In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with Alex Edmans about the opportunity for leaders to deliver long-term business value through sustainability. Timestamps: 00:15 - Welcome to Sustainability Ambassador Podcast 000:35 - Alex Edmunds Introduction 01:35 - Sustainability & Driving Long Term Value 02:55 - Engaging on Sustainability 04:25 - Milton Friedman & Busi…
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…
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…
The amount of retired EV (electric vehicle) batteries will grow at an unprecedented rate in China. Recycling them will bring twofold benefits – reducing the consumption of raw materials for producing new batteries and minimizing potential environmental and health hazards caused by the mismanagement of battery waste. – Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (中国工业和信息化部专家) With hundred…
With more than 85,000,000 people living with some form of a disability in China, only 9,000,000 of these individuals are “working.” Therefore, we decided to focus this month’s evening forum on the opportunities to build a socially minded business to create solutions to problems related to the challenges and stigmas that this segment of the population faces. Believing in the power of entrepreneu…
In this episode of #AsktheCollective, I talk about how firms can develop CSR programs and partnerships in China, and speak about some of the common pitfalls to be avoided. 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, we are…
Following the recent changes in Foreign and domestic charity laws, this week the Volunteer Service Regulation was released (Chinese version here), and just like the charity laws, there is the potential for this law to impact CSR programming in China. With an effective date of July 1, 2017, the first article setting out the intent of the new law: These Regulations are drafted so as to develop…
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. One excellent example of such an executive sustainab…
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…
In the process leading to the 2016 Foreign NGO and 2016 China Charity laws, a lot of the articles were focused on the macro issues of what this meant for the development of civil society in China. On the ground though, the questions were more practical, with the most recent being focused on donating money to China as a foreign foundation. In part, this was due to the language of both laws lacki…
As a follow-up to our previous episode in #AskTheCollective, "How to Start Your Career in Sustainability or CSR", in 007 we help answer a deeper question about finding one's first job in the field, and then open a discussion about the future of jobs and what we should teach our kids to prepare them. It is a huge episode, and as always, we hope you find these questions and answers enjoyable and…
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…
Earlier this month, Collective Responsibility joined over 120 corporate social responsibility (CSR) professionals in Shanghai for the 4th annual gathering of CSR WeCan. As part of the event, we were invited to speak on a panel titled “Is CSR Dying or Thriving?” – a topic that has been regularly discussed. Given the liveliness of that debate and the importance of the topic, we thought we would s…
As a way to engage with you, our audience, we are happy to announce that Episode 001 of the #AskTheCollective video series is now live! This episode features topics ranging from food waste in China to the reality of China's pledge to become an "ecological civilization". Special thanks to our askers: Travis Opocensky, Hunter Lovins, John Dennis Liu, Ariel Muller, and Rob Watson. #AskTheCollectiv…
With the return of winter bringing fresh reports of smog across a number of China's cities and talk about how bad things will be this year, last week's announcement that government officials in Xi'an were arrested for faking air pollution statistics caught our eye. While the act of falsifying data — or tampering with air monitoring equipment — is nothing new for China, this news was interesting…
