"Improvements in China’s air quality will not only come through national government action. It is a challenge that will require the engagement and enforcement of regulations at both provincial and local levels of government. Recent pledges coming from the national level to reduce pollution, through the 13th five year plan, and measurable improvements in AQI during 2015, show progressive steps ar…
Someone has to get the ball rolling. Any and all progressive change requires intentional action from human beings, especially in terms of maximizing efficiency and sustainability in your firm’s operations. Now is no time to be passive, and this is the exact value of the sustainability ambassador — inspired individuals at all levels of leadership and influence who can pioneer your firm’s futur…
For firms and organizations looking to join the ranks of other industry leaders and assume the mantle of social responsibility, the first key step is engaging and uniting your most valuable resource: your employee base. Consider every interested employee in the process, they bring a level of diversity in departments, expertise, and interactions with outside stakeholders. Joining their talents and…
If you are not based in China, then it is likely that you missed the release of SK-II most recent campaign. A campaign that encouraged China's "leftover" women to be proud of their independence and take actions to change their destiny in the face of growing social pressure. Part of SK-II's Change Destiny campaign, it quickly went viral and was the talk of many, and rightfully so. Core to…
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…
On March 30th, we invited Dr. Ko Liu Ying from Shanghai United Family Hospital, and Adam Rosenberg from GeiLi Giving to share their insights on the topic of Philanthropy in CSR at the School of Economics at Shanghai University. Dr. Ko has been engaged in dental care for 20 years and is currently working at Shanghai United Family Hospital as the director of the Corporate Social Responsibility dep…
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…
If you are a fitness enthusiast, you probably have heard about or even participated in a marathon, and if you love creating stuff and turning ideas into objectives, chances are you have heard of a hackathon. Hackathons first appeared in the late 1990s, and quickly gained momentum among tech companies and venture capitalists in the early- to mid-2000s. The initial hackathons were seen as a q…
This past Wednesday, Canadian Consulate General and Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai organized a CSR Roundtable Workshop at Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on the Bund where guests representing a wide range of industries, and charities, were invited to learn about building a CSR program with impact. As part of this event, Charlie Mathews, Director of Corporate Advisory at Collective Responsibilit…
This month, Collective Responsibility was invited to take part in a supplier CSR forum with Groupe Rocher, the French cosmetics firm. An event where our founder, Rich Brubaker, spoke about CSR trends in China, and where Charlie Mathews, Director of Corporate Advisory, moderated a workshop. Suppliers from across China and South Korea attended, with a diverse range of knowledge and application of s…
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…
Over the last month, we brought in eight industry experts to five leading Chinese universities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, where they shared their experiences and had discussions with over 160 students on a variety of sustainability-related topics. At East China Normal University thirty Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. students majoring in environmental engineering joined a discussion with s…
At the first minute of this clip, Christopher Meyer of Monitor Talent states that: In my mind, this clip leads to the discussion of whether or not CSR is little more than window dressing that diverts the attention (of external stakeholders) away but ultimately does not serve the firm over the long run. That, instead of donating money to causes whose only direct link would be one of market d…
Last week was "boot camp". 200 MBA students engaged in a week of sustainability. Lectures, panels, movies, workshops, and case studies. It was an intense period that precedes their projects (we launched 34 student projects at the same time), and is meant to give students an understanding of the issues faced (environmental, social, and economic), the role of the firm, and the responsibility t…
When I first saw this map on a Google+ posting I was awed struck by the sheer size of the brand portfolios exist. Of course, I knew for years that these groups were actively consolidating a number pf brands (including the "green" ones), but when it is put onto a map like this ... well, wow. Interestingly enough, over the last 2 weeks I have had three discussions with firms represented in th…
