3p is proud to partner with the Presidio Graduate School’s Managerial Marketing course on a blogging series about “sustainable marketing.” This post is part of that series. To follow along, please click here. By Griff Foxley On October 26th, a beautiful video was posted on Vimeo of a murmuration of starlings. It was a rare [...]

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A recent article in the McKinsey Quarterly on the drivers behind corporate responsibility says that few companies are clear on how investing in social initiatives will change stakeholder behavior. The article asserts that few companies understand the harm that a bad CSR strategy can cause. This is a little surprising because the recent conventional wisdom [...]

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By Jim Epstein and Alicia Epstein Korten As an investment advisor, I (Jim) am often asked to sit on nonprofit boards. I have grown uncomfortable with the term not-for-profit to describe these organizations, which often embrace business principles in their operations. For example, DC Greenworks generates income from government contracts and fees for green roof [...]

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With the rising number of people participating in the likes of “occupy wall street,” are consumers and investors ready to do more than embrace the change for social and environmental responsibility? This article is designed to make readers question themselves as consumers or investors in terms of pointing fingers at the not-so-responsible companies and the fundamental steps required by the stakeholders (consumers, companies and investors) to take to address social and environmental problems associated with the traditional management practices (financial bottom-line imperative). Investors are likely to be attracted in purchasing equities that will deliver the most profit. Companies will always focus on delivering financial performance to the shareholders. Consumers wil always look for the best deal. The less socially responsible companies would self-correct if both the consumers and investors turned their backs. The challenge lies in finding investors willing to support socially responsible companies at their typically higher price tags. Are consumers ready to pay a premium as well? What is your thought?

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Two years ago, when the concept had just started to really gain traction, we reported the results of a survey conducted by Brighter Planet on engaging employees on sustainability issues. The company just released an update to that study which includes responses from employees at some of the companies leading corporate sustainability efforts including Walmart, UPS, and [...]

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What is the latest debate in the CSR space? If you think it’s about the business value of CSR, think again. That debate is so 2010. Right now it looks like everyone is debating a totally different question – should companies ditch their CSR departments? Last week this debate was intensified when Keith Weed, Unilever chief [...]

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Why is Walmart such a polarizing force? Perhaps it is because of its sheer scale, its immense presence or the absolute need it represents to so many people in the world as an access point of food, clothing and basic living items for an affordable price.

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Avon’s CSR report, released earlier this week, touts a bevy of achievements and promises to address issues including deforestation, governance and philanthropy.

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Companies such as IBM, FedEx, and PepsiCo are sending employee teams to volunteer their time in developing countries on a kind of Corporate Peace Corps. A new reality in CSR for many global businesses, these International Corporate Volunteer programs benefit companies in areas including marketing and brand awareness, innovation and R&D, and leadership development. Recently, IBM won its first ever contract in West Africa as a result of what was initially a volunteer program in Nigeria.

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Woolworths Limited, Australia’s largest retailer, (once upon a time an American icon too) reports that it is making “continued progress” in reducing emissions and in sustainable sourcing policies for palm oil, timber and paper, and seafood. The company issued its 2011 corporate responsibility report in late November with the basic theme that it is getting [...]

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Both Nike and Puma adopted a strategy of creating a movement around reframing the word “sustainability”. Although both movements were targeted towards demographically similar markets, the respective target customers have diverging sensibilities. What will be most interesting to see is how the PR of 2011 develops into the actions of 2012.

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As a long term, lifetime thrift store shopper, I have always taken great satisfaction in my ability to build wardrobes without paying retail prices. With a little patience and the thrill of the hunt spurring me on, I have spent many hours rifling through second-hand clothing racks looking for that something special for just $3.99.

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Some of the most challenging big wall climbs in Yosemite that most often take two to three days for highly experienced climbers can be completed by free solo climbers in a matter of hours. Pretty impressive, but what are the risks for corporate sponsors?

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Last month, Shaw’s Supermarkets, owned by SUPERVALU, launched a sustainable seafood program in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Both ensure that the seafood Shaw’s sells is globally certified and locally verified by these two leading sustainable seafood organizations. These verifications provide consumers with the confidence of [...]

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BSR, led by President and CEO Aron Cramer, held a media event announcing the results of a global business survey poll that reveals sustainability, in fact, ranks highly within companies’ core strategies and operations.

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The following is a guest post by our friends at Opportunity Green (a 3p partner ) – an award-winning sustainability conference featuring global business visionaries, profound innovations, and the technologies and trends accelerating the new green economy.  By Gaia Dempsey, Founder & Managing Partner at Demeter Interactive Though many of us have a fondness bordering on [...]

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Having endured a painful restructuring, Chrysler Group LLC is on the path towards recovery, and released its first ever sustainability report last week.

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By Jacen Greene After a five-week trip to climb mountains in Antarctica—including several first ascents—answering questions for an audience of more than 2000 must not be very intimidating for REI President and CEO Sally Jewell. For the opening keynote of the 2011 Net Impact Conference, she was interviewed on-stage by journalist and writer Marc Gunther about [...]

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McKinsey has a unique ability to frame a conversation.  During the last decade when a price on greenhouse gases seemed imminent, every Fortune 500, government or startup’s GHG strategic plan featured McKinsey’s GHG Cost Curve.  While the argument for carbon abatement may have fallen out of favor, leading companies discovered that sustainability initiatives create value [...]

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GET PAID MORE without costing your company a cent
Negotiation tips to make work more enjoyable while reducing expenses

In a climate of high unemployment and decreased revenues, companies are trimming salaries and cutting bonuses. This opens the door for employees to negotiate a comprehensive compensation package that maximizes social value rather than simply economic benefits.

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Along with population growth, excessive consumption is our society’s greatest threat, and the constant stream of manipulative messages permeating our consciousness is only making matters worse.

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Erik Joule, Levi’s senior vice president of design and licensing, explained the path towards ramping up water efficiency throughout the company’s operations.

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Recent riots at a solar panel factory in China should be seen as a dire reminder to the international business community and political caste that sustainability is a three-legged stool that grows very unstable when the social leg is ignored.

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Last week, UNICEF’s Kelli Peterson and Microsoft’s Robin Lanahan described their mobile tagging and cause marketing journey at PSFK’s San Francisco Conference.

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Is CSR good or bad for business? That question was at the center of the debate that took place last week in New York as part of the COMMIT! Forum. Usually, at such conferences you have the chance to hear only one side – the one supporting CSR, naturally.  This made the debate not just [...]

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Along with making significant reductions in energy and water losses, multinational beverages giant Coca-Cola Enterprises announced that waste from all its UK plants will be zero. Coca-Cola senior management gathered at the company’s Sidcup plant on the border of London and Kent to publicly present and celebrate this milestone in making its operations more sustainable, as well as mark the plant’s 50th anniversary.

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By Jeff Klein Writing this piece is an exercise in deepening. It demands attention and raises questions, such as “What does it mean?,” “How is it relevant to business?,” and “What are some examples of deepening at work?” Deepening is a process of inquiry, exploration and discovery. If we look beneath the skin, we find [...]

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In the past ten years, environmentally friendly cars have become a fixture in advertising. First came the Prius. Then BMW claimed its electric batteries boost performance, great for boosting the entire BMW brand. Chevy Volt, an electric hybrid, hypes range, innovation and American values, trying to minimize its differences from traditional cars. Nissan LEAF touts its green credentials, scooping up the ultra-green market.

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What began as the quest for a fresh, juicy, flavorful tomato culminated in a landmark labor rights agreement which is transforming the lives of agricultural workers in the heart of Florida’s tomato land.  Along the way we can learn lessons in stakeholder engagement. I had the opportunity to speak privately with Cheryl Queen, VP of [...]

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CouchSurfing International is riding a wave of success since its August 2011 announcement of restructure, from non-profit public charity, to for-profit C-Corporation with B-corps certification and $7.6 million in funding from Omidyar and Benchmark. The web-based homestay organization has more than 3 million profiles created since 2003: pop the beverages and get the beach party going!

…or, not so fast: CouchSurfing (CS) has been hit with a tsunami of protest from its own membership over its reorganization.

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