Todays post is not really a classic post about Sustainability or CSR, domain names or social media.
I wanted to share a video I came across today as it will hopefully brighten up your day. Sometimes this is all you need.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Have a good day everyone.
Fabian
After last weeks stronger focus on CSR this weeks focus in the news I saw was more on environmental topics again. Less corporate news but more reports and opinion. Especially on Climate Change. All in all has it been an interesting week. I do not really have a clear favourite this week. I like then all. So take your pick.
Here are my Top 5 of this week:
Big Global Investors Getting Tough on Climate Change
Interesting news item on what is needed in any case. Big investment involvement regarding climate change.
Gore urges Obama to deliver 100 per cent renewables within a decade
Former vice president and potential climate change ambassador calls for national smart grid and renewables targets to underpin climate policy.
Employees peer pressured into being green
Would you turn off the light just because Jenny did it? Apparently so, according to a YouGov poll.
Report Finds That Most Corporations Fail to Address Risks That Threaten Long-Term Profitability
A recent report by EIRIS found that the majority of companies are exposed to significant unmanaged risks on key environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, SocialFunds.com reports.
Is Carbon Capture and Storage the Fix?
Promoted in Europe, the technology for storing CO2 emissions underground could someday transform electric utilities and other industry into eco-friendly businesses.
Yesterday I came across the latest CSR/Sustainability Review from Cadbury in the UK. You know, Chocolate, etc…..
They had a history of good reporting so I thought lets take a look and do a report review.
The first thing I noticed was the web address: http://www.DearCadbury.com. Sounds interesting… Sounds very engaging. Good start.
Then it got even better. I saw a totally interactive site instead of a normal website with left hand side navigation, etc. They even have sound effects. Now this is getting better by the minute I thought.
Once you get on the website there different ways to navigate. You can either go and explore if you want to browse, if you know your stuff as they say then you can go take a look at the hard facts or you can you can view the accessible version of the review.
Quick verdict: Very nice website in my opinion. Well worth checking out.
So here we with a more detailed report review on the basis of this rating system. I started this rating system to make reports more comparible.
Detailed Review:
Reporting Period
10/10
Cadbury reports annually. This is best practice. Well done. Full marks.
Topics & Clarity
8/10 points
They have addressed the topics I would expect them to talk about. What I am missing some more corporate information communicated in a different way. Examples would be the demerger information. In this case you only have a disclaimer. It would made more sense to talk about this more proactively on the site. But otherwise well done.
Reporting Of The Material Issues
9/10 points
Very detailed but not too detailed and at the same time well presented. Especially for the different set of stakeholders by acknowledging that there are two main visitor groups. So called “explorers” and “ professionals”.
Reporting On Performance Indicators?
8/10 points
Again. Very good. They differentiate between different audiences. Facts for the professionals and contect for the explores. I particularily like the indicator fact sheet.
Reporting According To The GRI G3?
7/10 points
Yes they are but they are only providing information in the professionals area. This could have been communicated better in the explorer area as well in my opinion.
Reference To Other Parts Of Their Website
5/10 points
Well this is not really happening as this is a stand alone microsite. Only with the link to the corporate website on the top right hand side. And the other navigation is not really useful in my opinion as it only traces back to where you have been on the previous pages. This would need some improvement.
Which Communication Tools Are They Using?
6/10 points
A lot of communication tools are being used but only the ones for interactivity. They play a major part but the tools for navigation for example are no really there. And the sitemap is not linked to the content. But I really like the video integration on the other hand.
CSR Report Contact: An Actual Contact person or Just An Email Address?
5/10 points
Well they are not giving out a name but they are engaging more then many others in the “What do you think?” section. I like the approach but providing real contact details would have been better.
Do They Provide Information What They May Have Omitted?
2/10 points
Not as fair as I can see. But they score 2 points for giving such an extensive overview of their “How we are doing” pages. That is at least a start.
Assurance: Has The CSR Review been Assured By An External Auditor?
4/10 points
Cadbury are not using third party assurance providers this year but therefore have chosen to use stakeholder feedback, a Forum for the Future statement and some feedback form sustainability professionals as their “assurance” process. I think this is not the right approach as it does not really show that the data, etc has been independently been verified. Why I do I think that? Well, data is data and needs to be checked by a third party otherwise data can be manipulated. A third independent party has alwys given reassurance to stakeholders that the data is really correct. I am not saying that the data is incorrect. I am merely saying that the reliability of the data presented should have been backed up by a third party assurance.
Total points for the Cadbury 2007/2008 Sustainability / CR Review:
64/100 points
Overall Opinion:
This report just cries out “STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT” Well done Cadbury. This is state of the art Sustainability and CSR Reporting. But I think there is one big drawback of this report. And that is the context for the professionals. All documents are downloadable but they are not viewable on the screen like a normal website. You always download it and this becomes very annoying when you visist the site more often. I also think that they should had an external assurance provider and a better navigation on the site.
But do not get me wrong. This is a great review with a real Web 2.0 appeal. This is the future of reporting in my opinion.
Todays post is about interesting Sustainability and CSR related presentations I found on Slideshare.
I believe that Slideshare offers a great resource for interesting presentations and if you have the chance sign up.
So here are three of my favourite slide shows on Slideshare.
Enjoy!
Nature Matters (or How to save the planet)
Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing
The Power of Factories
While the days are getting shorter and the first wave of sore throats and constant coughing by everyone around you is nearly over the new reality of an economy in recession (yes I have written the horrible r-word) is becoming more and more obvious.
Now you are thinking…….oh not again…….I can not hear it anymore.
Don’t worry this post is not meant as a doom and gloom message. Rather a short note on how (and why) we can ensure that our companies still do their bit when it comes to sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
In my opinion the upcoming recession or at least economic downturn is a not as bad when it comes to sustainability and the responsible business practice as long as we consumers and employees ensure that companies keep doing what they are doing and improve gradually over time.
Here is where I come from. Companies in the last decade have only seen booming times and mostly rising budgets for their sustainability and CSR activities. With that rosy outlook sustainability policies, strategies, actions, etc where fairly easy to push through on company level. If they always had an impact is another question.
Now this is changing. Companies need to consider the cost implications and „ direct benefits“ when it comes to justifying the costs for a Sustainability Report, redevelopment of a strategy, next implementation phase, you name it. And I think this is a good development.
Mainly because throwing a lot of money at something is only likely to help in the short run but not necessarily in the long run. It helps you to get started but especially in the Sustainability sector it will not bring you very far. What is needed is a constant engagement with your stakeholders and proper business management when it comes to sustainability and CSR within a company. This is the only successful way of imbedding Sustainability/CSR within a business.
Having that in mind, the next 12-24 months will show how sustainability and CSR within companies will survive or change with the the challenge of lower budgets, less internal influence due to cost cutting and less of a hype by the public as each and everyone needs to start looking out for themselves.
Here is what we as consumers and employees should ask for in responsible business practice and how (if at all) companies are adressing these issues/topics:
These are just some of the questions we as consumers and employees need to start asking companies in the next 12-24 months in order to see where the sustainability/CSR efforts are going. If we keep quiet a lot of what we have achieved with the sustainability movement will be lost and companies will go about their daily business as if here has never been a sustainability and CSR movement.
History has shown that letting companies do what they want will not be successful when it comes to Sustainability and responsible business practice. We have made a good start into the sustainable business future. Now we need to focus on keeping this momentum and act as watchdogs for the responsible business practices of business.
We need to move forward, not backwards. But businesses can not do this on their own, they need our help.
Picture Credit: immarkcz
This week has obviously been a big politics week seeing the new president-elect Barack Obama win the US Election. So how much damage can Bush still do? Take a look at the first link. Interesting article.
Otherwise has this week seen a mix of environmental and economic news items. The big fear is the financial crisis. Only the future will tell whether the outlook is really that bad. The third article tackles this to some degree.
But my favourite of this week is the last article. NetImpact, an international NGO, has published its BusinessAsUnusal student guide to graduate business schools. This time focusing on the sustainability of business schools across the globe.
My Top 5 News stories of the week:
How much environmental damage can Bush do in last 100 days?
US House of Representatives committee warns Bush administration could use last few months in office for huge roll back of green legislation.
Budgets Squeezed, Some Families Bypass Organics
As budgets of consumers decrease what will they do when it comes to organic food? Nice NY Times article.
UK: Climate change to take formal role in planning decisions
The UK Government moves to address renewables project bottleneck by forcing all national planning strategies to make it clear how they will mitigate climate change
Brazil sees carbon market saving Amazon
Growing concern over climate change, and the potential of the carbon credit market, could give the Amazon forest a financial value rivaling the lucrative activities that are eating it away, Brazilian officials believe.
Choosing the right business school – From a Sustainability point of view
Bainbridge Graduate Institute tops rankings as study reveals burgeoning demand for green MBAs. Very useful publication from NetImpact.
Who do we listen to when it comes to Sustainability and environmental topics? Todays post will be about people that are leaders in Sustainability and to whom we listen to.
I believe there are people that make an even greater difference in our world and the Sustainability field then we do (and this should not sound negative as you are making a difference just by reading this). The purpose of this post is to list these people, Sustainability Leaders as I call them.
But as I do not know all the Sustainability Leaders across the globe (obviously!) I rely on YOU to suggest one or more individuals that you think is (are) Sustainability Leaders. Once we have more suggestions I will update the post accordingly.
Sustainability Leaders (in no particular order)
How else is a Sustainability Leader? Please suggest one or more individuals you think are necessary to be listed here.
Picture Credit: lumaxart
This week has been a real manic week. Ever since I started Monday morning there has been nothing but work, work and work. Dont get me wrong, I love what I do but there is some point where you need to stop and take a breath to reflect. This is usually the Sunday for me. Relaxation, spending time with the family and looking at the week ahead.
Today is Sunday and I still have a lot of work to do. So no reflection for me this week. I am lucky that Anne (my wife) has a friend over this weekend to keep busy. She would not have liked to see me work all weekend. She charishes our Sunday togehter (so do I). But they are in London today. That gives me the time to…….yes you guessed it………work. Well at least I am getting payed for it. Lets look at the bright side.
In terms of developments this week has been rather quit. I am also happy about this as my schedule is pretty packed for the next few months to come. Next to my journey to Germany during this week I managed to do two blog posts this week. One on domains titled: How To Put A Domain Name Up For Sale – Quick And Easy and my weekly Top 5 Sustainability/CSR News.
The upcoming week will be busy again with travel to Hamburg on Tuesday evening and the journey back lae Thurday night. Then hopefully I will be able to spend the following week here in London. Catching up with the London Network for a change.
So long everyone. Have a good and productive next week.
Regards,
Fabian
Picture Credit: Thomas Rockstar