CSR & Sustainability

One month ago the announcement from the Paris climate summit, COP21,  sent a clear message to the world.

Despite recurrent reputational crises that seem to indicate a lack of attention to societal values, such as the recent Volkswagen case, there are corporations that have started investing in what we call ‘value communication’.

How many times have I been at academic symposia, street demonstrations or in classrooms and been told that “capitalism is in crisis” or that “capitalism is the devil’s work” or “capitalism is incompatible with equality”?

The natural resources industry is one of the key contributors to modern society as, without raw materials, the lifestyle that so many of us enjoy today would not be possible.

All too often social, community and environmental initiatives are written up as case studies, as positive things to do with a smattering of public relations fluff thrown in to emphasise how good the company is to do them.

Our co-founder, Ben, would often say, “Why leave your values at the door when you go to work?”

Good point. Since business is arguably the most powerful force for change in the world, a good value system seems to be a sage idea.

How to recruit and retain the brightest minds? Focus them on the ultimate mission of global sustainability. They get to speak authentically about their work and in doing so they build trust with their peers.

The topic of social innovation and intrapreneurship is particularly relevant to today’s world, as civil society is facing the heat of change, while on the other side the corporate world is also in need of transformation in their thought processes

The web and, above all, social media present challenges to all of us. The more people that are connected, the more we dedicate efforts and resources to digital projects.