Blog Archives: July 2011
July 27, 2011
Four Priorities for the Tech Sector in Applying the New UN Guiding Principles
Dunstan Allison Hope , Managing Director, Advisory Services
Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council approved new Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights—a major milestone in the history of business and human rights. More clarity exists today than ever before on governments’ duty to protect human rights and thebusiness responsibility to respect human rights. Read more
July 25, 2011
The Danger of ‘Web 2.0’ Enthusiasm for Sustainability Reporting
Dunstan Allison Hope , Managing Director, Advisory Services
I’ve been a proponent of increased sustainability reporting and transparency since the late 1990s. I produced one of the world’s first “written-for-the-web” sustainability reports while at BT in 2001. I’ve also been heavily involved in the recent internet and human rights agenda, advising Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft on freedom of expression and privacy issues. Read more
July 14, 2011
Why Solar Should Care About Sustainability
Ryan Schuchard , Manager, Climate and Energy
Solar power is a poster child of sustainability, at least from the standpoint of energy users. It provides a clean alternative to GHG-emitting fossil fuels and runs indefinitely on free energy from the sun. What more, then, is there to the sustainability of solar energy? Read more
July 13, 2011
Pessimism Rules the Day—And Why We Can’t Afford It
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
At dinner following BSR’s Board meeting in London last month, discussion turned quickly to the potential for a looming crash in global markets (no, sadly, this is not a post from 2008). Round and round we went, debating whether the sovereign and consumer debt levels weighing down Europe and the United States were precursors to another crash in the global financial system. Read more
July 7, 2011
Five Merits of Sustainability Reporting for Management
David Korngold , Manager, Advisory Services
Some think of sustainability reporting as a tack-on to a company’s strategy—that it’s all a bunch of granola that doesn’t matter to meat-and-potatoes management decisions. Yet sustainability reporting offers a tremendous opportunity to generate and communicate management insight, develop a more robust organization, and drive value for the company. This is all in addition to the potential environmental and social benefits that can result from developing a sustainability strategy and report. Read more
