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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Sustainable Consumption: The New Frontier in Sustainability
To coincide with today's launch of our newest report, lead author and BSR's Research & Innovation Manager Linda Hwang outlines the business opportunities in promoting sustainable consumption, an economic system that allows all individuals to meet their daily needs without disrupting the planet's healthy ecosystems.
For years, sustainable consumption has been framed as a limitation on business. But in a world where our consumption patterns outpace the planet's ability to regenerate resources by 30 percent, companies that figure out how to deliver value with radically reduced material inputs will be well-positioned for success. For business, this new frontier in sustainability involves addressing three key parts of the business value chain cycle: product design, consumer engagement and use, and end-of-use.
This week, we also offer recommendations on how to prepare for China's possible carbon tax, and we look at a new report assessing the effectiveness of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's guidelines on responsible business and sustainable development.
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In Depth
Business Opportunities in Sustainable Consumption
By
Sustainable consumption—a system that allows all individuals to meet their daily needs without disrupting the planet's healthy ecosystems—represents an opportunity for business to deliver value by focusing on product design, engagement and use, and end-of-use.
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Spotlight
Preparing for a Carbon Tax in China
By Jason Ho, Manager, Advisory Services & CTI, BSR
According to a recent study (Chinese only) by the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, China is well poised—in terms of need and feasibility—to launch a carbon tax in 2012. The tax would be the first market-based mechanism implemented by China aimed at helping the country reach its 2009 commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 40 to 45 percent of 2005 levels by 2020.
Although it's not clear when the tax would be implemented, we recommend that companies operating in China take the following actions to prepare for the new policy:
- Train local staff to work with key suppliers on the potential implications of the tax.
- Help suppliers identify their primary sources of energy consumption, calculate the potential tax (the proposed tax is RMB10 to RMB20 per 1 ton of carbon dioxide), and find opportunities to invest in energy efficiency.
- Encourage suppliers to designate a team to track emerging energy trends and energy-efficiency solutions.
For more information, read BSR's guide to establishing energy-efficiency programs in China.
Toolbox
10 Years Later: An Assessment of the Effectiveness of the OECD Guidelines
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
In preparation for the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)'s forthcoming revisions of its Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on responsible business and sustainable development, OECD Watch assessed the effectiveness of the guidelines over the past 10 years.
Based on an analysis of the 96 alleged cases of violation filed by NGOs since 2000, the study reveals that the guidelines have had limited success; however, the report authors provided recommendations they believe could improve the guidelines' effectiveness. These include:
- Provisions covering human and labor rights, the environment, climate change, community relations, taxation, and disclosure should be included to ensure responsible conduct.
- Governmental bodies responsible for enforcing the guidelines should have the necessary resources, independence, and investigative capacities to mediate and conduct impartial assessments of complaints.
- Companies violating the guidelines should be ineligible for state subsidies or receive other legal, administrative, or financial penalties.
For more information on how to effectively apply the guidelines to supply chain relationships, read BSR's report, or explore a suite of other resources here.
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I didn't know it at the time, but it was a phone call that would change my life. It was November 2005, and a group of internet companies wanted BSR and Harvard's Berkman Center to help explore the human rights to privacy and freedom of expression that were of growing risk in many markets around the world. It's now July 2010, and I've just facilitated my final meeting of the Global Network Initiative.