How Important is Having a Localized China CSR Strategy? | AskTheCollective 030

This week we answer a question from our newest intern, Anais. An MBA student at Jiaotong University, her questions were focused on the alignment between CSR and business, and whether or not firms in China need to have, or benefit from, China CSR Strategy that is unique to China.  #About the AsktheCollective Series: The #AskTheCollective series, is a series built entirely on answering you…

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Do Chinese Firms Invest in CSR & Sustainability? | AsktheCollective 029

This week we answer we answer a question about whether or not Chinese firms are investing in CSR (and sustainability), and if so, how are their programs different than Western MNCs  #About the AsktheCollective Series: The #AskTheCollective series, is a series built entirely on answering your questions, and through that provide a different level of value to the community of those interested in…

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Why Don’t Companies Integrate Sustainability into Business? | AsktheCollective 028

On this episode, I answer the question "Why don't all businesses and companies integrate sustainability into their practices to ensure their long term survival and success?" It is an important question, and we hope that you will gain some insights, and inspirations, from the answer. As always, we hope you find this series engaging, and if you do, please remember to like, share, comment, and…

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Is CSR Dead? | Ask the Collective 027

This week we answer the question "Is CSR Dead?" It is a question that we have been speaking frequently on lately as many firms look to overhaul their CSR programs, get away from having seperate departments, and are more generally looking to understand the ROI of CSR to the firm as a "non-business" essential.  #About the AsktheCollective Series: The #AskTheCollective series, is a series buil…

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Fast Fashion’s Sustainability Promises Undermined by Waste

Hennes & Mauritz AB or H&M, the Swedish fashion giant, is in big trouble. According to its quarterly report released on 27 March 2018, the world's second-largest clothing retailer is now sitting on $4.3 billion of unsold garments and accessories. To reduce the stockpile, the company is planning to cut prices, slow expansion in stores, and boost its e-commerce instead. It may even get unsol…

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Chinese Healthcare: The Rural Reality

One of the largest health disparities present in China is the inequality between rural and urban healthcare. In particular, rural patients face barriers to equal resources to healthcare access. There are less than half as many medical institution beds and licensed physicians per 1,000 citizens in rural areas compared to urban areas. In even more isolated areas where there are only small township h…

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Overcoming the Obstacles to Sustainability | AsktheCollective 026

For progress to be made in overcoming the obstacles to sustainability, we first must understand what those obstacles are and why they exist. Topics that I have spent a lot of time considering recently as over the last few months, we have been fortunate to be engaged on a number of what we consider to be “best in class” projects. Projects where the opportunity to help our clients change their…

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Restoring Trust in China’s Physicians

In the coming years, China is facing significant challenges in the healthcare sphere and one of the most formidable will be public perception. A particularly pervasive and damaging perception in China is the distrust of physicians. Without well-established patient-physician trust, the mission of delivering quality healthcare is significantly set back. DOCTORS ARE NEEDED, BUT NOT TRUSTED Being a…

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China’s Plastic Ban and Getting Beyond Beach Cleanups | AskTheCollective 025

With China’s recent “plastic ban”, the recent National Geographic Magazine cover, and reports of brands banning straws, the story of plastic is one that is becoming more widely understood in China, and it is the focus this episode of AsktheCollective where I answer the questions of one viewer who would like to know more about China's recent plastic ban, what other regulations are coming, and when…

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We Are Hiring!

To accomplish the mission and goals that we have set for ourselves, for our clients, and for the community, we are constantly on the look out for  people with the passion and tools to solve big environmental, economic, and social challenges, and this month we are specifically looking for: Business Development Director Sustainability Analyst If you seen an opening that excites you, and t…

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Unspoken Crisis: Mounting Textile Waste in China

With an exploding urban population and a rising middle-class, China is rapidly increasing material use and consumption. Alongside its burgeoning economy is a proliferation of consumer waste. While most debates are around the wastage of food or packaging materials like plastic and paper, little attention is paid to the old clothes that people clean out of their wardrobes. Chinese dump roughly 26…

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Does Corporate Social Responsibility Give A License to Do Bad? | AskTheCollective 024

In this episode I answer a question about whether or not I think corporate social responsibility (CSR) gives companies license to do bad. It is a question with roots in the recent Freakonomics Podcast Does Doing Good Give You License to Be Bad?  () and the rebuttal by Chris Jarvis on the Engage for Good Podcast Does Doing Good with CSR Really Give Companies, Employees License to be Bad? As…

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Chinese Healthcare Trends: Rising Hospital Privatization

A significant trend in the current and future trajectory of Chinese healthcare is the increasing privatization of medical hospitals and clinics. This development is driven by both consumer desires for a more patient-centered experience and government initiatives that aim to distribute the burden of care from public hospitals. Despite the rapid expansion of private options, several barriers prevent…

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Sustainability Ambassador Appreciation Reception

Yesterday, we were excited to host our second Shanghai Sustainable Ambassador Appreciation Reception. An event to celebrate the work of sustainability professionals and business leaders who are looking to drive sustainability through their business, participants had a chance to network and share ideas over relaxed drinks and delicious hors-d’œuvres. The guests were a group of passionate and…

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Hacking Chemical Safety of Consumer Products!

The unprecedented speed at which science and technology are advancing has resulted on the development of numerous household chemicals that have slowly become indispensable to people. On the long term, the unsafe use, storage, and disposal of these chemicals may pose a threat to human and animal health. In fact, places like China have seen a rising number of hospitalizations of thousands of chil…

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