Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – an ambition too far?
As the United Nations General Assembly Week kicks off, an ‘elephant in the room’ threatens to overshadow the proceedings: the lack of progress being made in relation to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their launch in 2015 was considered a major...
Case Study: Socio-environmental responsibility at EDP
Social responsibility is fundamental in EDP’s strategy. For this reason, the company invests more than €30 million a year, supporting more than 500 social responsibility projects spread across the 30 countries where it operates, with the aim of improving the lives...
Embed and measure S in E strategies
Record high temperatures cascaded across the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months, and extreme weather events continue to be documented across the globe; the impacts of climate change on people and the planet have never been more keenly felt. As the importance of...
Net zero: Think global, act local
In 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. The target required the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions down to net zero, compared with the previous target of at least 80%...
Integrating the S in E through SE (Supplier Engagement)
Organisations all over the world are increasing environmental efforts through setting Science Based Targets (SBTi) for emissions reductions, that are consistent with the latest climate science. The SBTi framework enables companies to set targets and draws focus on...
With regulators and investors demanding action, companies need to get on the front foot with human rights
The main article asks if companies are prepared to meet new demands to address human rights. Having spent several years assessing companies on their approach to human rights, I believe most companies have – for decades – failed to meet fundamental expectations on...
Pressure to address human rights is increasing. Are companies prepared to meet the new demands?
Media attention has kept the topic of human rights and labour rights in the limelight. Covid-19 lifted the lid on underlying socio-economic inequalities and, in many cases, intensified disparities in working conditions, health, education and economic status. We are...
The true cost of cobalt: how can electric vehicles help drive a more Just Transition?
In the race towards a carbon-neutral future, a grim reality lurks under the shiny bonnet of every electric vehicle (EV). Hailed as a solution to the internal combustion engine’s dependency on unsustainable fossil fuel, the archaic labour practices needed to mine...
Addressing the Elephant in the room – Funding Models & Non-Restrictive Funding
One of the ways in which corporate foundations help to drive positive social impact is by providing financial support to different causes and non-profit organizations. Supporting these organizations involve various approaches to funding - from restrictive and...
Beyond the Ruling: Why Companies Must Double Down on DEI Strategies
On June 29th, the Supreme Court ruled to take race-conscious admissions programs out of colleges and universities. What’s the situation? Affirmative action, which was institutionalized in the 1960s, was a method for higher education institutions to diversify their...
