April was a busy month for one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. A year into its Sustainable Living Plan, the company released its 2011 progress report, and hosted global in-person meetings and a 24-hour live online Sustainable Living Lab, facilitated by GlobeScan. All this activity managed to generate a lot of buzz and rightfully so. (more…)

Corporate social responsibility has quickly evolved over the years, from changing light bulbs to strategically embedding sustainability into business operations. CSR has not been part of the boardroom conversation for very long – at least not in Canada – and so progress made among a growing number of companies is encouraging. That being said, business (more…)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not going to solve the world’s problems. If it were that easy, the problems would have been solved by now. Rather, CSR is a way for companies to benefit themselves while also benefitting society. When I define CSR to the uninitiated, I typically get three reactions. To a few, it evokes a response that asks, “Isn’t that a bunch of (more…)

In this second installment in our series on leading women in cleantech and sustainability sectors, we offer up our top picks for the sustainability sector. Quite often this category is dominated by women working in Corporate Social Responsibility, as it’s a sector where women have made great strides to gain leadership roles in the last few decades. However, for (more…)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is outdated and counterproductive to successful enterprise and the global sustainability imperative.

CSR encourages us to incorporate environmental and social considerations into a business-as-usual scenario. This is the triple bottom line approach and (more…)

Companies are constantly looking for a way to obtain competitive advantage in the marketplace. In fact, the more points of advantage, obviously, the merrier. Options may include lowest price point, market-changing widget, halo branding, introduction of a never-before-seen technology or idea and even (more…)

At Addison, we work with many companies that are just beginning to address sustainability as a core business issue. The question that often comes up is, “Will producing a sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) report increase our stock price or drive revenues?” (more…)

Last month, Newt Gingrich-trained spokesman for anti-global warming forces, Mark Morano, announced on Fox TV the “collapse of global warming science.” And he’s got legions reiterating his message. According to Morano, 7 of 8 lobbyists on global warming are now “anti-action” lobbyists. (more…)

As I reflect on my past three years at CBSR, I am struck by how far the Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability movement has come. As we work in the trenches, it is sometimes hard to appreciate just how much transformation has taken place both in our personal lives and across the corporate sector. It (more…)

Mandatory spending on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is nearing a reality in India. Such a move may provide a signal to industrial nations around the world that CSR is no longer just a voluntary standard.

India’s Corporate Affairs Minister, Murli Deora, has circulated a draft bill requiring private enterprises to (more…)