Future Fit Industries of 'Stuff': Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics
  • Categories
  • Articles
  • Services
  • Story
  • Contact & Newsletter
  • Sign me up!
Latest
  • Latest
  • Oldest
  • Random
  • A to Z

Biz Strategy

Carbon Pricing
Biz StrategyConsumer-ismFinance

A CO2 baseline for all: Tools to footprint, for Individuals to Small Enterprises

February 1, 2022
Large companies and institutional players are challenged to assess and calculate their carbon footprint. But they typically have the means to hire experts – in-house or consultants – and buy licenses of useful tools.This applies similarly to larger-sized SMEs. But what about distinctly small companies or indeed even individuals? How can they get a guesstimate on their carbon footprint, and possibly even some pointers how to do better going forward? Hence, here a short list of such calculators, both for individuals as well as for small companies.
Read More
Carbon Pricing
Biz StrategyFinanceOpinions

Carbon Pricing: A Dilemma to happen. Or: When Ethics meets Market Economy

December 21, 2021
Pricing the ton of carbon is a key matter – more so as an increasing number of companies aim at publicly claiming carbon neutrality. Carbon hence has a price – and this raises the much discussed question: What is a fair (or better: ‘correct’) price for carbon? In this post I present a glimpse of some of the challenges and realities related to the topic. It leaves us with the question: What went wrong in the current system that fundamentally asks us to choose between having to monetarily price natural and societal resources, and a fair, equitable access to these resources specifically for hard hit communities? The question alone should not be even asked. And yet it seems that’s what we’re left with given the current time and age.
Read More
Waves of global disasters - Meme
Biz StrategyGlobalisationGovernance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (4) – Corporate Status Quo: Sand in the eyes of the beholder?

November 16, 2021
Textile Exchange recently launched their (first ever) Biodiversity Insights Report. In itself not a bad idea per se – after all, assessing the staus quo of things is at least a baseline – the report is indeed ‘insightful’ in a number of ways. Most importantly: it raises a lot of questions. Such as: If predominantly large companies are such laggards in all things biodiversity - can you imagine the situation in companies with much less resources? And why are entirely inadequate tools used to measure biodiversity? Are the commitments not just a rehash of climate committments, that only very recently start to show teeth and results?
Read More
Airtime
Biz StrategyOpinions

More Air-Time: Science, scientific-methods, and the scientific discourse

September 28, 2021
"The good thing about Science is that it’s true, whether or not you believe in it." This short quote by astrophysist Neil deGrasse Tyson is fundamental to making true progress specifically in the current times in the sustainability area. Science does not mean 'claim what you want as long as you have some data to go with it'. Instead it means: An approach whereby hard data and insights, together with the methodology how you got there, are transparently and openly provided. To be scuritinzed and - important! - improved upon. A call to give the Scientific Discourse waaaay more airtime in business.
Read More
SDG mountain
Biz StrategyGovernance

Tools for boards: A few goodies, but far between

September 14, 2021
Most companies have had a brush with sustainability (or it’s finance industry lens: ESG) at the very least on an operational level. Not necessarily always voluntarily or out of conviction, mind. Looking at corporate boards however, the picture starts to change – not necessarily to the better. While boards of listed companies may have been forced to look at non-financial disclosure, it is rare that any board has a sound grasp, never mind approach, to all things ESG and sustainability. This is why I list in this post the few tools I am aware of that are specifically targetting and intended to help corporate boards start on the journey towards becoming climate and SDG savvy.
Read More
Illustrated definition of: Joining the Bandwagon.
Biz StrategyOpinions

Scope 3 in consulting: Clear-cut KPI … and yet

September 7, 2021
Most recently I read Ed Gillespie' blog post about the 'Omerta of Consulting' - specifically aimed at sustainability consultants like myself. He makes a very valid point in what he says, and he gives a compelling example of how Scope 3 ('impact of products sold') should be be the one and only KPI that we would be measured against. He's right. At least in principle. But what about all those companies - many of which are SMEs - that are still struggling to even get on the bandwagon of understanding proper sustainability KPIs and their measurement? What is the better - for the climate and society - approach: trying to get them on the bandwagon, or just let them be?
Read More
Measurement Data
Biz StrategyGovernance

KPIs in ESG: Stretch Goal or Lowest Required Hurdle?

August 3, 2021
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. This common sense platitude holds true for a lot of things: Salary, punctuality in trains, inflation. And – of course – sustainability/ESG data. Measuring alone can be complex enough. But there are also incentive systems. And the impact they have on aspirations to deliver results. Where sales targets for instance are as good as always understood as ‘invitation to be exceeded’ (with financial and other bonuses resulting from overachievement) the near opposite holds true for ESG/sustainability related KPIs. And that absolutely must change. For every single person in every single company. KPI priorities must be flipped on their heads.
Read More
Paradox
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Sustainability Standards? Of course! … For everyone else

July 20, 2021
It's a funny state of things: One where investors complain that ESG data is not standardised; where at the same time companies – and notably their boards – complain that investors do not ask for data in a standardised way. And where the very same companies and boards nonetheless prioritise proprietary measurement systems over any other one for their own supply chains and products. It's a paradox. One that is not efficient, effective, or conducive to impact. A call to leave politics to the side, focus in impact, and standardise, standardise, standardise.
Read More
CSR Metric report by industry
Biz StrategyGovernance

Reporting Metrics? A tale of chaos and – maybe? finally? – convergence

July 13, 2021
Reporting on ESG / sustainability dimensions is an issue. One for the executives in a company across all levels of responsibility. And one for the board. For the board indeed even on two accounts, namely: The metric they require to be reported to; and the metric that eventually find their way into publicly disclosed information of some shape or other. Unsurprisingly: How seriously a company takes the ESG issue can be inferred from the extent, poignancy, and quality of their reporting. That again – equally unsurprisingly – says is all about how ESG-savvy their board most likely is. Or, indeed, is not.
Read More
Sustainable Business Leadership in 2030 - Four Scenarios
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Companies & Sustainability: Who leads it? And how?

July 6, 2021
If you’ve ever been part of a bigger discourse about how to scale out sustainability economically and globally, you’ll have been quick to notice that by and large you’ll be faced with representatives of four distinct camps of advocates: The Grassrooters; the 'Setting the tone at the top' people; those in support of government regulation driven by civil society; and the 'Fiduciary Duty Advocates'. But which camp owns the driving leadership role? Funnily enough, that role does get handed around as if it was a game of musical chairs ... or the proverbial hot potato.
Read More
Coaching
Biz StrategyOpinions

Are business coaches the better board directors?

June 29, 2021
Most boards are composed of former or present CEOs, CFO and other C-suite executives. People, hence, with a long track record of ‘getting stuff’ done. A board’s role however is very different from that of an executive: digging deep by asking those overly simple questions that give interesting answers, digging deep into rationales, values, hopes, expectations, shut up doubts, and personal agendas. Which is what good coaches typically do. Are coaches the better board directors?
Read More
Sustainability Funnel - Cost, Compliance
Biz StrategyGovernance

Net Zero Everywhere?!

June 15, 2021
Right now everyone, everything seems to talk about wanting to be come ‘carbon neutral’. Don’t get me wrong: The goal itself – getting to a net zero carbon balance at the very least, and all that on nothing longer than a 2040 trajectory – is a must for every business. But. After Circularity and Regenerative, we’re seemingly right onto the next term in the game of buzzword bingo: Net Zero. Net Zero should be every where indeed. But not as a mere wave to ride in order to catch the next press release headline.
Read More
Questions
Biz StrategyGovernance

Responsible: For what, towards whom, and who indeed is?

June 1, 2021
Corporate responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, ESG. Whatever the terminology there are three fundamental questions that underpin all decisions, actions, strategies in this regard. These questions are strategically relevant for any board of directors. Because they are the basis upon which fiduciary duty is constructed. And: they outline the framework within which the fiduciary duty of a board is bound to evolve over time.
Read More
Rules
Biz StrategyGovernance

‘Rules of Procedures’ of a Corporate Board: In the best interest of …?

May 25, 2021
One of the things usually approved at the constituent board meeting after every company AGM are the board of directors' ‘Rules of Procedure’. What looks, and is often perceived, as a formality though, at close looks carries not just formal weight, but indeed formulates – directly or between the lines – the duties of the board. What do these rules typically enshrine - and what not?
Read More
Transparency
Biz StrategyFinanceFuture Tech

Make it Operational: Transparency, Tangibility, Relevance

May 18, 2021
How do you make ‘sustainability' tangible? The usual answer is – unsurprisingly – a ‘well, it depends’. Which it evidently does. Unfortunately, good case studies are extremely rare to come across. Hence, when I stumbled across such a gem in one of the primary Swiss news papers, I jumped at the opportunity to summarise it for this blog.
Read More
Team Work
Biz StrategyOpinions

Collaboration & Team Work: Buzz or Drag?

May 11, 2021
Collaborations toward a common goal, across organisations, can be one of the most gratifying things we ever may get to experience. Funny enough: Neither collaboration nor team work is something outrageously difficult in principle. If the common and mutually beneficial goal is front and centre. But this is exactly where the hitch is. Some thoughts about the hurdles of genuine collaboration and team work.
Read More
Measure and Manage
Biz StrategyFinanceGovernance

Measurement ≠ Data ≠ Information ≠ Knowledge ≠ Action

May 4, 2021
You can't manage what you can't measure. This often cited quote by Peter Drucker lies at the heart of many things: change management, quality management, staff diversity, environmental footprint, CO2 output … you know it. This is why many millions of dollars, and countless hours, have been invested in creating suitable measurement tools. It's just that: Measurement ≠ Data ≠ Information ≠ Knowledge ≠ Action.
Read More
Peloton Bike Race
Biz StrategyConsumer-ismGlobalisation

Agri Food Industry & Carbon Trajectory: Returns over resilience?

April 20, 2021
Carbon – together with biodiversity – is one of THE most critical dimensions among the Planetary Boundaries. Because the already existing overshoot is putting our civilisation at risk. So far nothing new under the sun. The food and agri sector is - possibly together with the energy sector - one of the most important industries in this regard. Not only does it impact our living environment significantly - by how our food is grown - but also they play a key role to feed our global population. The big elephant in the room is of course: How well or badly do agri food companies perform right now in terms of their carbon footprint? And: Do they have at the least commitments to work on a Paris Agreement trajectory? I look into these questions. Spoiler Alert: There is not much to cheer about. Not at all.
Read More
Mistakes and Learning
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Continuous Learning Mistakes: When time teaches to know better

April 13, 2021
Knowledge and data are two interesting entities: essential for decisions at any one time. And yet evolving with time. And with that, decisions taken some time ago, possibly decades earlier, may prove flawed – in hindsight. But what if years down the road these insights are resurfaced and either proven to be partially or fully inaccurate? What if the nuggets are suddenly being used in a context that has shifted significantly since? What if our best intended and best-possible informed statements of the past are called out years, decades later? A few thoughts on this dilemma.
Read More
Oversimplification
Biz StrategyFuture TechGovernanceOpinions

Keep it Simple Stupid (kiss): Yet – how simple is too simple?

March 30, 2021
The KISS Principle is a design principle that stems from the 1960. It originated in engineering and its view point is that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. But what about complex systems such as nature? How simple can we go before oversimplification results in incomplete, or biased data? Before absence of consideration of relevant factors inherently lead to regrettable substitutions? And before we willingly accept that there will be collateral damages to a decision, without knowing (or wanting to know) of what nature and in what order of magnitude these may be? One example that illustrates where this challenge may rear what is its ugly head: upcoming Swiss political referenda on agricultural practices.
Read More
Load More

Welcome to Shirahime

Future Fit Industries of ‘Stuff’: Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics.

Get in Touch

Join the Newsletter

This is where we share with you the best of what we read, watch, listen to.
Sometimes a month. Never more.


Categories

  • Biz Strategy
  • Book Reviews
  • Brand Portraits
  • Brand Review
  • Circularity
  • Consumer-ism
  • Definitions
  • Finance
  • Future Tech
  • Globalisation
  • Governance
  • Labels
  • Labour
  • Luxury
  • Materials
  • Opinions
  • Supply Chain
  • Trade Shows
  • Uncategorized

Archives

Industries of 'Stuff': Turning the Tide on Consumer Goods. From Textiles to Food and Finance.
  • Legal notices
  • Data Privacy Policy
  • Contact & Newsletter
  • Cookie Policy (EU)
  • Categories
    • Biz Strategy
    • Book Reviews
    • Brand Portraits
    • Brand Review
    • Circularity
    • Consumer-ism
    • Definitions
    • Finance
    • Future Tech
    • Globalisation
    • Governance
    • Labels
    • Labour
    • Luxury
    • Materials
    • Opinions
    • Trade Shows
    • Supply Chain
  • Story
  • Services
  • Contact & Newsletter
  • Sign me up!

Categories

  • Biz Strategy
  • Book Reviews
  • Brand Portraits
  • Brand Review
  • Circularity
  • Consumer-ism
  • Definitions
  • Finance
  • Future Tech
  • Globalisation
  • Governance
  • Labels
  • Labour
  • Luxury
  • Materials
  • Opinions
  • Supply Chain
  • Trade Shows
  • Uncategorized
Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close
supply chain Ethical Fashion Analysis innovation resource savvy
See all results

Join the Newsletter

This is where we share with you the best of what we read, watch, listen to. Sometimes once a week. Never more.


Join the Newsletter

This is where we share with you the best of what we read, watch, listen to. Sometimes once a month. Never more.


Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}