John Elkington
A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.
A couple of weeks back, on 4 December, I summed up Nesta’s first ‘Challenges of Our Era’ summit, held at The Royal Society – and organised by Nesta’s Centre for Challenge Prizes. Fascinating opportunity to meet key people from The X Prize Foundation, Gates Foundation and White House. That said, this is now one of quite a few events I have spoken at recently that I haven’t yet covered here, but Nesta’s website is now running a blog I did for them here.
Have long been admirer of Joel Makower’s founder of GreenBiz. Among other things, he wrote the US version of our The Green Consumer Guide, way back when. Now GreenBiz have run my first column there: great to be in such wonderful company. The piece links elevators, Google and stretch prizes, the last back on my mind when I had to sum up Nesta’s wonderful Challenges of Our Era summit last week – but that’s something I must cover in a separate blog when I can catch up with myself.
Delighted to have been invited to be on the roster of potential facilitators of board-level sessions for the UN Global Compact LEAD initiative. Told Georg Kell of the UNGC that I accepted when we met in New York a few days back.
As the UNGC explains, some 50 companies are now part of LEAD, which is “an exclusive platform designed to engage the most committed companies within the Global Compact to lead the way to a new era of sustainability. With participation from sustainability leaders from all regions and sectors, LEAD brings a wealth of expertise to the challenge of achieving higher levels of corporate sustainability performance.”
More background can be found here. An interesting comment from the blog: “Board involvement with sustainability is a study in good intentions that quickly dissipate in the light of day. In theory, CEOs and boards seem to highly prize sustainability: in 2013, for example, the UNGC’s annual implementation survey (pdf) found that 94% of CEOs felt that their boards should be involved with sustainability, and a massive 85% of boards agreed. Unfortunately, as boards became involved with sustainability, their enthusiasm dwindles. For example, only 57% of boards approved reporting on corporate responsibility, and only 54% agreed to appoint a board member or subcommittee to oversee sustainability. Only 51% established clear-cut sustainability targets.”
A review of the pilot phase of the LEAD Program can be found here.
Artist Rob Mango (with one of his paintings) and Charlie Michaels
Some further images of the book launch party for The Breakthrough Challenge, hosted by my NYC literary agent Doris Michaels and her husband Charlie Michaels.
