China’s Environmental Tax: Why Business Should Act Now

Effective 1 January 2018, the Environmental Protection Tax Law of PRC (hereinafter the law) ushers in a new tax regime to fight the dreadful pollution in China. The tax burdens are unevenly shared out, but all business will risk being overwhelmed if it fails to take actions immediately. Collective Responsibility has been closely tracking the development and implementation of the law. Last month…

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China’s Environmental Tax: What Business Needs to Know

In China, while the pressure of economic growth on the environment has been well documented, over the last few years, there have been a number of pilot and campaigns (nationally and provincially) to identify and reduce pollution at the local level. Since Chinese Premier declared “a war on pollution” in 2014, China has set up plans and targets for cleaning up its air, water, and soil. Last year,…

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The Future of Productivity Forum

This past Tuesday Collective Responsibility hosted “The Future of Productivity” forum to discuss the approach companies and individuals should take to business and their careers in a world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.  Collective Responsibility’s own Charlie Mathews, Director of Corporate Advisory, opened the event by describing a global labor market that is in flux as AI be…

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Shanghai Workshop: Closing the Loop on Waste

This week, we hosted a workshop on “Closing the loop on Waste in China” for 20 sustainability professionals from various industries, to help them understand the waste management system in China and how they can engage their stakeholders in the circular economy. Focusing on the circular economy of waste, and how businesses hold the power to address the waste issue in China and the potential for…

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Sustainability, Innovation, and Action | #AsktheCollective 015

In this episode of #AsktheCollective, I answer questions about environmental sustainability, business innovation, and individual action. As always, we hope you find this series engaging, and if you do, please remember to like, share, comment, and SUBSCRIBE! #Timestamps 00:22 - As environmental issues are increasingly emphasized by government, and environmental protection is formalized,…

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Starbucks CSR Program Takes Care of China’s elderly

When speaking to firms about starting to develop their sustainability strategy, we push firms to start with having a much deeper understanding of the challenges that their customer, communities, and wider stakeholders face.   The recent Starbucks announcement launching the “Starbucks China Parent Care Program,” which will provide insurance for the elder parents up to 10,000 employees, for us is a…

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Scaling Social Enterprise – 3 Paths to Engagement

Social enterprises can face a tough task when trying to build their business and sell a vision and values to companies. While around the world attitudes are changing, in China such business models have experienced slower uptake. At a recent workshop hosted by Green Initiatives, we engaged a group of MBA students from Suffolk University on the topic of social enterprises and how they see the indust…

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Collective Responsibility Executive Luncheon Series (Re)Launches This Month!

At Collective Responsibility, we believe it is our mission to help organizations and leaders move from a position of awareness of challenges to building organizations that are in the best market position to deliver solutions.  It is a process that we requires education, and authentic engagement, but more than that for the movement from inspiration to action happen, we know that our platform needs…

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How to Start Your Career in Sustainability or CSR | #AskTheCollective 006

In Episode 006 of #AskTheCollective, we answer a question that is asked on a regular basis: How do you get a job in sustainability or CSR? As always, we hope you find these questions and answers useful, possibly gain some new insights, and feel compelled or inspired to ask questions of your own! Enjoy Episode 006 below, check out the full playlist here, and stay tuned for Episode 007 coming…

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Supply Chain Sustainability: The Bestway to Put Theory Into Practice

SUSTAINABILITY: THEORY VS. REALITY When discussing sustainable business, ideas that make "big-picture" environmental sense on paper may or may not translate well into day-to-day practice. What may seem more efficient in the long-term is not always conducive to the main focus of business, the bottom line – particularly when talking about supply chain actors and retailers. This is why it's so…

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Sustainable Tech: Food and Agriculture

Tech is becoming a part of all aspects of life and sustainability is no exception to this. In this piece, in the run-up to our Beyond Business As Usual Forum, we present the future of food in China and how tech can be leveraged to help provide for a growing, more expectant urban population. Over the past 30 years, China has experienced rapid levels of urbanization and increased individual a…

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Tangible Definitions of Sustainability Increase Engagement

To understand the importance of sustainability, you only have to spend a short period of time in one of China’s major cities where you see firsthand the challenges faced in developing urban systems where balance in economic development, society, and the environment is required. These systems are growing at speeds never seen before, and are unlikely to abate anytime in the next 35 years as we mo…

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Responsible Leadership and Sourcing

With greater awareness and transparency in supply chains, companies are feeling pressured to become more responsible to meet their customers’ expectations. This could be through making large donations, hosting charity galas, and flying their staff to the other side of the country to plant trees. There are numerous ways to demonstrate corporate responsibility, yet the question comes down to how do…

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Food and Sustainability in China

In February, Richard Brubaker, Founder and Managing Director of Collective Responsibility gave two presentations to DOW Agriculture leadership and sustainability teams on the sustainability and the future of food in China. As one of the largest firms in the food & agricultural sector and one whose products extend throughout the food & agricultural value chain, Rich covered a wide ra…

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Developments and Changes in CSR Reporting

As the modern consumer and regulator place greater emphasis on good sustainable practice, corporate social responsibility is no longer just a philanthropic exercise for companies. It is now an area of intensive scrutiny and reporting from a wide range of actors and stakeholders, and an ever-growing area of business opportunity. In recognition of this, companies striving to be top of the game in…

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