Blog Archives: September 2011
September 30, 2011
Why Food-Safety Scares Offer Opportunity in China
Daniel Hsu, Former Manager, Advisory Services
Here in BSR China, we worry about food safety. One of my colleagues refuses to eat traditional steamed buns known as “mantou” ever since an exposé revealed that one Shanghai producer used undeclared dyes, additives, and even old mantou in production. After a different case, in which used cooking oil was scooped up and sold at a low price, another colleague now only cooks with olive oil, which he believes to be at least less contaminated than other oils. Read more
September 27, 2011
Strong Messages From Weak Voices
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
This second installment in BSR’s ongoing series on the four dimensions of “redefining leadership” in today’s world looks at the importance of learning from the margins. Read more
September 26, 2011
CSR in the EU: Time to Make It Mandatory?
Charlotte Bancilhon , Associate, Advisory Services
The European Commission’s third Communication on CSR has been a long time coming. With mid-October the new projected release date, it’s a good time to look at what may be on the table. Read more
September 26, 2011
In Your Words: in.gredients Co-Founder Christian Lane on Leadership
Christian Lane is Co-Founder of in.gredients
This guest blog is part of BSR’s ongoing series exploring what leadership for sustainability looks like in today’s world.
September 23, 2011
Migration and Development: Whose Responsibility Are They Anyway?
Jennifer Schappert , Manager, Partnership Development
The question of whose responsibility are migration and development was asked repeatedly during the recent Global Form on Migration and Development (GMFD) multi-stakeholder meeting. The meeting, hosted by BSR, the Swiss Foreign Ministry, and the World Trade Institute, brought together approximately 100 representatives from business, government, and academia to discuss the links between migration, trade, and development and to examine the role of each actor in promoting the human development of migrant workers. Read more
September 22, 2011
In Your Words: EDF President Fred Krupp on Leadership
Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
This guest blog is part of BSR’s ongoing series exploring what leadership for sustainability looks like in today’s world.
September 21, 2011
In Your Words: Leadership for a Changing World
Eva Dienel , Associate Director, Communications
Over the last few months at BSR, we’ve been examining the changing nature of leadership today. When we launched the BSR Report 2010, we highlighted four dimensions of leadership we think are essential for business to make a meaningful difference: Set ambitious targets; learn from the margins; invest in infrastructures that support sustainability; and sail fearlessly toward the future. Read more
September 19, 2011
Getting Engagement Right in a Hyper-Transparent World
We live in a data-rich world. In today’s increasingly networked society, there is more information at our—and our stakeholders’—fingertips than ever before about environmental degradation, human rights impacts, and ethical business practices. And it is available instantly, to everyone and by everyone. Read more
September 19, 2011
Still Inconvenient, Still the Truth
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
I just finished a week in China, including three days at the World Economic Forum’s “Summer Davos” in Dalian. The WEF established this event with three key ideas in mind: the shift of economic and political power to the south and east, the rise of “new champion” companies from emerging markets, and the increasing importance of sustainability. Read more
September 14, 2011
Ten Years Later: Human Rights in a Post-9/11 World
Ayesha Barenblat, Former Director, Stakeholder Collaboration
At the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, I was in Montreal attending the CIVICUS World Assembly, an annual gathering of more than 900 civil society organizations (CSOs), including NGOs, trade unions, and faith-based organizations. Looking at various U.S. newspapers and my Facebook feed that morning, the reporting centered on the senseless deaths of that tragic day, people discussing where they were at that exact moment, and those that they had lost. All the coverage made me realize that the wounds remain fresh 10 years and two difficult wars later. Read more
September 13, 2011
Regulating Supply Chain Sustainability
Peder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen , Vice President, Europe, Middle East, and Africa
What would have been unthinkable only a few years ago is now the order of the day. Read more
September 8, 2011
Investing in the Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future
Aron Cramer , President and CEO
Most years, people are reluctant to see summer fade into fall. But the summer of 2011 was a bit of a bummer, bringing hurricanes and earthquakes in the American Northeast; ongoing political stagnation in the United States, Europe, and Japan; and signs that the world’s mature economies are stuck in neutral—and may remain that way for some time. Leaving this summer behind feels like a relief. Read more
September 7, 2011
Collaborative-Consumption Markets Create New Opportunities for Economic Inclusion
Cody Sisco, Former Manager, Advisory Services
The rise of technology platforms is creating business opportunities for new producers and micro-entrepreneurs. Read more
