The search for solutions to the problems of every age begins with innovative ideas born from inspiration, exploration, and need. Ushma Pandya shares an article on the circular economy and the solution it offers to the problem of garbage overload.  The circular economy is a trending topic these days and it refers to the idea of keeping materials in use instead of disposing them, generally by landfill/incineration. In the media, we find many examples of how consumers can participate in…

Morten Stilling shares a company post that explains how a wind farm can harvest renewable energy and food, capture carbon and clean the ocean all at once. OX2 plans to build the offshore wind park Galatea-Galene outside of Falkenberg on the West Coast of Sweden. When planning the wind farm the company looked at using the area in more ways. OX2 teamed up with Kobb, a company that grows and sells seaweed. And the advantages of combining wind power and…

Indranil Ghosh shares an episode from the Powering Prosperity podcast. In this episode, he interviews the vertical farming pioneer Louis Ferro. This weekly newsletter looks at issues relating to the Global Economic Transition that will play out over the coming 20-30 years (see my Apr 13 introductory article on Linkedin for additional context). Each week, I’ll share my research into the upcoming global transition and what it means for you as citizens and as investors. I’ll also be joined by…

Every year climate action gains traction in the acknowledgement of urgency and dire need, and, thankfully, many businesses are taking action. To help more business leaders move in a sustainable, and profitable, direction Jennifer Hartz shares how to get ESG right in this article. “In the previous Hartz & Minds issue, we defined ESG, explained its history, shared examples of challenges faced in each area, and emphasized that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is rapidly becoming the norm. Why? Because it…

Jessica Graf shares an article and report supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on an initiative launched in Africa that was developed to improve the nutritional status of lower-income consumers by creating a new business model that would also be sustainable for the company. For several decades, pioneer companies, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations have attempted to build women networks selling “beneficial” products in their communities, with some level of success. However, the execution of women sales networks has…

Indranil Ghosh shares an article that expands the concept of ESG and asks if this is the way forward for the future of business.  Last week, Shelley Goldberg and I talked about ESG investing’s lack of impact. In Part II of this series, we focus on a model of partnership between investors, businesses, and governments working together as ‘Engaged Societal Guardians’—a paradigm for the ‘New ESG’. The Covid-19 crisis has put societal repair on a critical path to survival for…

Gregory Borel shares a useful checklist for CEOs who are committed to moving towards NetZero and taking the necessary transformative steps. For Commercial Real Estate leaders, the starting point on net-zero is often the ambition: we need to be net-zero by… 2030? 2040? with some of the detailed thinking left for later.  This does not mean starting from scratch: most will have a baseline, a design track record sprinkled with BREEAM awards, some depth in energy efficiency and renewables production…

Gregory Borel shares a company post designed to help move companies closer to net zero. How will we collectively achieve net zero by 2050? At a high level the answer can be summarised in four key requirements: Use less energy Make the energy we use renewable Protect carbon sinks Collaborate and help others to make the above happen Now, what does a sound and responsible corporate net zero ambition look like? Same as above. Let’s be more specific. Use less…

Indranil Ghosh shares a podcast from the Impact Unicorn series where he interviews Robert Hokin from Greenbackers Investment Capital on how to build a sustainable climate impact investment platform. This week, I speak to Robert Hokin from Greenbackers Investment Capital about how to build a sustainable climate impact investment platform. Robert also outlines how Greenbackers is helping COP26 to accomplish its 4 key goals in tackling climate change: 1)  Secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach 2)…

Tanya Khotin shares a post on land-use and how the management of it can help combat the effects of climate change. Land use activity contributes approximately 24% of all global greenhouse emissions or more than 10 Gigaton. New ground-breaking research by the @Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) shows that not only will we reduce these emissions without much sacrifice, but we will reverse the damage by allowing forests and nature to return to what they do best — sequester emissions, aid…

Supriya Sen shares a stark reminder on the importance of reducing waste.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, when I read last week about ongoing public consultations by NEA on whether “plastic carry-bags in some NTUC grocery outlets in Singapore should charge 5- 10 cents/ bag from mid-2023…” onwards. (link). Like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic … or throwing bits of candy into the maw of a charging, hungry tiger to stave him off from gulping you…

Tim Worboys explains how a leading insurtech company managed to be successful amid declining global economic conditions.  Hippo, a leading US insurtech company, announced yesterday that they had raised $150M in a Series E round, valuing the business at $1.5B post fundraising. As the global economic conditions continue to prove challenging due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic we are beginning to see a split in the market – some insurtechs are going public or successfully raising significant amounts of funding…

Ushma Pandya shares a vitaly relevant post that can help your company develop an ESG strategy. ESG stands for Environmental, Social & Governance and lately it is the “it” word in the business community. But how does one go about developing an ESG strategy? ESG framework is a set of standards used by investors to evaluate companies, usually for investments. But it is also a way for companies to communicate with the non-finance community on their environmental stewardship, their relationship…

Tanya Khotin provides insight into the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through better land-use practices.   Land use activity contributes approximately 24% of all global greenhouse emissions or more than 10 Gigaton. New ground-breaking research by the @Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) shows that not only will we reduce these emissions without much sacrifice, but we will reverse the damage by allowing forests and nature to return to what they do best — sequester emissions, aid biodiversity, and protect our air, water,…

Dean Lindo shares a blog post from his company website that provides insight into the doability of sustainable operations in business. “Retailers remain under ever-growing pressure from a younger, more socially conscious, and more vocal consumer and employee base to embed values deep into business strategy. A National Retail Federation survey in early 2020 found that consumers prioritize buying from brands that are sustainable and transparent. And despite the many imminent anxieties of COVID-19 in the year since, consumers have…

In this article, Supriya Prakash Sen draws our attention to the ever-growing problem of mass consumerism and how dematerialization could help.  This theme of today’s blog post is in the backdrop of a stunning rise in e-commerce globally – from books to electronics to food to fashion. Sounds great for consumers as well as for Mr. Bezos? Well, maybe- but this dramatic increase in shopping online will only lead to more plastic packaging, more electricity for warehouses, more fuel for…

Ushma Pandya explains why building design should consider low waste goals at the earliest stages of design.  Buildings are designed for comfort, productivity, entertaining and living. Buildings have historically not been designed to support low waste goals. However, that is changing as architects and developers have come to realize the importance of design in supporting low waste goals. A few years ago, the Zero Waste Design guidelines were developed and have been a catalyst for thinking about design and waste….

From his podcast, Powering Prosperity, Indranil Ghosh is interviewed by Julianne Sloane, co-founder of Nossa Data. He shares his background and what led him to write his book.   In this week’s newsletter, I share some of my ideas on how to achieve sustainable economic development via an interview with Julianne Sloane, co-Founder of Nossa Data—the company which helps organisations reduce the time it takes to carry out ESG reporting. In the interview we discuss how governments can be a catalyst…

  With global demand for food reaching peak levels, and climate change and diminishing farmland impacting food production, Kaihan Krippendorff’s article on the future of agriculture addresses both the issues and possible solutions.  Earlier this year, I met up with a friend for lunch at a restaurant out on the water. As I twirled fettuccine noodles and chunks of New England lobster around my fork, I couldn’t help but appreciate the connections that I’ve been able to form over shared…

  Supriya Prakash Sen shares an article that encourages practical, and wholly necessary, steps towards repairing our ecosystems. This young orphaned monkey looking out at us from the ravaged wasteland behind him is symbolic of the shambles we find ourselves in. However, many complain that there is still no consensus on what the Green New Deal should comprise of for the planet as a whole, or what should be the biggest investment priorities for fixing this rapidly worsening situation. Also,…

  Kaihan Krippendorff addresses corporate responsibility and climate change and why the energy industry is adding environmental practices to business growth strategies. Our planet is facing an uncertain future. The impact of climate change has reached a point of crisis, and it is up to the organizations of today, and to all of us, to take action. This week our guest on the Outthinkers podcast, Michael Raynor, author of The Strategy Paradox and co-author of The Innovator’s Solution, emphasized the…

  Indranil Ghosh takes the pulse of the future and delivers it through the podcast Powering Prosperity Weekly. This week, he interviews Louis Ferro, vertical farming entrepreneur, on vertical farming and the inevitable transformation of agriculture.  You know by now that I’m passionate about companies that are addressing the planet’s major issues, including the climate crisis, population growth and food and water scarcity. My book, Powering Prosperity (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powering-Prosperity-Citizens-Shaping-Century/dp/1642933082), outlines my thoughts on these matters – as do my vlog and…

    As the year  2021 begins, the conversation on climate action and business escalates. One solution that is being explored in more depth is the circular economy. In this article, Ushma Pandya provides concrete suggestions that can help your company take part in the circular economy.  The circular economy is a trending topic these days and it refers to the idea of keeping materials in use instead of disposing them, generally by landfill/incineration. In the media, we find many…

  Indranil Ghosh provides part one of a two-part series on efficacy and impact of ESG investing. This article pertains to the effects of the coronavirus on ESG investing. Five years ago, many people dismissed environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing as a fad because it put purpose alongside profit. But today, ESG investing seems to have become mainstream as global flows into sustainable investing are worth upwards of $4 trillion annually. Furthermore, as the Covid-19 crisis mounted in…

  In this article, Supriya Prakash Sen identifies the priorities that can help put our world back together post COVID-19 and ensure we continue to survive the impending effects of climate change. Solving the Covid-19 crisis should not come at the expense of the Climate. This is a post about why we should solve for the impending Climate Emergency in designing our new world post-pandemic – and the actions that we need to take before it is too late. Many…

  On his weekly podcast, Powering Prosperity Weekly, Indranil Ghosh explores how we can build a more sustainable world through business. In issue 17, he interviews Christian van Maaren, Founder of Excess Materials Exchange, on how the idea of a Circular Economy was born, the benefits, and what is holding back the adoption of this concept.  Over the next few issues, I will be diving into the world of the Circular Economy. But first, let’s take a moment to define…

  Jason George uses the evolution of the aviation industry as a means to explore the cost of risk aversion and how it can stymie growth. Building in every possible contingency as part of a strategy can end up producing something so encrusted with extraneous elements that agility is compromised. Alternatively, it may hew so closely to known and safe paths that it ends up losing the novelty that would make it compelling. If you can’t cut yourself loose from…

There are four good reasons for holding on to a cash-based economy. Tobias Baer reveals the hidden economic benefits and explains why cash is still king. Do we still need cash? More and more stores are going cashless. A whole country—Sweden—is intent on becoming the world’s first cashless nation in 2023. The attraction is the savings from avoiding the substantial handling costs of cash. In many places, increasing numbers of consumers have stopped carrying wallets because their phones have become viable…