The Next Phase of Business Sustainability

Stanford Social Innovation Review Dec 26, 2018
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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The Next Phase of Business Sustainability

Giving Compass’ Take:

• As Stanford Social Innovation Review writes, businesses are now collaborating to create a sustainable market by spurring a transformative process themselves.

• This goes beyond Corporate Social Responsibility, as it speaks to a more embedded strategy within the private sector. How might funders work with leaders across sectors in this vein?

• Here’s more on growing and rethinking business trends through B Corporations.

Business sustainability has come a long way. From the dawn of the modern environmental movement and the establishment of environmental regulations in the 1970s, it has become a strategic concern driven by market forces. Today, more than 90 percent of CEOs state that sustainability is important to their company’s success, and companies develop sustainability strategies, market sustainable products and services, create positions such as chief sustainability officer, and publish sustainability reports for consumers, investors, activists, and the public at large.

This trend will not abate anytime soon. Surveys show that 88 percent of business school students think that learning about social and environmental issues in business is a priority, and 67 percent want to incorporate environmental sustainability into their future jobs. To meet this demand, the percentage of business schools that require students to take a course dedicated to business and society increased from 34 percent in 2001 to 79 percent in 2011, and specific academic programs on business sustainability can now be found in 46 percent of the top 100 US master of business administration (MBA) programs.

Read the full article about business sustainability by Andrew J. Hoffman at Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Corp Giving and CSR is a complex topic, and others found these selections from the Impact Giving archive from Giving Compass to be good resources.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    More than 300 Companies Commit to Set Science-Based Climate Targets

    More than 300 global companies have now committed to set emissions reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative. This year, more than 90 new companies have joined, demonstrating that the private sector is committed to aligning their efforts to tackle climate change with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Ahead of Climate Week, a surge of top apparel companies are announcing their commitment to set science-based targets, including Gap Inc., NIKE, Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., GUESS, EILEEN FISHER and VF Corporation. Lila Karbassi, Chief, Programmes, UN Global Compact, one of the Science Based Targets initiative partners said: “As more and more companies see the advantages of setting science-based targets, the transition towards a low-carbon economy is becoming a reality. Businesses now working towards ambitious targets are seeing benefits like increased innovation, cost savings, improved investor confidence and reduced regulatory uncertainty. This is becoming the new ‘normal’ in the business world, proving that a low-carbon economy is not only vital for consumers and the planet, but also for future-proofing growth.” Read the source article at Science Based Targets

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In addition to learning and connecting with others, taking action is a key step towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact for Corp Giving and CSR take a look at these Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations or Projects.

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