Filed under: base of pyramid, finance, sustainable products, technology | Tags: base of pyramid, electricity, emerging markets, rural electrification, solar, sustainable technology, technology transfer
The solar industry is booming, yet its leaders have completely bypassed their largest potential market: the 1.6 billion people without access to electricity worldwide. I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Eckhart at Solar Power International in LA last week, at a panel on emerging markets with the Alliance for Rural Electrification, SolarWorld, and the American Council for Renewable Energy. When asked about the industry’s ignorance of emerging markets, Eckhart replied, “This is a scandal for our industry”. Less than one percent of global production of solar panels are installed in developing countries, yet the potential markets here could prove to be the world’s largest solar markets by 2020.
Filed under: consulting, corporate leadership, finance, strategy, sustainable business | Tags: corporate sustainability, kpmg, linkedin, sustainable business
New study released by ATKearney tracks top performers in the midst of the financial crisis. The winners? Companies committed to sustainability. Just another incentive for professionals to reconsider cutting that sustainability department in the midst of budget cuts. Full report can be downloaded here.
“As companies cut costs to get through the current global economic slowdown, there is often a temptation to abandon recent forays into sustainability. Yet a new A.T. Kearney analysis finds that companies committed to corporate sustainability practices during this slowdown are achieving above-average performance in the financial markets during this slowdown. So before tossing out those sustainability practices and initiatives, it might be wise to first determine the real value of the efforts, especially the possible rewards for staying the course.”
Filed under: corporate leadership, finance | Tags: accountability, economy, finance, legislation, transparency
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them,” claims Einstein. Yet when President Obama proposed a $500,000 cap on executive pay at banks receiving TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) money, the Congressional Oversight Panel noted in its latest report that the US Treasury receives 66 cents worth of toxic assets for every taxpayer dollar spent on bailing out failing banks.
Back to Einstein: can we solve our current economic woes by patching holes in the bucket? No, according to David Korten, author of The Great Turning, who likens our current economic strategies to “treating cancer with Band Aids.” In his new book, Agenda for a New Economy, Koten describes the “phantom wealth” created by the Wall Street economy through economic bubbles, debt pyramids, and predatory lending.
The solution? Shift from a Wall Street economy that creates illusory wealth to a Main Street economy that creates real value, says Korten. He proposes “an economic blueprint for the 21st Century”, based on the business model of BALLE, prioritizing people and planet over profits while still tapping the entrepreneurial energy of Wall Street.
Filed under: finance, sustainable business | Tags: finance sustainability accounting
The International Federation of Accountants recently published a sustainability framework outlining how finance professionals can cut costs and lower their environmental impact simultaneously. Great resource.
Intertek just announced the launch of OpenSRI, the first collaborative web platform on Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at www.opensri.com.
OpenSRI offers a new approach to CSR rating, based on real involvement by stakeholders who will rate the social and environmental performance of companies. This web platform will serve as an innovative and interactive tool to foster dialogue on CSR issues between companies and their stakeholders. OpenSRI will enable industry watchdogs, non profits, shareholders and stakeholders to share information on best and worst practices in the sustainability arena.
The web platform will be accessible free of charge for stakeholders, allowing technical and non-technical users alike to freely post comments on listed companies with the assurance that the highest standards will be upheld by the community and experts participating. (CSR Wire)
