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Making Dutch trains ride like the wind

Meet Carola Wijdoogen, Corporate Sustainability Officer of the Dutch Railways. Carola and I met each other decades ago when studying business at Nyenrode University. Little did we know that we’d end up working in the field of corporate sustainability. When… Continue Reading

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Top tips to cut the crap in reporting

In the last decade, transparency and corporate reporting progressed tremendously, allowing society access to performance information that is usually not available in financial reports. Sustainability (or non-financial) reporting enable stakeholders – like investors, regulators, employees, NGOs, communities, partners, etc. –… Continue Reading

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How to avoid the materiality traps

This time of year, the materiality marathon is on. Companies and consultants are on a journey to define what topics should be included in the upcoming sustainability or non-financial report. Materiality analysis can be an extremely useful and strategic exercise,… Continue Reading

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Building a transportation business hunting for air

Meet Erik Roelevink, founder of airhunters, a company offering transport solutions that aren’t just more sustainable, but also considerably cheaper. I met Erik earlier this year, when we were both part of the same panel on sustainable innovation. When we found out we were both… Continue Reading

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Sustainable cities for a positive future

  “Cities are increasingly the home of humanity. They are central to climate action, global prosperity, peace and human rights.” — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon     October 31 is World Cities Day. Do we actually need such a day?… Continue Reading

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Changing fashion from within for success

Meet Willa Stoutenbeek, founder of W.Green, a branded communication agency focused on sustainable fashion & lifestyle. In 2013, I saw her on stage at TEDxAMSWomen. Her rallying cry to clean up the fashion industry by changing our own shopping behavior really resonated with me.… Continue Reading

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Have a bath before you open your kimono

Is your company ready to open its kimono? In 2010, South African corporate governance expert Mervyn King made the audience laugh at the GRI conference. “If you’re going to open your kimono, you better have a bath first.” I really like his analogy for… Continue Reading

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Materiality: the pain of choices

In search of the right topics to include in their sustainability or integrated report, many companies use the materiality principle. The Global Reporting Initiative placed more emphasis on materiality when it last updated its sustainability reporting guidelines. Dutch sustainability magazine P Plus,… Continue Reading