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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Update on Restoring Trust in Business
After the historic drop in the public's trust in business following the economic crisis, trust (along with the economy) is starting to recover.
In writing about trust's tailspin last September, BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer concluded that "the only way for business to rebuild public trust and ensure a sustainable economic recovery" is to align its interests with those of the public.
Now, with updates from the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, which reports modest gains in the public's trust in business, Cramer discusses how this relates to corporate responsibility—and what the public expects from business today—with Edelman's Richard Edelman and Carol Cone.
Next, a new report outlines best practices for companies implementing informed consent policies with indigenous peoples potentially impacted by company operations.
Lastly, BSR's Ryan Flaherty reports back from Brazil's Ethos Institute International Conference on one speaker's call for a holistic approach to sustainability.
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In Depth
Corporate Responsibility and Trust in Business: Exploring the Connection
Interview with Aron Crame, President and CEO, BSR; Richard Edelman, President and CEO, Edelman; and Carol Cone, Carol Cone@Edelman, by Amon Rappaport, Communications Director, BSR
The public's trust in business hit historic lows in 2009, and it's slowly starting to rebound along with the economy. Is there a connection between the rise in trust and sustainable business practices?
Read more →
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Toolbox
Effective Informed Consent Policies for Indigenous Peoples
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
According to a new report commissioned by the Canadian oil and gas company Talisman, the long-term benefits of securing the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of indigenous peoples potentially impacted by operations outweigh challenges such as identifying relevant indigenous peoples, defining an appropriate negotiation process, and working inside countries with unsupportive governments.
To implement a successful FPIC policy, the report recommends:
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Embedding FPIC principles within a broader community-engagement policy
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Designing projects that avoid resettlement
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Informing indigenous communities that they can reject a proposed project
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Formally agreeing upon and recording the process for determining consent
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Incorporating traditional indigenous decision-making procedures into the consent process
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Complying with national laws and regulations when defining the consent process
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Continually engaging with the indigenous community in order to maintain consent
For more information on BSR's work with indigenous communities, contact Julia Nelson.
On the Record
Overheard at Ethos: Sustainability Requires Holistic Approach
By Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
Last week, 1,700 representatives from business, NGOs, government, and academic institutions gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, to discuss sustainability at the Ethos Institute's International Conference 2010. The conversations and debates at the event focused on the need for a systems redesign—and the type of leadership that change requires.
In the session "New Leadership for a Green, Inclusive, and Responsible Economy," MIT's Otto Scharmer emphasized the importance in having leaders directly experience ground-level challenges in order to create the systematic changes needed for a truly sustainable economy.
"We need to have the type of leadership that transforms the system from one of ego to one of ecosystem."
—Otto Scharmer, senior lecturer at MIT, founding chair of the Presencing Institute, founding member of the MIT Green Hub, and author of Theory U, speaking at the Ethos International Conference 2010 (May 12, 2010)
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From my perch on the stage in the middle of a crowd of several hundred people at Instituto Ethos' 2010 International Conference in São Paulo on Friday, I was struck by the language used to discuss sustainable business in Brazil.