Established by four fresh university graduates in Guangzhou, Shining Star was established in 2017 to help children and teenagers in gaining confidence and staying positive. An extension of a project they were working on as university students, over the course of the last three years they have built a grant program that supported 654 underprivileged students to finish their high-school education…
How can we utilize the coffee grounds that we produced on a daily basis? How can we encourage vulnerable groups to be self-sufficient and reintegrate into the society? How can we help urbanite to reconnect to community and nature? Each of these questions is complicated and challenging in itself, however Xingeng Workshop, A local organization founded in 2006 with the mission of supporting sust…
Ocean conservation is one of the major themes of environmental protection, but there are very few non-profit organizations in China that focus their efforts on this topic. Shenzhen Blue Ocean Environmental Protection Association is one of the very few, and we recently had the opportunity to speak with the Executive Secretary of Shenzhen Blue Ocean, Mr. Ma Haipeng to learn more about their work.…
According to the report of The Global E-waste Monitor 2017, only one-fifth of the 44.7 million tons of e-waste generated worldwide was recycled in 2016. In China, which generates the most e-waste by volume both in Asia and in the world (7.2 Mt), is estimated that by 2021, and the total amount of e-waste will dispose of more than 52.2 million tons. With the economic growth and the rapid upgradin…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Be it a physical or intellectual challenge, China today is home to more than 80 million individuals living with a disability, many of whom do not have the right to work and have a job. The exclusion of such a large number of people from traditional work is a challenge that the government has already taken up through the development of a quota system and tax breaks for employers who hire more inclu…
In this episode of #AsktheCollective, I talk about where individuals can have the greatest impact as entrepreneurs or employees of NGOs, multinational companies, or as government officials. As always, we hope you find this series engaging, and if you do, please remember to like, share, comment, and SUBSCRIBE! #About the AsktheCollective Series: As a way to engage with you, our audience,…
When building up networks of sustainability leaders and innovators, it often takes the progressive action of a single individual to catalyze real change. These individuals are Sustainability Ambassadors, and they have the capacity and the drive to inspire change at any level of an organization – from the new talent to the visionary executive. ABOUT Zhang Hui As the Director of UT…
In this episode of #AsktheCollective, I talk about the scale of China's market for Selling Sustainability Solutions, and leverage the success of pilot projects to build a scalable business model As always, we hope you find this series engaging, and if you do, please remember to like, share, comment, and SUBSCRIBE! #About the AsktheCollective Series: As a way to engage with you…
In this episode of Sustainability Ambassadors, we speak with Echo Bao, Sustainability Manager at DSM, about how she developed her career in corporate sustainability. A career path that was unexpected at first, but through which her flexibility, curiosity, and ability to engage her business leaders, has allowed her to drive the value proposition of sustainability further in a company that already h…
In this episode of Sustainability Ambassadors, we speak with Raymond Fang, Sustainability Director at Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) about his career in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. A self proclaimed pioneer in the industry, Raymond offers a lot of great insights for the aspiring young professional about the importance of understanding the business case for sustainability, the…
