Shaking off the energy crisis: how far can kinetic deliver on its promises?
When the sun sets in Kenya, tens of millions of people set about the daily challenge of lighting their homes. Some 80% of the population lives off-grid, according to the World Bank, while 550m people across Africa lack access to electricity. Despite the rise of solar technology, burning kerosene oil is still commonplace for many Kenyans, a practice that weighs heavily on the household purse and exposes families to noxious fumes. Sudha Kheterpal, the former percussionist with the band Faithless, has developed a prototype percussion shaker to help children in rural Kenya gain access to a few...
Read MoreBangladeshi garment factories profit by linking better pay for workers with productivity
Life as a garment factory worker in developing countries remains tough, with low wages, poor working conditions and a lack of job prospects still the norm for many. But improving their lot is not simply ‘the right thing to do’. Striking the right balance between employee satisfaction and productivity stands to deliver significant benefits to workers and manufacturers alike. Labour turnover can reach 12% in Bangladeshi export factories, according to ethical trade consultancy Impactt’s Nice Work report, creating a substantial knock-on effect on efficiency and quality. And although minimum...
Read MoreArab-Israeli olive oil business promotes peace and cultural understanding
The concept of ‘business for peace’ is rapidly gaining traction, as companies seek to redefine their role in society, engage with communities and harness the power of commerce for social good. Sindyanna of Galilee, a female-led fair trade association, is working to encourage understanding between Arabs and Jews in Israel by selling local producers’ olive oil worldwide and investing 100% of the profits in educating women, healing cultural divides and promoting organic farming. With tensions running high in Israel, as the peace process falters, the shadow of terror remains and ‘price...
Read MoreDutch aWEARness: creating the first circular supply chain for textiles
“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it,” enthuses Rien Otto, the charismatic founder of Dutch aWEARness, speaking to me from an international showcase of corporate clothing in Birmingham, UK. For him, Einstein’s famous quote perfectly describes his journey to helping Dutch aWEARness become the first textile company to establish a circular supply chain. One of the most resource-intensive industries on the planet, the $1.2tn global textile and apparel industry is built on complex linear supplier chains. Lack of visibility over what’s happening further down the...
Read MoreHow is big business measuring social impact?
Progressive businesses are increasingly seeking to define their impact on society and tackle pressing social issues, from improving health and access to safe water in developing countries to creating education and work opportunities for underprivileged communities. The smartest among them are addressing those issues that are most important to the longevity of their business, building relationships in emerging markets and identifying tangible commercial opportunities by ‘doing social good’. Since the launch of the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) in June 2013, some companies, including...
Read MoreAccess over ownership is the future of consumption
Consumers throughout the Western world are seeking greater value from products and services, and redefining their relationship with ‘stuff.’ And with flourishing online communities engaging with the concept of access over ownership, the internet is emerging as a robust platform for sharing models to grow and thrive. After more than 50 years of unprecedented consumption, we are overdrawn on the planet’s resources and businesses are grappling with rising raw material costs, escalating carbon emissions, pollution and waste. The commercial frenzy to sell more products has...
Read MoreSustainability gives HR teams an edge in attracting and retaining talent
Passionate and entrepreneurial people are central to Philips’ ambitions to transform its business. Through its Accelerate! programme, the global lighting, healthcare and consumer lifestyle giant is striding towards its goal of delivering customer-focused, meaningful innovation. The company is gaining the speed and agility to drive operational excellence, increase the pace of innovation and above all, to improve lives. And its 115,000 employees are leading the charge. Philips is committed to attracting and retaining the best and brightest brains by ‘walking the talk’ on sustainability...
Read MoreRunning a business that donates 100% of profits to development projects
Global Ethics is a business with one big difference. It donates 100% of its profits to fund sustainable development projects in Africa. Launched at LIVE8 in 2005 as the official bottled water of the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign, One Water is sourced and sold in the UK, US and Australia. It is the only ‘ethical water’ brand to have expanded to encompass still, juiced and flavoured water as well as everyday groceries, and each product is designed to tackle a specific development need: water to fund water projects, soap and toilet paper to fund hygiene projects, eggs for egg-farming...
Read MoreBoosting sustainable cotton production in Africa
African cotton is almost exclusively grown by smallholder farmers using traditional crop rotation methods, irrigating their fields with harvested rainwater and picking cotton by hand. It accounted for 8% of world cotton in 2008-9, placing Africa outside the world’s top ten cotton producers and well behind major producers such as China (32%) and India (22%). Sustainable cotton represents just 2% of the world’s fibre, with sustainable African cotton currently comprising a tiny fraction of the total. However, a new partnership between the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and Cotton Made in...
Read MoreCollaborating to achieve a circular economy: shared vision to reality
Philips’ longstanding ambition is to bring meaningful innovation to people’s lives. In today’s resource-constrained world, fulfilling this 122 year old commitment against a backdrop of explosive population growth, rapid urbanisation and climate change means creating greener products, closing material loops and preventing harm to the environment. What’s more, says the €24.8bn lighting, healthcare, and consumer lifestyle giant, this must be done in a way that’s economically sound and profitable. Having grown by 4% in 2012, invested €570m in sustainable...
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