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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Food Security: Access to Safe, Nutritious Food
Following last week's conversation with BSR's new Food, Beverage & Agriculture Practice Director Kai Robertson about priority issues for the industry, this week, we take a deeper look at one of those challenges: food security.
Today, roughly one in seven people on the planet suffer from undernourishment. The problem is not a lack of food but a lack of access to food. BSR's Roger McElrath explores the changing definition of "food security," and the opportunities for the private sector to reverse this trend through investments in agriculture and support of efforts to overcome economic and distributional barriers to food security.
We also examine a new initiative to create a global standard for integrated reporting, and we review a new report on sustainable development in a rapidly urbanizing world.
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In Depth
Guaranteeing the Security of the World’s Food
By Roger McElrath, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
Following last week's discussion with BSR's new Food, Beverage & Agriculture Director Kai Robertson, we examine the evolving definition of “food security” and the role for the private sector.
Read more →
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Spotlight
New Initiative Promotes Global Integrated Reporting Framework
By Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services, BSR
The International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC), a new initiative by the Prince's Accounting for Sustainability Project and the Global Reporting Initiative, aims to create a globally accepted framework for sustainability accounting that combines financial, environmental, social, and governance information in a clear and comparable format.
More specifically, the IIRC will:
- Raise awareness around integrated reporting and develop a consensus among governments, listing authorities, companies, investors, accounting bodies, and standards-setters for the best way to address it.
- Develop an integrated reporting framework that establishes the scope for and key components of integrated reports.
- Consider whether standards should be voluntary or mandatory.
- Promote the adoption of integrated reporting by relevant regulators and report authors.
- Identify priority areas where additional work is needed.
For more insight on the challenges related to integrated reporting, read BSR's President and CEO Aron Cramer's recent Fast Company blog post, listen to our webinar, or read our feature article.
Toolbox
Business and Development: Succeeding in a Rapidly Changing World
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
By 2050, 85 percent of the world's expected 9 billion people will be living in cities and megacities in the developing world, according to a new report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. This report provides an overview of the business challenges and opportunities in an economy impacted by rapid urbanization, climate change, resource constraints, and a power shift from industrialized to emerging economies.
Report highlights include:
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By supporting governments in establishing effective institutional, legal, and financial frameworks, companies can help create a sustainable operating environment and ensure that new projects benefit everyone.
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Realizing the economic benefits of large cities requires taking a systemic approach to urban planning, improving urban to rural links, and enhancing transportation infrastructure.
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By making investments that include low-income communities in value chains, companies can meet their own growth and profit targets, while also helping communities meet their needs and increase their capacity to do business.
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Recent restrictions announced by the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on the use of BlackBerry services—citing various national security concerns—have shed light on challenging ethical questions that are growing in importance for major global companies across the whole information and communications technology industry.