Although International Women’s Day 2018 (Mar 8) has already passed, we believe it’s never too late to celebrate women’s achievements and examine the push forward of gender equality in the context of China’s sustainable development. With the theme for 2018’s International Women’s Day being #PressForProgress, we wondered if #IWS has lost its meaning in China as there seems to still exist such a low…
Background on the Issue As China took the lead in manufacturing, the reliance on raw materials opened the door to a new business: the waste trade. For many years, the system made sense; China exported inexpensive consumer goods to places like Europe, USA, and Japan. Shipping containers from these nations made their way back into China filled with recyclables. Chinese manufacturers could turn t…
Public awareness on the need to address the plight of China’s left-behind children was reignited earlier this year following the high-profile story of Ice-Boy, one of 62 million children left-behind children living in rural China, and attending rural schools, without parental care. Among those who spoke out on the need for targeted support for rural children was Jack Ma, founder of China’s tech…
On Tuesday, Collective Responsibility hosted its monthly Executive Luncheon focused on Industry 4.0: AI and Impacts on Supply Chain. This invitation-only event brought together a range of business leaders who are interested in understanding how the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to an industry 4.0 economy requires them to re-calibrate their business models. Richard Brubaker, Fou…
This week, Collective Responsibility’s evening forum on AI, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability brought together young professionals and entrepreneurs who are interested in knowing more about the opportunities and challenges they face as China enters industry 4.0. Richard Brubaker, Founder and Managing Director of Collective Responsibility (CR), opened the evening by sharing the results of a su…
At an unprecedented rate, Chinese factories have begun making their initial investments into replacing, or augmenting, traditional labor with robotics in order to increase production and reduce the cost of labor, thus paving the way for China to become the AI global leader by 2030. Despite challenges related to installing and maintaining automated lines and the concerns over job losses by local go…
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has been hailed by some as a technological revolution set to eclipse the invention of the wheel, steam engine, automobile, or even the internet in terms disrupting economy and society. Optimists believe that AI will allow humans to accelerate productivity, squash inefficiencies, and create a world free from want. Pessimists see the accelerating pa…
With the year of the dog off and running, and a number of exciting projects kicking off, we are looking for the next 2-3 members of The Collective! Specifically, we are looking for: Marketing & Communications Manager Account Manager Associate Sustainability Consultant / Analyst If you seen an opening that excites you, and that you are qualified for, please email your CV to…
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…
This week, we were excited to host our first Shanghai Sustainable Ambassador Appreciation Reception. An event meant to celebrate the work of sustainability professionals and business leaders who are looking to drive sustainability trough their business, participants had a chance to network and share ideas over relaxed drinks and delicious hors-d'œuvres. A group of individuals, that we began…
Yesterday, in collaboration with the Shanghai European Chamber of Commerce, Collective Responsibility hosted a Lunch and Learn event to help increase awareness about waste and waste management in China. An interactive session, that ended with practical tips for individuals and companies to take to reduce their waste footprint, Rich Brubaker started the session provide insights from our research…
Over the past four years, most sustainability professionals I know have been looking forward to Larry Fink’s letter to S&P 500 CEOs at the beginning of each year. The anticipation surrounding these annual letters from BlackRock’s CEO is due to the fact that we have the world’s largest asset owner voicing what sustainability practitioners have long been advocating of businesses. Fink, a leader…
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,…
Every so often, breaking news brings China’s left-behind children to the forefront of public attention. Recent reports of left-behind child orphans being adopted and trained by martial arts clubs led to public debate over the fate of rural children growing up alone, as well as the shocking finding from a survey late last year in which 11.9% of left-behind children said that their parents working a…
Supply chains are the backbone of our global economy; they deliver the goods and services we use around the world, spanning geographic, industry and cultural boundaries. As these interconnected webs of supply and demand become more complex, how they are managed has major implications for the well-being of the workers that produce those goods, as well as society and the environment at large. Con…
