always wanted to know about corporate sustainability.
Download the full report Every year 200,000 tonnes of tiny particles shed by tires are flushed into the sea, says a new study. This is just one of the many sustainability issues facing the global tire industry; from sourcing (natural rubber remains a major...
Does C-19 give you a reason to skip a year in your sustainability reporting? It’s a fair question, given that most companies will be short of resources and looking to save a few pennies. We have a solution that saves money and time. More important, it helps you...
Context's special report investigates how leading companies use LinkedIn for sustainability communications. Click here to download the report We ranked 100 companies from 10 sectors on their use of the platform. In the report we explore: Who's making the most of their...
Which companies came out on top in the Context #Susty social media ranking? Our ranking reveals how 100 leading companies, with strong sustainability reputations, are using social media, and who is having the most success. Which company... Posts most frequently? Has...
Download the report Costa, Starbucks, Illy, Nespresso – there’s a lot of choice when it comes to coffee. But it’s no longer just down to taste. If we continue to drink coffee as predicted, production must double or even triple by 2050. Brands increasingly need to...
Download the report Good storytelling is good for business: it reassures customers, attracts and retains top talent, and boosts your reputation with investors, consumers and civil society. It’s especially important in getting the best return on your investment in...
Does-certification-make-a-difference Download the report Can sustainability certification help companies do good? Does sustainability certification help make the world a better place? Can certifications, such as Fairtrade and Friend of the Sea, help companies reduce...
The United Nations says that “Big Data represents a new, renewable natural resource with the potential to revolutionise sustainable development and humanitarian practice.”
An accessible guide for businesses wanting to up their game on human rights.
Water & Business: How To Avoid the Coming Crisis
See how digital can get you noticed while contributing to a better world.
Tells you (almost) everything you need to know about Corporate Sustainability (CS).
There is great excitement about the push to get companies to include sustainability indicators in their business and financial reporting.
Strategy has ruined more investors than bad liquor.
In our highly connected world, where you can so easily befriend and be friended, why are companies so socially isolated?
Why should employees want to turn off YOUR lights? Or put that costly compostable cup in the right bin?
What’s quicker, circumnavigating the world or completing the questionnaire for the carbon disclosure project?
This edition discusses the need for super-sharp strategy to extract maximum value in the upturn.