Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Post

The speakers will explore the intersections between sustainability, economic equity, and community & economic development.  Register below, it's free! https://lnkd.in/gDFD-JH5

NEW: Why the impact world must not ignore Asia: Ten takeaways from AVPN's Global Conference 2024 From the size of its population and scale of its newfound wealth, to the extent of its suffering from the climate crisis, conflict and other challenges, the region of Asia is a place of both massive potential – and enormous need. So what role should the global impact community play to address these issues and realise the opportunities that exist? Here's what attendees at the AVPN Global Conference 2024 had to say 👇 https://buff.ly/4dCBezV Featuring: Naina Subberwal Batra | Vikas Arora | The Hong Kong Jockey Club | Vikrant Bhargava | Founders Pledge | Veddis Foundation | Mondiale Impact | Brigit Helms and more...

+++ Official launch of Business for a Better Tomorrow +++ Joint initiative of 15 European EU and national business networks to strengthen the #GreenDeal agenda +++ Today, 1 February 2024 in Brussels, fifteen EU and national business networks are announcing the official launch of the Business for a Better Tomorrow coalition with a view to the 2024 #European #elections. Business for a Better Tomorrow aims to make the voice of entrepreneurs committed to #environmental and #social #transition heard during the 2024 election campaigns. At a time when the progress achieved under the Green Deal is being called into question by various economic and political players, the coalition calls for the rigorous implementation of the legislation adopted and for EU policymakers to maintain the momentum over the coming years. The initiative unveiled today its manifesto "Delivering the Green Deal and Beyond: Building an #inclusive, #fair and green economy for #Europe" on https://lnkd.in/ej-ZbYED This manifesto puts forward 22 concrete proposals to develop a more favourable regulatory framework for social and environmental impact businesses and to accelerate the #transformation of the European economy. Why are we in? Europe has been actively reshaping the framework conditions for entrepreneurship for two decades. B.A.U.M. sees the Green Deal as the architecture of the urgently needed reward structure through market design. Incidents such as the collapse of #RanaPlaza (2013) and the financial crisis that grew into a true global economic crisis (2007-08) are a testimony to the old way of doing business. It may become history. We #vote for the #future and encourage the EU Commission DE to stick to the Green Deal and to continue to shape it consistently and in conjunction with the regulatory initiatives that qualify sustainable economic activities. Assobenefit (Italy), B.A.U.M. e.V. - Netzwerk für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften - Network of #sustainablebusiness (Germany), B Lab Europe (EU), Be Impact (observer) (Belgium), Communauté des Entreprises à Mission (France), Ecopreneur.eu European Sustainable Business Federation (Europe), Entreprendre Vert (France), Associação Portuguesa para a Inovação Social - ESLIDER (Portugal), Euclid Network (Europe), Kaya - Belgian Coalition of Ecopreneurs (Belgium), Lithuanian Social Business Association (Lithuania), Mouvement Impact France (France), SANNAS, Empresas Triple Balance (Spain), Social Enterprise (The Netherlands), Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia (Latvijas Sociālās uzņēmējdarbības asociācija) (Latvia). #Act4SDGd SDSN Europe

Are CSOs the next CEOs? Longterm vision as leadership paradigm got forgotten in the business books over decades, and sustainable behavior was a field of action for SME and family owned business. Lets collaborate for impact #impactfundingeurope.eu

Building a Sustainable Future  Pope Francis met in the Vatican with a group of managing directors and employees of major companies and banks. His guests were all members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (https://lnkd.in/ddm7RYnt ), a private-sector environmental network.  The Pope told members that their decisions are of crucial importance, since they “impact thousands and thousands of workers” and “affect the fortunes of governments”. “The innovation of the entrepreneur nowadays,” the Pope stressed, “must first and foremost be innovation in caring for our common home” . For this reason, the Pope said, he wanted to reflect briefly on three subjects with them: the environment, the poor, and young people. The Pope urged his guests to place the environment “at the centre” of their attention. Given the climate crisis, he stressed, “it is no longer enough to merely comply with the laws of states, which are proceeding too slowly.” It is necessary, in fact, to “innovate by anticipating the future”, with “courageous and forward-looking choices” for others to imitate . “Be generous”, the Pope urged, giving young people “a glimpse of the future so that an entire generation does not lose hope.” “The challenge is to include the poor in businesses,” the Pope said, “to make them resources for the benefit of all  I dream of a world in which the discarded can become protagonists of change.” By Joseph Tulloch 15 June 2024, 15:01 Pope to business leaders: Philanthropy is not enough Full text: https://lnkd.in/dD3GkaZ5  #Money #Branding #BrandProtection #Interview #Creativity #Brand 📷: By Brigitte Designolle, la Chartreuse au gré de nos photos (groupe).

Celebrating a micro win in Korea. Now, we have a bigger task ahead of us. During my stay in Seoul for my recent keynote, I was surprised when the hotel reception apologised that there were no longer in-room complimentary single-use toiletries due to the government's ban. In fact, I was thrilled that legislation has caught up, and more is needed to move mindsets and action towards addressing the climate crisis. Yet, that is only the tip of the ice-berg. The scale of the our existential crisis is enormous. And it's uncomfortable to look the issue in the eye, even though we are starting to feel its effects. March 2024 was the earth's hottest month on record, breaking the record of Feb 2024 and the record of Jan 2024 and the record of the months in 2023 Those of us in developed countries may still be insulated from the impact.... for now. But not for long. And it is us who are the biggest contributors to the crisis, who have the responsibility and more resources to fix the way we work and live. The best way for us to start is educate ourselves. Towards this, I salute the tireless work of advocates like Andrea T. Edwards, CSP, Esther An and Eugene Tay. Today, I like to shine a spotlight on Andrea who is a passionate evangelist for social leadership and the author of Uncommon Courage. She could have thrown herself in the treadmill of corporate success, yet she has dedicated her skills towards demystifying the crisis; as well as empowering people with the clarity and courage to face the challenges threatening our world, and take action towards solutions. Do check out her incredibly eye-opening starter video backed by research from scientists and data from leading institutions: Part 1: We Need a New Middle Class Dream. Link in comments. In just 20 years, the world went from 500 million to 3.8 billion middle class people today, with the most surge in the recent years. And the acceleration will continue. With that, the billions are buying more, eating more meat, using more tech, guzzling more fuel and with that electricity, putting accelerated strain on our earth. We cannot live and work like business as usual. Next check out her ongoing Part 2 series as we gain eye-opening insights on the realities of various industries, their impact and actions we can take. Learn about the impact of our current AI revolution in exacerbating the climate crisis, as well as that fast-food, FMCG, pets, fast-fashion, white goods and more like the business of war. 🌏 Who else do you know or follow on the forefront of leading the sustainability charge? Do share. The more we support our catalysts, the more we amplify our collective impact. #sustainability #leadership #transformation #change #climatecrisis

Give a big round of applause to our first We Are Tilt Impact report! (Click the repost link to read.) As a certified #bcorp, we're committed to being open with our progress and objectives to improve our social and environmental impact. Here's to our very first report! 👏 (And, of course, it has all the usual Tilt magic applied with its wonderful content and design. It's also guest featuring our fantastic Heléna Reynolds and Jonathan Malyon!) #bcorporation #bcorpimpactreport #impactreport

At the #sustainablefinance #forum in #ottawa today, heavyweights in the Canadian ecosystem weigh in on #publicpolicy pivots needed. Whichever direction lies ahead, continued collaboration & dialogue across social partners of all stripes is essential. As always appreciate crossing paths & ideas with colleagues Amr Addas, Anik Islam, Caelan Welch, Olaf Weber, Karen Lockridge, Usher, E.,

Anna Korzeniewska, Founder of Social Impact Alliance for Central and Eastern Europe: "When we say 'Central and Eastern Europe', we mean 11 countries, over 100 million people, 800 thousand nonprofit organizations and a huge potential. The social impact infrastructure is already in place, there is an increasing willingness and external pressures to get involved and, most of all, after 30 years of a free market economy, there is private capital. But there are also challenges to face – lack of awareness, education, cooperation, trust between capital owners and impact providers or transparent and supportive legislation. Central and Eastern Europe is a great testing ground for initiatives that can be scaled to other regions at a similar stage of development. But, as with all systemic changes, collaboration is the key". We invite you to learn more about Social Impact Alliance for Central & Eastern Europe Impact in 2023 and plans for 2024 and download the new Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/d-FYi_kE #philanthropy #positiveimpact #socialimpact #corporatesocialresponsibility #CSR #employeevolunteering #probono #CEE #impact #socialgood #socialeconomy #sustainability

Yesterday - Friday, November 17 - was my last day serving as President of Fair Trade USA (FTUSA).  For those not familiar, FTUSA is a leading social enterprise focused on sustainable development and poverty alleviation. I joined the FTUSA Board of Directors in 2014 because I was inspired by the organization's mission, track record, and vision for "Impact at Scale". Between 2014-2020, I served as Vice Chair of the Board and on various committees. Early in 2020, I accepted an offer from FTUSA's Founder - Paul Rice - to serve as President & COO of FTUSA - to partner with Paul, the Board, Management and broader team to strengthen our model & scale our impact.  After 3 action-packed years, in early Q1 2023, I informed Paul and the Board - that I would be stepping down from my role as President in Fall 2023 to focus more on my health, family and other pursuits.  We communicated this news to Staff back in April.  The past 3-4 years have included lots of "twists & turns" and "ups & downs". We lived and worked through a pandemic, social & political unrest, economic instability, supply chain disruptions, high inflation, several wars, labor market changes - just to name a few. We had our share of internal challenges as well - including the transition to remote work, resource limitations, shifting priorities and staff turnover.  Challenges are an inevitable part of any journey - they can be energizing but they are not always fun.  That said, within this "context" - over the past 4 years - the FTUSA Team has grown the business, built new partnerships, entered new categories, strengthened our program in key areas, advanced our culture & capabilities, made important progress on our transformation journey and increased our social, environmental and economic impact. So much has been achieved and yet important work remains. It has been an honor to work with so many passionate & talented colleagues, customers, producers, and philanthropic supporters. I am especially grateful for - the FTUSA Team - our people. Their talent, energy and commitment to FTUSA's mission, values, model and vision for IMPACT AT SCALE - has been an inspiration.  While yesterday was my last day as FTUSA's President, I will continue to support the organization by serving on the FTUSA Board and in other ways.  I continue to be energized by FTUSA's prospects for growth and impact, and proven ability to fuel positive change for people and planet. I remain a strong believer in the power of the Fair Trade Movement.  As for what's next for me, I like to say "whatever I want". Seriously though, near-term - I will be focusing more on family, friends, fitness & fun. In Spring 2024, I will begin to explore "what's next" on the "work-front".   In closing - Massive appreciation, respect & gratitude to the FTUSA Team - current & alumni - and Happy Thanksgiving to all! #gratitude #sustainability #teamwork #impact #purpose Fair Trade USA