Future 500 Newsletter

June 2013

The bridge between corporations and NGOs

HUMANIZING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIVERSE GROUPS

This June we were pleased to partner with Sustainable Brands for their annual conference in San Diego. The conference motto was from “Revolution to Renaissance” and as Sustainable Brands founder KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz explained, companies no longer strive for less harm, but instead seek to reinvent old business models. Our President and CEO, Bill Shireman, presented a keynote where he discussed how to bring the power of corporations and the purpose of NGOs together to drive genuine systemic change. You can watch

You can find a summary of the conference, written by Future 500’s Communications Manager Kathrin Jansen, on our blog!

Latest News

10 Tips for Stakeholder Engagement with Activists

From toxics to human rights, activists are increasingly focusing on consumer facing brands. With the rise of social media, higher demand for supply chain transparency and increasingly savvy coordination between activist networks, corporations are scrambling to address stakeholder concerns before they bubble into conflict. Danna Pfahl, our VP of Stakeholder Engagement, presents some simple guidelines to help successfully lead your company through conflict with activist stakeholders.

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Not If, But When: Apple and Tax Reform

Future 500’s key advice to corporate executives is to humanize the company. Last month Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was called to testify before Congress on allegations that his company had avoided paying billions in taxes. Cook’s performance was a masterpiece in stakeholder engagement; turning a potential damaging experience for the company into a constructive conversation about the tax code. Future 500’s COO, Erik Wohlgemuth, analyzes Cook’s approach to this conflict and explores what it means for Apple’s future.

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Bill Shireman in Conversation with The Guardian

“Instead of seeking middle ground between left and right, seek for higher ground”, Bill Shireman told Tim Smedley from The Guardian in a recent interview. Bill argues that it is possible to unite Conservatives and Democrats over sustainability, since both groups have more in common than they think –read the full interview here.

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Toward Zero Waste in California

Future 500’s new White Paper,“Beyond 75% Recycling – Towards Zero Waste in California”, details our insights from the Bioplastics Project and provides a high-level policy frame for government, industry and other stakeholders as California embarks on its ambitious plans to sharply reduce its solid waste footprint.Please download the report on our website.

Events

Retail Sustainability Conference 2013

The 2013 Retail Sustainability Conference on September 30 – October 3, in Orlando, Florida, features sessions tailored specifically to professionals throughout the industry. You will have the opportunity to network with other retail professionals and learn how they are using sustainability to achieve corporate goals. Participate in interactive break-out sessions, general sessions, and roundtable discussions focused on environmental compliance, merchandising and sourcing, real estate and facilities, marketing and communications.

In the session Corporate NGO Engagement in Times of Rising Activism, join Future 500’s team as they explore trending issues in the activist network, highlighting the potential risks and opportunities they present for the retail industry and providing tangible examples of how companies can engage productively.