The Sustainability Learning Forum

Global Compact International Yearbook 2011

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

Over the last several years, the United Nations has become a trailblazer in promoting corporate responsibility. “In the 11 years since its launch, the United Nations Global Compact has been at the forefront of the UN’s effort to make the private sector a critical actor in advancing sustainability,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in the 2011 edition of the Global Compact International Yearbook. more[...] login_required

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Global Compact International Yearbook 2010

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

A profound retrospective of the first decade of the UN Global Compact, challenges in the light of the year of biodiversity, and instruments for an adequate Corporate Citizenship are some of the issues highlighted in the new 2010 edition of the “Global Compact International Yearbook”. Among this years prominent authors are Ban Ki-moon, Bill Clinton, Joschka Fischer and Achim Steiner. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “As the Global Compact enters its second decade, it is my hope that this Yearbook will be an inspiration to bring responsible business to true scale.” Formally presented during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York, the yearbook is now for sale. more[...] login_required

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Global Compact International Yearbook 2009

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

The inaugural issue of the Global Compact International Yearbook , highlighting key sustainability issues on the international agenda and showcasing a wide array of corporate practices, has just been published. more[...] login_required

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Sustainability - A Biological Perspective

Prof. Stephen Morse, University of Surrey - Centre for Environmental Strategy

Encouraging students to engage in the challenges of sustainability, this text focuses not only on theories but more importantly on how they are translated into practice. Models and theories are illustrated with real world examples to help students connect with genuine issues and appreciate the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective. more[...] login_required

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Fostering CSR – Contract Seating Manufacturer Kusch+Co

Ferdinand Filusch, Kusch & Co

This Sauerland-based family business offers convincing proof that traditional values can harmoniously coexist with a modern commitment to mankind and to nature. Corporate social responsibility is an intrinsic pillar of Kusch+Co’s corporate strategy. more[...] login_required

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PUMAVision 2011

Dr. Reiner Hengstmann, Puma
Stefan D. Seidel, Puma

As part of PUMAVision – PUMA’s sustainability concept – and in line with its mission to become the most desirable and sustainable Sportlifestyle company, PUMA introduced the sustainability scorecard in 2010 to achieve its ambitious environmental targets by 2015. The scorecard lists targets for a 25 percent reduction in energy and water usage as well as climate and waste emissions by 2015 compared to 2010. more[...] login_required

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The Value of Improved Community Awareness

Sibel Bekler, AKSA

AKSA, a leading manufacturer of acrylic and carbon fibers in the world, has initiated a Community Advisory Panel comprised of about 45 representatives of municipal mayors, village elders, teachers, local authorities, and students selected from the villages in the vicinity of the facility. Since 2001, biannual or more frequent Community Advisory Panel meetings are held to assess and evaluate the coexistence of AKSA with the community, including issues of environmental, health, and safety performance of the facility as seen from the eyes of the public. more[...] login_required

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Corporate Responsibility Standards

Prof. Andreas Rasche, Copenhagen Business School

This paper discusses so-called corporate responsibility standards (e.g., the Global Reporting Initiative and Social Accountability 8000) from the perspective of post-structuralist philosophy, in particular Derridian thinking. I introduce these different initiatives and contrast them against each other. Next, I offer a discussion of their limits in general, and their paradoxical nature in particular. I conclude with a variety of practical recommendation suggesting that, while corporate responsibility standards can potentially offer good managerial guidance they are also flawed in a variety of ways. more[...]

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Wasta: How the Use of “Connections” Impacts on Private Sector Development in Arab Countries and Why

Dr. Markus Loewe, German Development Institute

The literal translation of the Arabic word wasta is “connection,” but it is often employed for favoritism, that is, the use of personal relations for preferential treatment. Favoritism is a form of corruption when someone uses her/his position to distribute the resources of someone else (e.g., the employer or the state) to a friend or relative. more[...]

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Blueprints for Change – The Sustainability Imperative

Susanne Stormer, Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk

50 – 50 – 50. By 2050 there will be 50 percent more people in the world, and we will have been responsible for reducing global carbon emissions by 50 percent. A seemingly simple equation, yet a tall challenge. It makes it painfully clear that sustainable development hinges on our ability to manage growth sustainably and not only make up for the harm we inflict on the global ecosystem, but also to effectively decouple economic value creation from environmental degradation and social inequality. more[...] login_required

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PUMAVision

Dr. Reiner Hengstmann, Puma
Stefan D. Seidel, Puma

2009 was an eventful and challenging year – not only for PUMA but also for the world economy and the Sportlifestyle industry as a whole. The impacts of the financial crisis were felt globally and did not spare PUMA. At the same time, sincere criticism toward unsustainable, short-term financial business models and serious concerns about global warming called not only for a stronger emphasis on concepts of sustainable development within our societies but also for individual industries and single corporations. more[...] login_required

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Corporate Social Responsibility – A Philosophy of Life

María del Rosario García, Mutualista Pichincha
Soledad Burbano, Mutualista Pichincha

For Mutualista Pichincha, corporate social responsibility and the Ten Principles of the Global Compact go far beyond the realm of traditional institutional and professional behavior. They constitute a way of life and a new manner of doing things in all aspects of our entrepreneurship. They must become the engine that drives all our actions at work and at home; with our children, friends, and colleagues; on the streets as well as during public events and all of our daily activities. more[...] login_required

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Big Changes Start Small

Julija Dietrich, Deutsche Telekom

Large business corporations are expected to assume ecological and social responsibility and to adopt sustainable business practices. Deutsche Telekom has been fulfilling this expectation for many years and, in September 2009, began to extend its radius of action to the environment and society and to actively involve customers through its communication campaign for sustainability. more[...]

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Sustainability Straight to Your Mobile

Christine C. Schneider, Henkel

The growth in world population and the steady increase in the average standard of living call for a radical reassessment of our production methods and consumption patterns. To drive change in the laundry detergent and household cleaners sector, we draw on our many years of experience and our leading role in the field of sustainability. more[...] login_required

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Living Responsibility

Rainer Wend, Deutsche Post DHL

If one person forgets to switch off the light, it’s not the end of the world. But when thousands of employees agree to climate-protection measures, the effects can show a tremendously positive result. If only one customer requests a carbon-neutral transport, it’s not going to save the planet. However, when thousands of customers all over the world ask for eco-friendly services, it makes a big difference. Today, it is our employees and our customers who drive our corporate responsibility activities at Deutsche Post DHL. more[...] login_required

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