What is the next evolution of corporate action for social good?
This is one of the many questions driving the REDxFUTURES team at the moment.
Why?
Because business is critical to long term, scalable social change.
Business transcends national boundaries (as do complex social issues), possesses powerful assets, resources, capabilities and networks, and touches every part of human life.
In partnership with humanitarian organisations and governments, business holds immense power to shift markets, change systems and generate profound social good.
We are exploring the nature of these transformative cross-sector partnerships, and how they can help us to transcend the scope of influence of our individual organisations and sectors.
As we explore, we are inspired by case studies of businesses moving beyond models of business sustainability that are ‘add-ons’.
We look to businesses that are creating system sustainability instead of reducing unsustainability, creating new measures of business success instead of responding to today’s limited measures, attending to causes of social issues instead of the symptoms, transforming markets and their business instead of making incremental shifts.
These case studies are inspiring us right now.
Nissan Leaf: responding in disasters (2017)
Nissan is positioning their Nissan Leaf electric vehicles (EV’s) to act as mobile emergency backup during natural disasters in Japan: supplying power where and when it is most needed and transporting people in and out of disaster zones. The vehicles can power anything from private homes, to emergency relief centres and sections of hospitals, and can charge cookers, heaters and phones. In a country where natural disasters have profound effects on cities and the people within them, Nissan Leaf has the potential to be transformative in emergency preparation and response.
Watch more.
MyEnergiLifestyle: reducing CO2 in the home (2015)
MyEnergi LifestyleTM is a consumer-facing ecosystem to help American families significantly reduce their electricity bills and CO2 footprint. A partnership between energy and technology businesses, it integrates home appliances, plug-in vehicle technology and solar panels, using low-cost energy hours and solar panels to charge electric vehicles and sensor technology to ensure heating and cooling isn’t used on an empty home. A simple phone app gives everyday people visibility and control over the whole energy ecosystem of their home, from their phone. The initiative is a partnership between Ford, Whirlpool, Sunpower, Eaton, Infineon, Nest and Georgia Tech.
Watch more.
Common Threads Initiative: creating a circular economy for clothes (2011)
Common Threads is a partnership between outdoor brand Patagonia and Ebay, encouraging and guiding people to buy second hand Patagonia clothes instead of new ones. The proposition is backed by Patagonia’s guarantee of the durability of its clothing, to last multiple people’s use. Patagonia positions the initiative as a partnership with its customers to reduce consumption and the environmental harm that comes with it, including landfill. Running for 8 years now, this is a simple example of shifting to a circular economy model, and stepping away from the encouragement of unbridled consumption.
Watch more.
IBM: bringing transparency to mineral supply chains (2019)
IBM is leading a coalition of companies using blockchain technology to drive transparency and ethical-sourcing within minerals supply chains. The coalition was set up in response to issues like blood diamonds and conflict minerals, where mined goods fuel wars and violate human rights. Beyond the companies, the coalition seeks to create an open, industry-wide network to trace and validate minerals, with the first project focusing on Cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The coalition includes Ford Motor, Huayou Cobalt, LG Chem, and RCS Global.
Read more.
Our doors are open. If you are also thinking about or working in this nexus of social good and corporate action, we’d love to have you as part of our network of thinkers and doers. Get in touch at redxfutures@redcross.org.au.
