How Companies and Consumers Can Build Sustainable Impact — This article by Heeseung Kim is part of “The Basics” series by the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) that provides essential knowledge about core business sustainability topics. “Vote with your dollar.” It’s phrase you’ve probably heard before, a rallying cry for consumers to put their money where their mouth is…

U.S. Businesses May Soon Face New SEC Requirements — By Christian Blanco & Chelsea Hicks-Webster As the Earth warms and humans experience the negative impacts of climate change, investors and society are pressuring companies to react. They want companies to be transparent about — and accountable for — their greenhouse gas emissions. This pressure has led to a host…

How Tools and a Vision for the Future Can Help Build Knowledge of a Complex Topic — By Rüdiger Hahn I have two children, both kindergarten age. When they approach my wife or me with questions on sustainability —“Dad, why is there so much garbage lying around?” or “Mom, why don’t we do something to help the polar bears?”— I always think that we could go so…

A Look at 3 Pillars That Can Guide Companies, Investors, and Policymakers — and Benefit Business and the Planet — This article by Dr. Hao Liang is part of “The Basics” series by the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) that provides essential knowledge about core business sustainability topics. As someone who has been working on a field called “sustainable finance” for more than 10 years, I keep hearing the question…

Founders and Advisors Share Strategies to Survive and Thrive — Founding a green startup is “like flying while building the plane and not knowing how to fly.” That’s according to Bas van Abel, who founded cellphone company Fairphone. Any startup experience is challenging. But startup companies with sustainable goals face special difficulties — and opportunities. How can they survive and…

Research Finds Female Executives Are More Likely to Encourage Stakeholder Engagement, High Ethical Standards, and Group Decision-Making — By Valentin Kiefner In the top league of the American corporate world, it is easier to find a CEO named James than it is to find a female CEO. In 2022, only 32 female CEOs led companies in the S&P 500—6.4% of the total. This imbalance is a problem for…

Incorporating a Commitment to Inclusive Development in Unstable Environments — We want to think that business is a force for good. But in some places, business operations may actually increase conflict. Professor Brian Ganson of Stellenbosch University Business School studies the role of business in places where there is violence, deep-rooted conflict between groups, or a government that lacks legitimacy…

Cobalt Supply Chain Research Offers Lessons for Positive Change — By Catherine McDonald It might seem ironic, but sustainable development relies on the mining industry, which provides metals and minerals necessary for technological and sustainable advancement. These materials enable sustainable innovations such as electric battery vehicles (EBVs) and solar panels. Cobalt is particularly important to the sustainable development transition. Cobalt’s…

The Role of Business in Enhancing Environmental Sustainability by Reshaping Practices, Policies, and Products — This article by Brooke Lahneman and Chelsea Hicks-Webster is part of “The Basics” series by the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) that provides essential knowledge about core business sustainability topics. The concept of environmental sustainability emerged in 1987, when the World Commission on Environment and Development published a report highlighting…