Sustainable Development Goals
Tackling the Rapidly Growing Issue of E-Waste
As consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues, topics such as climate change, ocean plastics and alternative proteins are grabbing the collective attention. An equally important issue, however, still seems to be hiding in plain sight: e-waste. Its scale and impact have grown because of the pandemic, as companies are purchasing new hardware to accommodate homeworking while the office equipment sits idle. As such, it is estimated that approximately 25 percent of IT equipment in Europe will not be used in the future. Electronics companies have a great opportunity in measuring the impact of their core activities and products, and collaborating with value chain partners on knowledge-sharing initiatives in order to ultimately reduce the generation of e-waste.
Telenet's Stakeholder-Driven Solution for Internet in Covid Times
As the world faced the global pandemic, our working and learning models were transformed, turning ourselves toward the telecommunication industry to ask for new digital solutions and reliable internet connections. At the same time, the digital gap became more apparent, leaving those who can’t afford internet access in a vulnerable position. Building on its adaptability and resilience during the early months of the Covid crisis, Telenet further strengthened its commitment to society and offered a new service to bridge the digital divide.
Carlsberg: Partnering for Progress
As epitomized by Sustainable Development Goal 17, Partnerships for the Goals, today’s major sustainability challenges require tailored and collaborative solutions. This means that partnering is to become a part of the company DNA. By forging and maintaining partnerships, companies can achieve more sustainability impact while also gaining the competitive advantage they seek. Several sustainability leaders such as Novozymes, DSM and Umicore have made partnering centric to their sustainability program. In this article, the example of Carlsberg illustrates how this can lead to tangible results.
Summary of SAM's Webcast on Living Wage
On November 19th, 2019, SAM hosted its last webinar on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2019 results. The focus of this webcast was the criterion of Living Wage which was added to the so-called Future Questions section of the 2019 assessment for companies in 11 industries including Construction & Engineering, Food & Staples Retailing, Personal Products, Metals & Mining, and Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods. Download our free summary of the highlights in the attachment of the article.
Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit: London
This year's Sustainable Business Summit will take place in Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London for the third year. The summit welcomes corporate executives, investors and sustainability experts to learn and engage in conversation about sustainable business strategies in a post-Brexit world.
Winning Sustainability Strategies: Free Downloads
Co-authored by Jan van der Kaaij, Managing Partner at Finch & Beak, and Benoit Leleux, Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at business school IMD, Winning Sustainability Strategies (Palgrave, 2019) is a book that offers practical suggestions for improved effectiveness of sustainability strategies based upon practitioner cases and data analysis from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
A Little Less Conversation, a Little More SDG Action
The largest call-to-action for sustainability ever was announced three years ago to the day, on September 25, 2015, when the leaders of 193 nations adopted an ambitious set of global goals to combat poverty, inequality and climate change at the United Nations General Assembly. That day, the United Nations called for governments, businesses, NGOs and citizens around the world to join forces in achieving the 17 SDGs and its associated targets by 2030. But meeting those targets presented a conundrum of execution of unprecedented magnitude. Therefore focus is required to realize the ideas generated. As today is SDG Action Day, we share our free SDG Proposition Canvas and workshop instructions to turn your ideas into focused actions.
Making a Splash instead of Going with the Flow
Earlier this summer, Finch & Beak’s team in the Netherlands moved into a new office, located in a 1930s water tower in the Belcrum area of Breda. While the Dutch have a complex history with water, the ongoing drought across Europe is putting water scarcity on the collective agenda, even in areas where it was thought to be abundant.
Katapult: A Norwegian Accelerator with Global Impact
The Oslo-based Katapult is not just any startup accelerator program. While the likes of Y Combinator, TechStars and Seedcamp have pioneered the acceleration landscape through funding hundreds of small businesses that in some cases have grown into big names themselves, this Norwegian program is a for-profit accelerator that is uniquely focused on creating positive societal impact.
