We’re delighted to welcome Sims Metal Management, the global leader in metals and electronics recycling, as our newest member at WBCSD. Founded in 1917, Sims operates more than 200 facilities in 20 countries, employs approximately 5,000 employees globally and is fully committed to closing the loop on recycling for a more sustainable future. By connecting with WBCSD’s network of forward-thinking businesses across a variety of sectors, Sims can make a real impact in global corporate sustainability, especially through the circular economy.

We’re excited to announce that The Food Loss and Waste Action Partnership, led by WBCSD within the Food and Land Use Coalition, has been selected as a P4G Start-Up Partnership. P4G, an initiative that incubates the best ideas for a sustainable, inclusive future, received more than 450 applications from over 80 countries – and we are among the 11 start-ups to receive USD$100,000 in funding as well as expert facilitation support.

The Coalition will build a cross-sector program to reduce food loss and waste in Indonesia and will support partner companies with strategies and practices to implement better storage technologies, improve shipping and distribution, and train staff to help them meet their food loss and waste targets.

The Coalition is supported by a unique combination of partners, including WBCSD, the World Resources Institute and the New Climate Economy. The Coalition expects to invite global agri-food companies with operations in Indonesia to join Olam, the leading member of WBCSD’s working group on food loss and waste in the coalition, along with other companies such as Yara, Rabobank and Syngenta.

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and WBCSD have formed a strategic partnership to facilitate sustainable development of the cement and concrete sectors and their value chains. As part of the new agreement, the work that is currently carried out by the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) will transfer from WBCSD to the GCCA on 1 January 2019, managed out of the GCCA’s London offices.

The CSI was established in 1999 and currently operates under the auspices of WBCSD. It is a global effort by 24 major cement producers to advance sustainable development. Over its 19-year history, the CSI has focused on understanding, measuring, managing and minimizing the impacts of cement production and use by addressing a range of issues including: climate change, fuel use, employee health and safety, airborne emissions, concrete recycling and quarry management. Read more on the announcement.

In conjunction with the close of the public consultation on the Social & Human Capital Protocol, four leading organizations publicly released statements of support for the work of the Social & Human Capital Coalition: the International Integrated Reporting Council, The Natural Capital Coalition, Social Value International and The Roundtable on Product Social Metrics. Together, they demonstrate the need to work collaboratively to overcome systemic issues for the common good. Read the statements, and see how you can get involved here.

Check out this in-depth interview with Prof. Dr. Rodney Irwin, Managing Director of our Redefining Value program. In it, he highlights why sustainability considerations are moving into mainstream business strategy and how working with WBCSD can help business stay ahead.

Since the launch of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2011, the number of laws, national action plans, guidelines, benchmarks and indexes, and action platforms promoting corporate respect for human rights has increased substantially. With the goal of assisting companies in navigating this dynamic and rapidly evolving space and accessing more information on key developments, last week WBCSD released an updated version of the interactive map it first launched two years ago as part of the issue brief “Business & Human Rights: From Principles to Action”.

We are pleased to announce our partnership with Raconteur & The Times to publish this year's “Responsible Business” report, coming out 13 September 2018 (in The Times, print and tablet edition). The report explores environmental risk frameworks, inclusive finance, responsible energy, best practice governance and much more. Check out last year’s report here. If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact the Publisher in charge, Elaine Zhao at ez@raconteur.net or +44 203 877 2802 for more details.