Thought Leadership

In 2008, Dell started using post-consumer recycled plastics sourced from water bottles and milk jugs in our products. In 2013, we took it a step further and started putting plastics from e-waste recovered via Dell’s recycling programs back into new products. But we felt there were more ways we could contribute.

At Cisco, corporate social responsibility is at the core of our business, our culture, and how we invest our resources. It’s why GHG emissions reduction is one of our most material environmental issues and a core component of our overall CSR strategy to accelerate global problem solving, through our technology and expertise, to positively impact people, society, and the planet.

What has emerged from nearly twenty years of practice is something Common Impact calls the “The Knitting Factor”, coined in our recent Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “The Promise of Skills-Based Volunteering. The Knitting Factor brings together three key conditions that enable skills-based engagements between the private and nonprofit sectors to create strengthened, sustainable solutions that don’t come undone when partners part ways.

American Express (NYSE: AXP) will host its fourth annual Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit in New York on April 16 and 17, celebrating eleven years of a transformative program that has developed more than 3,600 nonprofit and social purpose leaders. Seventy-two distinguished program alumni from around the world will have the opportunity to discuss best practices and participate in workshops with eleven premier leadership development organizations, including The Aspen Institute, Ashoka Changemakers, Center for Creative Leadership, Common Purpose, and Independent Sector.

From technology to transportation, businesses in every industry are getting more and more involved in the circular economy, with the goal of creating a more sustainable future. They’re recycling, repurposing, and reevaluating their strategies, and with these changes, seeing the benefits go well beyond a greener planet.

Cone, a Porter Novelli public relations and marketing agency specializing in Purpose and CSR, will join the International Crisis Management Conference (ICMC), as a sponsor of the two-day event in Boston April 24-25. The conference will cover the characteristics of a crisis, a framework to manage the life cycle of a crisis and provide training for preparedness professionals.

In celebration of Earth Day, The Dow Chemical Company and the Erb Institute of University of Michigan are partnering to host the inaugural Elements of Sustainability Series, a free online education event taking place April 16-20, with webinars posted daily at 3 p.m. ET. The week-long webinar series will explore the fundamentals of sustainability as seven renowned academics share their expert insights on the leading global challenges shaping the future of business, society and sustainability.

Safeguarding the environment and protecting public health can go hand-in-hand with business growth, Gina McCarthy says, and on May 16 she will share this vision with corporate leaders at NAEM’s 2018 Compliance Management conference in Austin.

When Oprah Winfrey wowed the world at the Golden Globes with her rousing call for greater opportunities for “little brown girls,” it signaled a turning point for HP’s Chief Diversity Office, Lesley Slaton Brown. “I watched it over and over and over,” she says. “I cried. I laughed. I rejoiced. I cried some more. I got inspired. I have goosebumps now, just talking about it. Literally, arms-to-legs goosebumps.”

Collecting and analyzing information on companies’ ESG risks, opportunities, and performance are essential to ensure market efficiency, optimal allocation of capital and reduction of information asymmetry. We spoke to Vigeo Eiris, an independent ESG rating agency, about the trends driving investor interest in ESG, and the critical nature of transparency in building trust among investors. ​