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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World
"Everyone—whether they are in product development, marketing, finance, or any other function—can be a chief sustainability officer," says BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer in discussing his new book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, published today.
In a conversation with BSR's Chairman Mats Lederhausen, Cramer talks about why he wrote the book, the meaning of the term sustainable excellence—and why companies should embrace the concept.
This week, we also report from BSR's London workshop on investing in women and girls, where participants identified focus areas to better integrate gender considerations into sustainability strategies.
Finally, we celebrate the launch of our latest publication, the BSR Review, a bi-monthly collection of articles, research reports, and opinion pieces written or developed by BSR on business' most pressing issues. The inaugural issue focuses on sustainable consumption.
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In Depth
Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World
Mats Lederhausen, Chairman, BSR, and Founder and CEO, Be-Cause
Industry leaders at top global companies like Nike, eBay, and Google are reinventing their organizations to respond to—and shape—today's global paradigm shifts. Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, a new book by BSR's Aron Cramer, serves as both a catalyst and a road map for companies embracing sustainability as a strategic imperative.
Read more →
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Spotlight
Overcoming the Obstacles to Investing in Women
By Jennifer Schappert, Manager, Partnership Development, BSR
Last week in London, BSR hosted a workshop where representatives from businesses and NGOs explored the intersections of business and women in emerging economies. As companies expand their operations and supply chains, sustainable growth will require investments in and recognition of women as consumers, employees, and community members.
To promote the integration of gender considerations into overall sustainability strategies, participants identified four focus areas:
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Cross-sector collaborations create new investment opportunities. For example, Vodafone and Primark discussed their experiences and lessons learned from their micro-savings and financial literacy programs in Kenya and India, respectively.
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Programs targeting women can link disparate investments under a shared strategic theme. Companies can link community investment strategies with supply chain compliance efforts by targeting a uniquely vulnerable segment of the workforce that would also benefit most from community investments.
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Supply chain and stakeholder engagement strategies, codes of conduct, and compliance teams need to become more gender sensitive. Women are disproportionately impacted by ineffective laws and poor working and living conditions, calling for gender-sensitive strategies and compliance programs.
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The links between female producers and consumers and sustainability are unclear and need to be further explored.
Learn more about investing in women, and join us at the BSR Conference 2010 session "The Gender Lens."
Toolbox
BSR Review Launches With an Issue on Sustainable Consumption
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
BSR recently launched the BSR Review, a bi-monthly publication with strategies, tools, and opinions developed by BSR on a given theme central to business.
Our inaugural issue focuses on sustainable consumption—what we see as the next frontier for sustainable business. The resources featured cover themes such as the design process, consumer communications, and closed-loop models, and include:
As a BSR member, you are automatically subscribed to the BSR Review. Read the entire publication online now.
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