Sharpening the Cutting Edge: Corporate Action for a Strong, Low-Carbon Economy

Outlines lessons learned from early efforts to create a low-carbon economy, current and emerging best practices, and next steps, including climate change metrics, greenhouse gas reporting, effective climate policy, and long-term investment choices

An evaluation of sustainability in large British companies

This article undertakes an assessment of the sustainability efforts of some of the largest companies that are listed on the FTSE 100 (a share index composed of the 100 largest companies that are listed on the London Stock Exchange according to market capitalisation). It provides empirical insights into how large listed British companies are addressing sustainability and their efforts in terms of incorporating sustainability factors into their business operations. The study was based on an extended content analysis of each company’s annual and sustainability reports. Our findings demonstrate that companies are trying to integrate sustainability in their business strategies even though there are variations in their efforts. There are indications that the majority of the companies have been able to embed sustainability in their strategy and operations and are now attempting to establish goals for further improvement. We found strong evidence of willingness to engage with relevant stakeholders to evaluate which sustainability issues are of importance to the particular companies and then to communicate to those relevant stakeholders the measures that have been taken to integrate sustainability in their business strategies. However, our findings also revealed areas where there is a need for further improvement such as compliance with international standards for sustainability reporting and establishment of better frameworks to enhance their sustainability efforts

Coffee Under Pressure

Describes experiences of: CIAT, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services with Workshops, NetworksContext: Vulnerability of farmers equals vulnerability of supply chain. Inclusive management involves those that contribute to growing, selling and changing strategies. Crop modelling under different climate conditions requires knowledge of who’s growing, selling and involved in the supply chain. It also requires an analysis of who the beneficiaries of the value chain are and who will be adversely affected by changes in climate and in practice in order to identify appropriate adaptation strategies. Gender analysis is critical. Interface: Researchers and stakeholders such as farmers, extensionists, local governments, and ministers are brought together in workshops to discuss history, crop types and harvesting methods and climate change perceptions. Strategies such as visual questionnaires, maps, and models of 20-year crop/climate projections are used to engage and discuss how resources change over time. Learning: Knowledge and networks from collaborative teams are leveraged in order to mobilize practical tools, systems and practices that build adaptive capacity among the poor and among women. Young people understand much faster about climate change. Youth and women are more engaged in participatory workshops. Interactive approaches feed information back into more relevant crop/climate models. Channel: Working with intermediaries such as Oxfam has contributed to ways of integrating gender-sensitive methods into the research process. The collaboration has provided Oxfam with CIAT’s relevant crop/climate expertise and information, and providing an avenue for research to be disseminated more broadly. Engaging with global food companies has typically included Corporate Social Responsibility departments. There is a recognized need that corporate buyers need to be brought into the collaborations in order to mainstream sustainable supply chains more broadly. A gender expert within CIAT is facilitating learning about the need for differentiated gender components in research. Agronomists are paying attention and using this resource now that the need has been identified within the institution. Outcome: Learning that women play a significant role in the supply chain but do not get shares of revenue leads to new research questions about what varieties and practices contribute to more visible and greater involvement. Oxfam included post-harvest facilities in the supply chain, formalizing women’s involvement in the supply chain and ability to generate income. Funding is viewed as a primary barrier to longer term learning cycles and for building continuous partnerships and trust over time. CIAT is working collaboratively with supply chain stakeholders and making links with large development NGOs, to use one part (approx. 8%) of their funding for relevant scientific research that applies to local development projects. Where possible, it is expected that sampling design and the innovative methodologies developed can then be rolled out across extensive NGO networks, including Oxfam and Catholic Relief Services

Valuing the SDG Prize in Food and Agriculture: Unlocking Business Opportunities to Accelerate Sustainable and Inclusive Growth

Business opportunities in the implementation of the SDGs related to food could be worth over US$2.3 trillion annually for the private sector by 2030. Investment required to achieve these opportunities is approximately US$320 billion per year.These 14 opportunities could also generate almost 80 million jobs by 2030, which represents around 2 per cent of the forecasted labour force.More than two-thirds of the value of the opportunities, and over 90 per cent of the potential job creation, is located in developing countries. That includes roughly 21 million jobs in Africa, 22 million jobs in India, 12 million jobs in China, and 15 million jobs in the rest of Asian developing countries

The Impact of Equity Engagement Evaluating the Impact of Shareholder Engagement in Public Equity Investing

Over the last decade, growing numbers of investors have become increasingly concerned with the environmental and social impact of their investments across asset classes. This trend has recently been driven by new waves of "impact investors" proactively seeking measurable social and environmental impact in addition to financial returns, and by "responsible investors" making commitments to engage on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues through initiatives such as the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). At the same time, engaged shareholders have had long-standing experience using "the power of the proxy" and their voices as investors to hold companies accountable for the impacts they have on employees, stakeholders, communities, and ecosystems.While investor interest in shareholder engagement has grown, our understanding of the impacts associated with engagement activities remains largely anecdotal.In 2012, an important study on Total Portfolio Activation provided a new conceptual and analytical framework for investors to pursue environmental and social impact across all asset classes commonly found in a diversified investment portfolio. Building upon the insights of Total Portfolio Activation, the Impact of Equity Engagement (IE2) initiative seeks to deepen our understanding of the nature of impact in one specific asset class—public equities— where investors' engagement activities have generated meaningful social and environmental impacts.Given the large social and environmental footprints of publicly traded corporations and the persistently high allocation to public equities in most investor portfolios, public equity investing presents a major opportunity for impact investing. Yet impact investing, as currently practiced, has concentrated primarily on smallscale direct investments in private equity and debt, where many investors perceive that social and environmental impact can be more readily observed than in publicly traded companies where ownership is intermediated, diluted, and diffused through secondary capital markets.Indeed, the nature of impact within public equity investing remains poorly understood and insufficiently documented. Because of this, many investors may be overlooking readily available opportunities for generating impact within their existing investment portfolios.To address these misperceptions and missed opportunities, the IE2 initiative is developing a more rigorous framework for documenting the impact of engagement within the public equity asset class.

Profit and purpose: the case for sustainable luxury fashion

The development of the fashion industry into a large-scale multinational operation and the resulting potential for damage to planet and people has attracted the attention of environmental and social activists since at least the 1960s, but consumers on the whole remain broadly ignorant of how their personal fashion purchases and widespread industry practices contribute to negative environmental and social impact (Connell and Kozar, 2014). The luxury sector, in particular, has much to lose in terms of reputation by revelations of exploitation and irresponsible environmental actions along the supply chain, given that much of its premium-pricing is based on notions of authenticity and quality production (Kapferer and Bastien, 2012). Previously, a focus on eco or sustainable fashion was seen as marginal or niche, but more recently consumers demonstrate a desire for greener products creating potential for businesses to work for profit and purpose (Ottman, 2011). This change has resulted in a new hybrid business model- the social enterprise- which adds value by meeting market needs and wants through responsible business and employment practices (Radclyffe-Thomas and Roncha, 2016). Tengri, a London-based luxury knitwear label is one such social enterprise business and this paper explores social enterprise in the luxury sector through a case study of Tengri’s business model that combines social and environmental awareness with luxury product development to create a virtuous cycle of ethical fashion production and consumption. Founder Nancy Johnston was inspired by her experiences travelling with Mongolia’s yak herders where she was confronted with the harshness of the nomadic way of life and threats to its continuing existence from land degradation and exploitative business practices. She was driven to action when she juxtaposed these conditions with the promoted glamour of the luxury fashion industry, which relies on supplies of ingredients from just such workers in supply chains that stretch across the globe. Informed by primary research with Tengri and industry experts supplemented with analysis of Tengri’s business, product development and marketing materials, this paper investigates how Tengri works to balance environmental and social engagement with launching a start-up luxury business aimed at engaging the new global sustainable luxury consumers, a group described by Caroline Holme Director of Globescan as the ‘Aspirational’ consumer – a segment that combines a desire to be ethical with a love of style, design and shopping, particularly prevalent in emerging markets. Keywords: sustainability, luxury, fashion, social-enterprise, innovatio

The Potential of an Enhanced Cooperation Measure in the EAFRD (2014-2020): the case of Ireland

This report was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) through the National Rural Network (February-May, 2012).The current Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on support for Rural Development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) includes Article (36) Cooperation that is potentially instrumental for realising the objectives of FOOD HARVEST 20204. The purpose of this report is to assess the scope and potential of Article 36 in the context of Irish agriculture and its findings have four key aspects. First, the main areas of confluence between Article 36 and primary policy objectives as set out in Food Harvest 2020 are identified. Second, a range of cooperation categories and types relevant to Article 36, many of which are operational in Ireland, are profiled. Third, drawing from case-studies of these co-operation types5, the operational characteristics of each type are presented, focusing on compatibility with Article 36. Possible supports that would encourage and assist the formation and operation of the cooperation types on a broad scale into the future, and also any possible constraints that would prevent success, are indicated. Fourth, a brief discussion of some key implementation considerations arising from the analysis overall is presented.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

A supplier development service for the East Midlands feasability study

This study assesses the need for a Supplier Development Service (SDS) in the East Midlands. Research was undertaken into previous and current programmes of this type and sets out a proposed model for the service