In This Issue
Editor's Note
Street-Level Views of Sustainable Consumption
When it comes to everyday purchasing decisions, consumers often struggle to make sustainable choices. A variety of factors, such as higher prices and confusion around labeling, can influence how people shop responsibly.
This week, we highlight a video by BSR’s Consumer Products Director Ted Howes and Digital Communications Manager Joyce Sood, who asked people on the streets of San Francisco on their views of sustainable consumption.
We also hear from the New York Times’ Haili Cao on sustainability, consumption, and business in a video interview from the BSR Conference 2012.
And we share news on the launch of HERfinance, a BSR initiative that seeks to provide financial education and literacy to women working in global supply chains.
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In Depth
Is Sustainability a Factor in Your Purchasing Decisions?
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In a new video, San Francisco Bay Area residents give insight on how the information they digest influences the products they purchase.
Read more →
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On the Record
New York Times’ Haili Cao on Sustainable Consumption
In one of 27 video interviews conducted with speakers and attendees at the BSR Conference 2012, Haili Cao, managing editor of the New York Times Chinese website, reflected on changes in the sustainability landscape in the past 20 years.
She discussed China's evolving attitude toward climate change, and how business' role in furthering sustainability is a crucial one—pointing out that civil society, especially in China, is limited in how much it can accomplish. Finally, she challenged the theme of the BSR Conference, "Fast Forward," and called on companies and individuals alike to "rethink" their priorities when it comes to sustainability:
"Instead of 'fast-forward,' I would advocate [that we go] slowly and have a simple life."
—Haili Cao, managing editor of the New York Times Chinese website, October 2012
To read more about Cao's perspectives, read the summary from her panel at the BSR Conference, "The Global Media Debates Sustainability: Has Everything—or Nothing—Changed?"
Spotlight
BSR Launches HERfinance to Improve Financial Literacy for Women in Global Supply Chains
Today, BSR is launching HERfinance, an initiative that will create a financial literacy curriculum to educate female factory workers in global supply chains and help them access financial products.
An estimated 2.5 billion adults worldwide do not use formal financial services to save or borrow money. Increasing financial literacy and access to formal services can help people save and invest funds, build credit worthiness, and reduce risks related to illness or loss of employment.
HERfinance will begin with a pilot program in India and eventually expand in Asia and Africa. The initiative was created with a founding grant from the Walt Disney Company.
HERfinance builds on BSR's efforts to empower women in the global economy through programs such as HERproject, which has promoted health education among more than 200,000 female workers in factories and farms in eight countries. For more information about BSR's work on women's issues, contact Racheal Yeager.
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