Blog
Guy Morgan, Manager, Advisory Services
Latest Entry: February 10, 2012
Sustainability Frames of Reference in New Economies
We all know there is no “one size fits all” approach to corporate sustainability. Management of sustainability is a function of local market dynamics, socioeconomic conditions, national history, and cultural contexts, among other factors. Indeed, the frames of reference for sustainability are dramatically different around the world. Read more →
February 8, 2012
How ESG Works in Private Equity
Virginia Terry, Director, Advisory Services
At a recent New York event that BSR co-hosted with Morrison & Foerster and Private Equity International, speakers from BSR, KKR, The Carlyle Group, Morrison & Foerster, and Generation Investment Management discussed how to integrate ESG considerations into the private equity lifecycle. With its long-term investment horizons and its ability to work directly with portfolio companies to improve performance, private equity is ideally suited for ESG investing. Ultimately, thoughtful management of ESG issues is critical to the success of long-term private equity investment. Read more
February 8, 2012
Conflict Minerals and Global Trends in Responsible Sourcing
Sasha Radovich, Manager, Advisory Services
Note: This is the third blog in a three-part series highlighting the critical issues that risk getting lost in the rush to implement due diligence on conflict minerals. Our first blog discussed the local impacts of supply chain policies. The second blog focused on the importance and relevance of local labor and environmental issues outside the conflict. Read more
January 31, 2012
Where BSR Will Be in February
By Anisha Malhotra, Communications Intern
Here’s a roundup of where BSR staff will be and the events we will be hosting this month: Read more
January 27, 2012
Letter to the New York Times From BSR
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Earlier this week, BSR asked the New York Times to correct inaccurate and misleading information in the story that ran on January 26, 2012 entitled “In China, the Human Costs That Are Built Into an iPad.” Here we present our letter to the editor that we submitted following publication of the article, as well as the main points we made to the New York Times in a letter sent on January 17, prior to publication. While some changes were made to the story, we believe that several important inaccuracies and misleading information remained in the story that was published on January 26. Read more
January 26, 2012
The Relationship Between Consumers and Business is Changing From the Bottom Up
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
When most people think of Davos, it is highly unlikely that the image that comes to mind is senior business executives and NGO leaders on the floor building models from materials that can be found in an average pharmacy. But that was exactly the scene Wednesday afternoon during the workshop I ran entitled "Consumers as Innovators." Read more
January 25, 2012
Davos 2012: The Bottom-Up Transformation
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Media coverage of Davos often focuses on the “boldface names,” the CEOs, prime ministers, and globally recognized artists who help to make the annual meeting a worldwide phenomenon. And while their presence in Davos is, without doubt, one of the things that makes this event so unique, it actually obscures another aspect of Davos that tells us a great deal about how the world is changing from the bottom up. Read more
January 25, 2012
I’d Love to Change the World, But I Don’t Know What to Do
Steve McCoy-Thompson, Director of Operations
Note: This is the second in our series on sustainability and organizational structure. Read the first blog here. Read more
January 24, 2012
Davos 2012: Easy Decisions, Hard Decisions
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Davos 2012 opens against the backdrop of some pretty ominous numbers. European debt figures are high, and projections for growth in the mature economies are low. Income equality is declining in emerging markets like China and in the home of the 99 percent, the United States. 2011 was yet another year of record-setting warmth, with more summer melting in the Arctic. And this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer reports poor levels of trust, with faith in government tumbling to all-time lows in the West. Read more
January 24, 2012
Conflict Minerals and Local Development Concerns
Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services
Note: This is the second of three blogs highlighting the critical issues that risk getting lost in the rush to implement due diligence on conflict minerals. Our first blog discussed the local impacts of supply chain policies, and the next will explore the connection with global responsible sourcing issues. Read more
January 20, 2012
Conflict Minerals: The Impacts of the Regulations
Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services
Once the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues its final conflict minerals reporting regulations—due soon—we expect many companies to focus on the due diligence required to ensure “conflict-free” products. But a narrow focus on the rules neglects a point BSR has regularly emphasized in our years working on conflict minerals: Companies must take action with a real understanding of how that activity will affect local communities, and how it will fit into global supply chain sustainability trends. Read more
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