CSR Minute: Veuve Cliquot’s Businesswoman Award; American Home Furnishings; Shelton Group

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Veuve Cliquot’s Businesswoman Award; American Home Furnishing Association’s Sustainabiity Summit + Shelton Group

CSR Minute Report: Adam Werbach, Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi S.

Adam Werbach, Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi S., talks about integrating sustainability into business practice

CSR Minute Special Report: Greg Schneider, CEO, 3BL Media

Greg Schneider, CEO, on the mission and methods of 3BL Media

Better World Business From Europe

America used to be the vanguard for change and innovation. Apple, Microsoft, Google, just to name a few, were companies that changed the way we do business. Well, innovation is still coming from the U.S. (i.e. GoodB)! Yet progress in “Better World Business” practices is more important than ever since the economic crisis this past year. This week GoodB reports on some innovative endeavors from the other side of the Atlantic…

Europe Saves the Planet

You know all those extra cell phone chargers that you don’t know what to do with? Now these useless gadgets can go to the great charger resting place in the sky aka: the dump. Unfortunately, they are not recyclable or biodegradable. Not to mention how costly they become every time we “upgrade” our phones. A waste of money, waste of plastic, and just plain waste!

Well, the environmentally savvy European Union has done it again and come to the rescue! Europe saves dollars and our planet on the plan for a universal cell phone charger. Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, and five other companies struck a deal with the European Union (EU) this year. Read More

The Gold Standard

French-based luxury jeweler Cartier has vowed to buy only “sustainable gold” for their gems. Similar to Fair Trade coffee, Cartier is working with the non-profit PACT to buy gold from smaller miners to improve their economic conditions. Pact’s stated mission is to help poorer nations “build empowered communities.”

Additionally, Cartier has joined ranks with a consortium of civic-minded gem companies, the Responsible Jewellery Council (RSJ), to promote “responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from mine to retail.” Read More

The Holy Grail of Free Markets: Competition

Antitrust laws in Europe and the U.S. are very clear that competition in the marketplace is a fundamental value of modern business. Much of the criticism surrounding global banking and official bailouts has been centered on the interference with free market competition in the wake of government aid.

Competition is held so sacred that Microsoft was aggressively litigated in the U.S. and Europe for anti-trust infringement. The tech company was forced to pay hundreds of millions in penalties to the EU and the U.S. Simon Johnson, former IMF economist and MIT professor, expressed a persuasive view in The “Quiet Coup” that financial institutions, particularly in the U.S., are monopolies.

A one day annual conference, European Competition Day, was held in early October in Stockholm to encourage European countries and the EU to keep market competition open.
Read More

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GoodB Blog

via 3blmedia.com

 

GE Transportation and CSR Qishuyan Finalize Locomotive Diesel Engine Joint Venture

GE Transportation announced today the formation of a joint venture company with CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Co., Ltd., a unit of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation Limited (CSR), to develop, build and service GE’s Evolution® Series locomotive diesel engines in China.  The announcement as made as part of “GE’s Clean Technology Week in China” activities.The joint venture is scheduled to launch operations at the end of 2011, including the assembly, testing and overhaul of engine components such as power assemblies and turbochargers in China.  During the second phase, starting in 2013 engines as well as components will be assembled, tested and overhauled.

“This new joint venture directly aligns with GE’s strategic direction to design, manufacture and service product within the region or country in which they are used,” said Tim Schweikert, President of GE Transportation China.  “GE will continue to supply key engine components for the final engine assembly such as turbocharger and fuel injection kits.  Providing these key components also helps sustain approximately 120 U.S. manufacturing jobs.”

In October 2005, GE Transportation marked the formal beginning of its partnership with CSR Qishuyan by signing a strategic contract with China’s Ministry of Railways to supply 300, 6,250-horsepower Evolution Series HXN5 China Mainline Locomotives.  Today more than 100 of these Evolution Series China Mainline Locomotives already have been produced by CSR Qishuyan and placed in revenue service by the Ministry of Railways.

There is significant opportunity for locomotive modernization in China.  CSR produced more than half of the more than 12,000 diesel locomotives currently in service.  Most diesel locomotives in China would benefit from advanced fuel-savings and emissions- reducing technologies.  The Evolution Series locomotive diesel engines are GE’s most fuel-efficient and low emission diesel engines to-date and, thereby, support China’s green initiatives.  The Evolution Series Locomotive is one of GE’s most prominent ecomaginationSM products.  Ecomagination is a GE-wide initiative to help meet customer demand for more energy efficient products.

To learn more about GE’s announcements in China this week, visit http://www.ge.com/chinanews.

via 3blmedia.com

 

CSR Special Report: BSR Conference—Taproot Foundation’s Lindsay Firestone

Lindsay Firestone, Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Taproot Foundation

The ‘Real-Time’ Of Social Media

Few things have changed faster than the way we communicate. Coupled with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or green movement, there has been an explosion of information available about how and what companies and organizations are doing to improve society and the environment.

During the past year, at least three major events have influenced how communications relate to CSR:

1) The new administration in Washington is focused on volunteerism, green-collar jobs, alternative energy and other CSR issues.

2) Bernie Madoff and the “collapse” of Wall Street spotlighted (once again) the need for greater transparency and corporate governance.

3) Consumers are demanding information about what the companies from which we buy our goods and services are doing to have a positive impact on society, improve the environment, and in general “save the world.” Companies are finally starting to be held accountable and responsible for the impact and influence they can have to affect change, and they realize the need to communicate it. From a media and PR perspective, this presents both opportunities and challenges.

Any company can issue a press release talking about all the good they’re doing, and consequently greenwashing — and a lack of authenticity has become almost epidemic. It seems every brand wants to capture the green consumer.

The media challenge: To communicate effectively in ways that a growing, “green-focused” audience, consisting of varied demographics, is responsive to and can trust. Authenticity must absolutely be obvious. The age-old, traditional press release isn’t what it used to be. Yes, there’s still a place for it in modern communications, but it’s become widely accepted that its impact is diminished.

Enter blogs and bloggers, videos, podcasts, and various commentaries … all new and different ways to reach an audience no longer receptive to traditional methods such as press releases. Combine this with issues that people are passionate about, that affect their lives and their children’s lives, such as corporate responsibility and sustainability … and that’s the mix that must be communicated. To address that, successful organizations have begun to realize that the value of delivering their messages, consistently in all different media formats, engages a passionate audience.

A paradigm shift has occurred, and we have evolved into new vehicles that embrace social media and technology. Leading organizations have finally realized that the idea of dragging viewers to a Web site to read carefully formulated, single point-of-view, “we really don’t mean to engage with you on this” pronouncements is over.

The obvious answer, as how to reach and influence the most people around a topic or issue, (get the news out, if you will) is to engage them using a media format to which they are most receptive. So, give it to them. And, do so where they’re already spending Web time; online communities, social networks, video channels, iTunes, blog sites and so on.

Forget about the destination Web site. Game over. Every day there are communities of individuals organizing around issues they are passionate about, hungry for information and knowledge about these issues. Whether it’s corporate responsibility, socially responsible investing, human rights, fair trade, the environment or transparency, people have a greater opportunity to engage on each of these issues through new media.

As media professionals, we must help our clients reach and engage with these communities, where they live. And we need to do this using every media format at our disposal to influence and be influenced by the professionals, the consumers and the media points that interact with their brands.

When it comes to issues as important as CSR and green business, leveraging new media to effect change is a must.

 

Prior to founding 3BL Media, Greg Schneider was the COO of a news distribution service focused on corporate responsibility. In recognition of the obvious evolution of communications technologies and the expanding global interest in CSR and sustainability, Greg, along with some friends and colleagues left their jobs to start 3BL Media. Reach him here.

CSR Minute: October 19, 2009 – Ceres and Clean Economy Network’s Jobs Day; CauseMedia’s “NameYourCause” campaign

Corporate Social Responsible News: Ceres and Clean Economy Network’s Jobs Day; CauseMedia’s “NameYourCause” campaign

Corporate Governance and Responsibility Forum

The Corporate Governance and Responsibility Forum is intended to be a forum where business leaders can discuss and identify regional best practices relating to corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and overcome potential implementation obstacles that may arise from time to time due to unique regional features, economic and legislative environments and various cultural issues that are not addressed on the global discussion.

We believe that the MENA region (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, KSA, U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Tunis and Algeria) is unique in certain aspects and would like to ensure that we maximize on such uniqueness instead of eliminate our uniqueness for the sake of blind compliance. Instead of complying with global standards as they are being set, we would like to play an active role in shaping such global practices to ensure value, promise and engagement within the region.

Learn more here.

via 3blmedia.com

Posted via web from 3BL Media’s Posterous

CSR Minute: September 30, 2009 – Newmont Mining + Dow Jones Sustainability Index; Greenergy 2030′s Business Alliance; China CSR Rankings

Corporate Social Responsible News: Newmont Mining + Dow Jones Sustainability Index; Greenergy 2030′s Business Alliance; China CSR Research Center’s Rankings