New Metrics
The new and evolving metrics that are helping expand the way businesses create, quantify, manage and report their impacts – and the value they deliver
Integral Thinking and True Materiality, Part 3: Purpose Definition Defines Connectedness
This is Part 3 of a 6-part series about integral thinking and true materiality. It proposes a new impetus to develop reporting that is able to serve the idea of a green & inclusive economy. Read Part 1 and Part 2. ... View More
Sustainability Mythbusters: Products With 'Zero Emissions'
It's easy to use 'common sense' and make assumptions in sustainability, but does that get you the results you want? As a science-based method, LCA is an excellent tool to bust the myths that surround sustainability. In this series, we look at some co... View More
Researchers from ASU, Yale, NOAA Develop Equation for Calculating Value of Natural Capital
Many businesses have come to better understand the critical importance of nature as an input, but the question still remains as to how its value compares to other assets — not as lumber or drinking water or a fancy dinner, but as standing forests, ... View More
The Need for Integral Thinking and True Materiality
This is part 2 of a 6-part series about integral thinking and true materiality. It proposes a new impetus to develop reporting that is able to serve the idea of a green & inclusive economy. Part 1 can be found here.Those of us who have been worki... View More
'Integral Thinking and True Materiality': An Introduction
If 2015 was the year that inspired new hope in sustainability with the publication of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the success of COP21, 2016 is the year the rubber needs to hit the road when it comes to implementation and impact. So ... View More
It's All Relative: The Fatal Flaw in Corporate Sustainability Ratings
Corporate sustainability ratings are of growing interest to business leaders, investors, and the general public. The annual releases of popular ratings such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the... View More
How the Insurance Industry Can Help Save Humanity
The industrial economy is geared towards maximization of wealth. This target has led towards substantial, even amazing, economic growth during the last two centuries. Yet, at the same time this growth has introduced new risks and has caused severe th... View More
Industry-Led Roundtable for Product Social Metrics Expanding Into Multi-Stakeholder Group
The Roundtable for Product Social Metrics — a coalition of multinational consumer product companies aimed at developing a comprehensive, consistent methodology for businesses to measure the social impacts of products, launched in 2013 — announced... View More
Sustainability Mythbusters: Is Reducing Product Energy Use Always the Best Solution?
It's easy to use 'common sense' and make assumptions in sustainability, but does that get you the results you want? As a science-based method, LCA is an excellent tool to bust the myths that surround sustainability. In this series, we look at some co... View More
Countries Ranked on Sustainable Competitiveness; US and UK Score Below China, Russia
Think tank and sustainable management consultancy SolAbility recently released its fourth Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI), a ranking of 180 countries for “sustainable competitiveness,” defined as the ability to generate and sustai... View More
Automakers Beat GHG Standards for Third Year Running
Vehicle manufacturers have surpassed the more stringent 2014 standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the third consecutive year, while model year 2014 fuel economy remains steady at the highest level ever recorded, according to the U.S. Envi... View More
Q&A: Why Wrangler Joined The Sustainability Consortium
The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) announced earlier this week the addition of its newest member — denim brand Wrangler. Formed in 2009, TSC brings together major brands with academic researchers, NGOs and other stakeholders. The nonprofit works t... View More
COP21: 114 Companies Commit to Set Science-Based Emissions-Reduction Targets, Surpassing Goal
The Science-Based Targets initiative announced Tuesday that 114 companies have now committed to set emissions-reduction targets in line with what scientists say is necessary to keep global warming below the dangerous threshold of 2 degrees Celsius. T... View More
Economists Say Climate Impacts Will Be Worse Than Previously Believed
Experts on the economics of climate change have revealed concerns that damages from climate change impacts will be larger and more immediate than previously estimated, according to a new survey from The Institute for Policy Integrity at New York Univ... View More
SASB's FSA Credential: Who Will Benefit from It and Why
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) recently launched the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential, the first of two exams that explore concepts on the materiality of sustainability information. The FSA is designed ... View More
Caterpillar, TNC, JPMorgan Chase Convene to Discuss Natural Infrastructure Restoration
Construction machinery and equipment giant Caterpillar recently hosted the first major national summit on infrastructure restoration, with the clarion call that investing in nature is smart business. As a major player in the manufacturing industry, C... View More
While Celebrating Improvement in One Metric, Beware of Unintended Consequences: Part 18
In 17 earlier parts of this series, Claire Sommer, Jill Lipoti and I developed 34 pitfalls in the sustainable business metrics field, based on the experiences of many mostly non-business fields. (Find them here.) ... View More
Report: Rising Sea Levels Could Make Half a Billion Homeless
Between 470 to 760 million people could lose their homes to rising sea levels if carbon emissions meet or exceed 4°C of warming — the direction in which business-as-usual is heading — with unstoppable rises to occur over centuries, according to ... View More
Report: Higher CO2 Levels Directly Affect Human Cognition
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that carbon dioxide (CO2) has a direct and negative impact on human cognition and decision-making, according to a new study, as reported by ThinkProgress.These impacts have been observed a... View More
Microsoft’s Manufacturing Operations Achieve Carbon Neutrality
Microsoft has, as of July 1, 2015, achieved carbon neutrality across its manufacturing operations, according to the company’s 2015 Citizenship Report.The software company’s data centers, software development labs, offices and business air travel ... View More
