In November 2016, I attended the book launch for “MVO doe je zo”“, which roughly translates into “How to get far with CSR” in English. It is written by Carola Wijdoogen, Director of Sustainable Business at the Dutch Railways. After… Continue Reading
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
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
Sustainability is becoming an imperative rather than an add-on for companies and brands. Nielsen research shows that brands with societal commitment grew faster than those without. In 2015, 50% of Unilever’s growth came from its “sustainable living” brands. In June 2016, I had the honor… Continue Reading
Meet Jan-Willem Vosmeer, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Heineken*. On a sunny afternoon in Amsterdam, we talked at length about Heineken’s program “Brewing a Better World” and sustainability communications. Here’s what Jan-Willem had to say about water, co-creation and communication.… Continue Reading
The mission of Harvard Business School is to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. So how does sustainability fit into a mission like this? On May 19, 2016, I moderated a panel with professors from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge on… Continue Reading
On April 6, 2016, BCorp Europe gathered hundreds of inspiring and inspired entrepreneurs in Amsterdam to Celebrate the Changemakers. I was a bit ambivalent about an earlier BCorp event, but this event showed what the power of purpose and change is all about.… Continue Reading
Meet Anette Andersson, Fund Manager & ESG Investment Specialist at SEB Investment Management, one of the largest asset managers in Scandinavia. When I met Anette at a responsible investment event in 2012, I was intrigued by the story of how… Continue Reading
In September 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by South African author Wayne Visser. The lecture started with an interesting timeline of the development of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. He then presented a model to create… Continue Reading