BSR Insight Articles About Community Engagement & Development

UN Report: Government Must Help Align Sustainability

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability’s new “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing” report—which builds on the seminal 1987 Brundtland Report—contains a host of recommendations to put sustainable development into practice worldwide. Recommendations for governments include: Read more →

Posted: February 10, 2012 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Governance & Accountability

Using Water-Risk Information for Greater Impact

Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services

Business continuity depends on access to clean water, a resource that is in higher demand as scarcity increases, quality declines, and distribution remains unequal around the world. As more companies recognize their dependence on clean water, they are turning to different tools to assess risks and provide context for their direct operations and supply chains. Read more →

Posted: February 7, 2012 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Ecosystem Services, Environment, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Human Rights, Land Use & Biodiversity, Strategy & Integration, Water

Four Key Sustainability Trends in Retail

The Retail Industry Leaders Association’s first sustainability report on the industry’s environmental, social, and community impacts features company case studies and identifies four key trends: Read more →

Posted: January 31, 2012 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Consumer Products, Environment, Reporting & Communications, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration, Supply Chain

New Guide to Effective Local Content Programs

Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services

IPIECA—a global oil and gas industry association focused on social and environmental issues—released a guide to help companies design and execute local content strategies in the countries where they operate. Local content is defined by the value that companies bring to host countries by employing and training the local workforce and developing and procuring supplies and services locally. Read more →

Posted: December 6, 2011 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Energy, Mining, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration

Re-Scaling for the New Local

Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research

In the next decade, rapidly growing urban regions will need redesigned infrastructure, goods, and services to match peoples’ needs and work within planetary constraints. New efforts to track well-being and happiness, ecological systems under stress, and community and culture shocks like forced water restrictions and food-safety scares are driving people to pursue more resilient solutions such as low-impact housing, off-grid water and energy, seed-sharing programs, and community-supported agriculture. Read more →

Posted: October 25, 2011 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Consumer Products, Energy, Environment, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Health Care, Information & Communications Technology, Toxicity & Product Design, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, Water