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One of the many concerns emerging as Russia threatens Ukraine with an invasion is the effect that an invasion could have on supply chains. While shipping concerns are far from the priority when it comes to a potential Russian invasion, they do point to that strain manufacturers and retailers have been feeling for a couple of years as they have adapted to supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.

Here’s one indicator of the strain burdening supply chains: It now takes cargo about 110 days to travel across the oceans — a journey that averaged 40 to 50 days in 2019, Levy reported. But every segment of the global logistics sector could be affected should a worst-case scenario occur in Ukraine.

For example, air cargo is vital for the fast fashion and consumer electronics supply chains, is most likely to be affected, according to Philip Levy, chief economist for the global logistics firm Flexport, said during a recent National Press Foundation briefing.

Traceability: A strong foundation for a resilient supply chain

The good news is that businesses have ways to defend themselves from becoming victims to continued supply chain disruptions.

Visibility is key. Some companies now monitor sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as social welfare, across their supply chains to avoid risks to compliance with laws, stakeholder demands and company targets.

There has been a movement in the corporate world toward putting more emphasis on sustainability. A 2020 survey of supply chain executives from Bain and Company and the World Economic Forum revealed that sustainability has had the greatest growth as a priority across industries in recent years, in comparison with more of a focus on resilience, reliability and efficiency. Those companies that have already invested in sustainable supply chains have a leg up on resilience. It turns out that the visibility and traceability necessary to sustainability benefit more than sustainability goals. Bain and Company found that these abilities were correlated with more competitive supply chains in general.

A supply chain that is well understood can help reduce unforeseen risks of all sorts, not just those related to unexpected disruptions, climate or labor rights. Almost 80 percent of supply chain executives recently surveyed by McKinsey and Company said the pandemic has taught them that they need to increase their supply chain visibility by investing in digital planning. Visibility gives companies the needed information to make wise decisions, they say.

Companies that collect and monitor data about their suppliers can choose manufacturers and shipping companies that use efficient, careful and just practices and shepherd companies that aren’t, catching problems before they arise. The benefits extend beyond sustainability and resiliency to company reliability and efficiency. Bain and Company provides an example from Dole Food Company, which has decreased the time it takes to conduct recalls and food safety investigations from weeks to a few seconds using blockchain. Despite these benefits, the study found that over 85 percent of executives felt they weren’t able to consistently trace their supplies.

Supply chain visibility isn’t a matter of stakeholder pressure anymore

A couple of years ago, a company’s stakeholders, such as governments, customers and investors, that were raising their voices about the importance of monitoring supply chains. These days, companies don’t need a reminder to take action. As we’ve seen repeatedly, semiconductors have been in the headlines. Companies are taking a hit in their stocks because of shortages due to chemical contamination during manufacturing. Some florists are seeing flower shortages ahead of Valentine’s Day. To make a long story short, supply chains are still struggling. The pandemic, it seems, only uncovered weaknesses that have been lying under the surface.

Of course, there isn’t a single action a company can take to prevent every hiccup, but in a recent article, Forbes summarized an approach that won’t lead companies astray: Better supply chain management is imperative and can anticipate many issues before they arise.

“You don’t have to wait until something bad happens,” Aaron Alpeter, founder and principal of supply chain and operations firm Izba Consulting, told Forbes. “You should be partnering with your suppliers, knowing what’s going on in their business.”

Image credit: Venti Views via Unsplash

With alarm bells on the climate crisis sounding left and right, it is easy to lose hope. It seems as though we’re sleepwalking into the abyss. But more sustainable investing can offer a path forward.

Yet, we do have one last shot to turn this around. Astronomical levels of capital have been put behind climate-aligned investing. Sustainable bonds are the fastest growing section of the bond market. And with the global value of ESG assets under management is expected to reach $50 trillion by 2025, there is, theoretically, enough money to invest in clean solutions to reverse the climate crisis if their upward trajectory continues apace.

This is our best chance to save ourselves. Therefore, we need to make sure that these socially conscious investments actually yield substantial emissions reductions.

We can start by making greenwashing much harder and less common. “Sustainable” efforts that sound exciting but don’t yield results get a lot of attention. Carbon offsetting by major polluters–the lodestone of countless corporate sustainability marketing efforts–are not getting the job done. ESG commitments that are labeled “climate-friendly” need standards that demonstrate they actually are.

By the same token, the United Nations must hold its financial alliance members accountable, with stricter guardrails. Entrance into this elite club, and the positive publicity that comes with it, is contingent upon the commitment and deadline to meet emissions reduction targets. Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero members are required to publish emissions information within a year of setting their targets. Investors certainly make us all aware of their pledges (through press releases and grand announcements) but it’s the U.N.’s duty to track follow through.

For the values-based bondholders specifically, accomplishments and sustainability efforts must be more transparent. The sustainable part of the financial commitment is voluntary and non-binding. With nothing legally holding parties accountable for their sustainability practices, we need a clearer standard by which lenders can evaluate bondholders.

Hence the case for more of a focus on sustainable investing.

Investors should not only reconsider current investments, but actively pursue new opportunities to fund research and development. Those with financial power would be wise to put their money toward incubators, those really shaking things up. I’d encourage banks and stakeholders to actively seek out companies and parties going beyond zero, creating more energy than they consume.

Ultimately, financial institutions must take aggressive climate action because they have the power and responsibility to do so. Data shows banks are largely responsible for the climate crisis due to their investments in fossil fuels, particularly the small group of 100 companies commonly blamed for 70 percent of global emissions. Well-meaning financial power players will work to atone for this (either to save face or out of genuine concern).

Most major financial institutions have completed only the first step, making the commitments to protect the climate. But commitments are cheap. With the right transparency and data, the next several years will determine which will actually follow through to the next, most important steps. Trends are pointing toward sustainable investing, but we need a clear vision of how this plays out. Most importantly, we must supercharge innovation and work to connect those with financial power to those with brain power.

That takes resources, sure. But it requires transparency and results most of all. It is results that will make ESG investing more than a fad; it is results that will make ESG investing our savior.

Interested in having your voice heard on 3p? Contact us at editorial@3BLMedia.com and pitch your story idea to us.

Image credit via Unsplash

Six and a half million dollars.

That’s how much a 30-second block of advertising costs during this past Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI, up $1 million from last year. Several companies are using their airtime to highlight their sustainability or corporate responsibility initiatives and/or latest eco-friendly offerings. And they are using classic Super Bowl ad ingredients – humor, nostalgia, A-list celebrities, astonishing special effects and, yes, even cute CGI animals – to do so! Here’s a look at six of these six commercials that aired yesterday, all of which can be seen on YouTube.

Hellmann’s – Last year, Hellmann’s used its first-ever Super Bowl commercial to introduce its campaign to end food waste. This year, the mayonnaise brand has tapped Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson and former football player and linebackers coach Jarod Mayo (yes, that’s his actual name) to share the same message: Transforming leftovers can minimize unnecessary food waste. In addition to the commercial, Hellmann’s has launched the four-week Fridge Night Challenge, a website and app encouraging families to eliminate food waste at home by using up what is in their refrigerators.

BMW – At least half a dozen car companies highlighted their latest electric and hybrid models in 2022 Super Bowl LVI spots. In BMW’s ad, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek Pinault play Zeus and Hera, now settling in to retired life in Palm Springs with the help of their electric BMW iX. Keep an eye out for Peggy, their pet Pegasus and my new favorite CGI animal. And warning – you may have “Electric Avenue” stuck in your head the rest of the evening after watching this ad.

General Motors – Like the Super Bowl halftime show, General Motors’ spot brought a late 90’s favorite into 2022 – in this case, Austin Powers trilogy archnemesis Dr. Evil. The premise of the commercial is that the villain has just bought GM, and his henchmen convince him that he should use GM’s EV technology to combat climate change, the greatest threat of all. The ad stars Mike Myers, Rob Lowe, Seth Green and Mindy Sterling, all reprising their roles from the trilogy.

Nissan – Nissan’s commercial is part Schitt’s Creek, part Fast and the Furious, and part Marvel blockbuster. In other words, it’s the greatest mash-up we never knew we needed. The minute-long ad stars Eugene Levy, and features Catherine O’Hara, the Moira to Levy’s Johnny Rose, along with several members of the Marvel universe. While the ad mainly focuses on the Nissan Z Coupe, O’Hara can be seen driving the all-electric Ariya model.

Kia – Kia’s ad is probably my favorite on this list. It also focuses on the latest EV in the car company’s lineup, but it separates itself from the others by also promote animal adoption. The commercial follows a robotic puppy looking for a home. The dog is rescued and his battery is recharged thanks to a Kia EV6 owner (played by Mad Men and The Bold Type actor Sam Page). According to a press release from Kia, this commercial is part of an ongoing campaign between Kia’s Accelerate the Good Program and the Petfinder foundation. The campaign will also include augmented reality and Tiktok projects to help spread awareness for animal shelters.

Salesforce – “So while the others look to the metaverse and Mars, let’s stay here and restore ours.” So says Matthew McConaughey in the opening to Salesforce’s new commercial, in which the actor (and Salesforce brand advisor) opts to stay on earth and make a difference here rather than journey into outer space. The statement is a not-so-subtle reference to Mark Zuckerburg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. In an interview with Variety, McConaughey said, “Hopefully businesses will see this [commercial] and are urged and nudged to make a commitment to making life here on Earth more fair, equal and sustainable.”

The ad is part of Salesforce’s new #TeamEarth campaign, which highlights the tech company’s corporate responsibility initiatives while encouraging public participation. Through #TeamEarth, people can learn about creating climate action plans, preventing unconscious bias, designing accessible and inclusive products, and more.

Image credit: Troutfarm27 via Wiki Commons

Global plastic production shows zero signs of slowing down — in fact, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) estimates the amount of plastic manufactured each year is equal to the weight of all humans on Earth. Hence more policymakers and citizens are pushing for bolder action to occur at an international scale if society hopes to take on its mounting waste problem. To that end, talks for a global plastics treaty are scheduled to start on Feb. 28 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Even though diplomats are still sorting out how they would frame any global plastics treaty talks in the first place, environmental organizations including Greenpeace are already reporting a win.

As reported on several newswires, the Coca-Cola Company has announced that it will seek to have 25 percent of its packaging be reusable by 2030. 

“We continue to put consumers at the center of all we do,” Elaine Bowers Coventry, Coke’s chief customer and commercial officer, said in a public statement. “One way to do that is by offering sustainable packaging types. Accelerating use of reusable packages provides added value for consumers and customers while supporting our World Without Waste goal to collect a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030.”

Additional changes the company has promised this decade include: make all primary customer packaging recyclable by 2025; incorporate 50 percent recycled materials within all packaging by 2030; and “bring people together to support a healthy, debris-free environment.”

That last point can come across as vaguer than vague, but Coke has hinted that a strategy the company will use is aligned with the work of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), which has long touted the benefits of a circular economy. For example, EMF has suggested that converting 20 percent of plastic packaging into reusable and circular models adds up to a $10 billion business opportunity.

“Reusable packaging is among the most effective ways to reduce waste, use fewer resources and lower our carbon footprint in support of a circular economy,” said Ben Jordan, Coca-Cola’s senior director of packaging and climate. “We will continue to highlight markets that are leading the way with reusable packaging best practices, and to support other markets as they increase their use of reusable packaging.”

Environmental organizations have viewed Coke’s efforts — and those of its competitors as well as consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies more broadly — in a much different light.

Global Brand Audit, for example, has called Coke the world’s top polluter for the fourth consecutive year. The group’s most recent report lists the top 10 “corporate plastics polluters," and it's a who’s-who of several of the world’s most recognizable brands: PepsiCo, Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Mondelēz, Philip Morris International, Danone, Mars and Colgate Palmolive.

Each of these companies has announced its own plan to move forward on more circular and sustainable packaging. Unilever, for example, announced a year ago that it will collect more plastic than it sells by mid-decade. Danone and several other brands on the list have said that all of their packaging will be compostable, recyclable or reusable by 2025. The awareness is there.

As for any action? Environmental groups allege that such commitments aren’t moving the needle, which in turn begs for the need of a global plastics treaty. Meanwhile, companies realize that consumers are becoming more conscious about the growing plastics crisis — one that the global pandemic piled on, literally.

Greenpeace certainly welcomed Coke’s announcement, with an email release inferring that the environmental activist group’s online campaign was a factor in the beverage giant’s announcement. The organization’s activists were pushing for an even higher percentage of reusable materials than the one to which Coke committed, but for now Greenpeace is taking this week’s news as a sign of encouragement.

“Do we need Coke to do more by committing to 50 percent reusable packing by 2030? Yes!” wrote Greenpeace USA’s Kate Melges. “But for a company that sells 120 billion plastic bottles a year, this news sets a powerful precedent for other big brands, like Pepsi, Unilever and Nestlé, to follow suit.”

Image credit: Brian Yurasits via Unsplash

It’s not easy for a spirits company to pull off a corporate responsibility strategy — just look at what they distill and sell. Nevertheless, Bacardi has long succeeded on moving forward along this path at many levels. On environmental challenges, for example, the company has rolled out ideas such as selling its rum in compostable bottles and looking to address the problem of plastic ocean waste. When it comes to social issues, Bacardi has launched employment programs that make sense for the brand: After all, a good mixologist can make plenty of coin, and it's a far more promising career than being stuck in the gig economy. Now, the company is taking on a different challenge, as in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

This week, Bacardi announced its rum brand will slash its GHGs by half next year. Driving this reduction is a combined heat and power system (CHP) that is slated to launch next year at the brand’s rum distillery in Puerto Rico.

What’s significant about a CHP system? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for example, touts CHP technology for its ability to generate electricity and then capture what would otherwise be wasted heat. The result is thermal power that can be used for cooling, hot water, space heating and powering industrial processes.

With about two-thirds of the energy created by conventional electricity generation lost in the form of heat discharged into the atmosphere, CHP can assist with curbing that waste. On average, CHP systems can be 80 percent efficient, compared with conventional technologies, which on average are only approximately 50 percent efficient.

Bacardi’s pledge checks several boxes. First, this emissions pledge will help the company meet its overall energy reduction goals, which include a 50 percent cut in emissions by 2025. For the company’s brand reputation, this shift in Puerto Rico, along with Bacardi’s other plans to tackle environmental challenges, can win the loyalty of consumers who are increasingly pushing brands to do more on the sustainability front. Further, this switch to a CHP system helps nudge Puerto Rico away from a fossil fuel-heavy energy portfolio. The U.S. Energy Information Service (EIA) concludes that 37 percent of the commonwealth’s electricity needs currently come from petroleum.

Image credit: Anders Nord via Unsplash

In this day and age of labor shortages, leading corporations are scrambling to attract top talent – or, for that matter, any talent. Now they can count on a new tool. A new survey commissioned by the business organization Civic Alliance shows that more employees expect civic engagement from their companies, and its updated Corporate Civic Playbook provides an easy-to-follow handbook of best practices from some of the best-known brands in the U.S. That includes get-out-the-vote, i.e. GOTV efforts.

Getting out the vote is good for business

Civic Alliance formed in 2020 to assist corporate get-out-the-vote efforts in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Corporate GOTV efforts are nothing new, but the 2020 campaign cycle was very different than any other program, and the members of the Civic Alliance faced a unique challenge.

Months before Election Day 2020, former President Trump began issuing a steady drumbeat of accusations regarding the reliability of U.S. elections. In effect, he primed his supporters to cry foul unless the results showed that he won.

Considering the high level of emotion triggered for months on end by the former president, the baseless fraud allegations could have rippled back with negative impacts on the corporate members of Civic Alliance. However, no boycott movements of any consequence emerged during or after the campaign.

In fact, Civic Alliance members have emerged stronger than ever. A new analysis undertaken by the organization demonstrates a clear linkage between civic engagement and bottom-line performance.

“…publicly-traded companies that were active in civic engagement in the 2020 elections and the crucial moments afterward significantly outperformed the market,” the organization explains. “Civic Alliance’s analysis found these companies were more profitable, grew faster, and were perceived as more valuable to investors than the overall S&P 500.”

GOTV and the race for top talent

The connection between corporate GOTV efforts and bottom-line benefits still requires more analysis. Nevertheless, by demonstrating the concurrence of financial performance, Civic Alliance has provided employers with a strong basis upon which to attract and retain top talent.

Civic Alliance released its S&P analysis along with a survey of its corporate members, including such luminaries as Microsoft, the NBA, Starbucks, Levi Strauss & Co., MTV, Old Navy, Salesforce, Snap Inc., Under Armour and The Estée Lauder Companies. The survey results showed a strong correlation between employee expectations and civic performance.

According to the survey, 65 percent of Civic Alliance members reported that their employees expect them to “be active in civic engagement.”

Those members have certainly come through on GOTV efforts. An overwhelming majority of corporations in the survey – 94 percent – provided their employees with time off to vote in 2020, a key component of the Civic Alliance GOTV strategy.

In addition, almost 100 percent of those companies plan to repeat the time off strategy in 2022.

There is no single solution to the labor shortage, but the survey indicates that corporations can raise their GOTV profile to attract the attention of job seekers who value civic engagement in a hyper-competitive market.

Fighting the next insurrection

Providing employees with time off to vote represents a next-level step for corporate GOTV efforts. In past election years, corporate employees could expect little more than public service announcements and voter education pamphlets from their employer during election season. Civic Alliance, along with the organization Time to Vote, raised the bar exponentially by encouraging corporations to provide their employees with the cash value of time off to vote.

Both Civic Alliance and Time to Vote have grown since 2020. With some corporations joining both, the member rolls of the two organizations now number 1,250 and 1,960 respectively.

Considering the number and force of the voter suppression efforts undertaken by Republican state legislators after the failed insurrection, they will have their work cut out for them during the crucial 2022 mid-term elections.

By the summer of 2021, it was becoming obvious that Republican legislators were aiming to deny the votes of Democratic-leaning citizens in future elections, accomplishing by law what the insurrectionists failed to do by violence earlier that year.

Getting out the vote with action, not just words

Unfortunately, the corporate response to the 2021 insurrection wavered at the outset, and so far it has proved ineffectual.

As chronicled by independent journalist Judd Legum in his newsletter, Popular Information, many corporations that pledged to withdraw their donations from insurrection-supporting Republican lawmakers followed through. However, stopping up the corporate money funnel does not go far enough. Savvy, connected politicians can make up the difference through individual contributions and dark money conduits.

Civic Alliance is on a mission to go beyond the corporate funding strategy. It released the data and survey results in tandem with its updated Corporate Civic Playbook, which provides case studies of member companies’ efforts in support of voter participation and other democracy-building strategies.

The playbook also provides guidance on strategies for engaging customers and investors as well as employees.

New challenges for Civic Alliance and GOTV efforts

Tools like the playbook can make a significant difference in voter turnout. However, business leaders who are serious about encouraging voter participation need to be aware that Democratic-leaning voters are facing new challenges in 2022, and not just on account of new legal obstacles.

This year, the Election Day threat is physical violence, and it will happen unless business leaders work with civic officials to prevent it.

Voters in the U.S. have periodically faced outright violence and murder on a mass scale from the Civil War on through to the 1960s, and there is no reason to believe it cannot happen in the 21st century.

The ominous signs are building in the loosening of gun laws, especially in states that have been tightening voting laws, but that is not the only threat.

The weaponizing of vehicles became commonplace during the Trump administration, and the trend has continued since then. In contrast to rallies and protests undertaken by marchers on the ground, former President Trump’s supporters and other extremists have become notorious for vehicle-enabled acts of violence. The murder of Heather Heyer by car during a white supremacist rally in 2017 was just one in a string of incidents, encouraged by the former president, in which convoys of pickup trucks and SUVs have invaded public spaces and served as platforms for harassing and attacking local citizens.

The weeks-long takeover of the capital of Canada by a mob of truck drivers has already inspired a loud buzz of social media chatter encouraging similar acts in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The potential for extremists to disrupt local polling places on a mass scale, by intimidating voters and blocking traffic, is all too real. Corporate leaders should not take a peaceful Election Day for granted during this election cycle, or any other.

Image credit: Manny Becerra via Unsplash

The apparel industry produces 10 percent of all humanity's carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world's water supply. To that end, one survey found that around 88 percent of consumers would like brands to help them make more ethical choices when it comes to shopping. Nevertheless, an overwhelming amount of misleading information makes shopping with a conscience a challenge for many consumers. That is why the new ethical app, Good On You, has made it its mission to expose the impact that retail brands have on the environment and society whilst providing transparency to the buyer.

Joining Good On You on this journey is the global shopping and payments service Klarna. The pair have teamed up to create a sets of sustainable apparel collections within the Klarna app. Both companies believe that their partnership will help customers make informed shopping decisions with actionable insights.

Good On You is a mobile and web app that was founded in Australia in 2015. The app works by providing ratings on the impact clothing apparel has on the planet, people and animals. It then proceeds by presenting an overall valuation which ranges from “great” to “we avoid.” To derive accurate ratings, Good On You sources its information from brands, parent companies, and robust third-party indices such as the Fashion Transparency Index and CDP Climate Change. Together, Good On You has collected more than 500 data points per brand across more than 100 key sustainability issues, indicators and standards systems.

The researchers at Good On You have already revealed fashion companies that are demonstrating a phlegmatic response to the climate emergency. For example, leading fashion brands, such as Hollister and Victoria's Secret, have shown, according to Good On You, little or no evidence to minimize textile waste, hazardous chemicals or reduce water reduction initiatives. Ranking among the largest fashion retail brands in the world, brands like these have the potential to be driving forces behind solutions for climate change.

Not only is Good On You exposing the slow responses from leading fashion brands, but also the ones that are the organization says are misleading.  In 2019, one of the biggest fast fashion retail brands in the world, Boohoo, launched its “Sustainable Collection” and stated that the materials used were “recycled.” The company also made the claim that “dressing more sustainably has never been so easy!” However, after sourcing detailed information on Boohoo’s new collection, Good On You later revealed that amongst the materials being used was acrylic, which is a type of plastic that is notoriously difficult to recycle. Furthermore, a lot of the items in Boohoo’s collection cost under $13 to $14 (approximately £10), which begs the question, how much are the workers who make the brand’s apparel being paid?            

Kathy Kearns, Head of Enterprise at Good On You, recently stated:

“The fashion industry urgently needs to make progress to address its impacts on people and the planet. At Good On You, we believe that shoppers have significant power to hold brands accountable, but with pervasive greenwashing, it can be challenging for consumers to see through all the sustainability spin.”

If apparel brands desire to be included on indices including the new Sustainable Collections launched by Klarna and Good On You, then they will have to move away from the industry’s conventional approach to business, and invest more resources into improving their environmental and societal impacts.

Both Good On You and Klarna share the belief that these new collections will provide shoppers with easy access to finding sustainable brands and help customers make more ethical and responsible decisions. The collections follow the launch of Klarna's carbon emissions tracker last year, which the organization set up to provide shoppers with access to carbon footprint insights and the average carbon footprint for each purchase they make. This year, Klarna plans to expand the tracker to include CO2 emissions at the product level, enabling like-for-like comparisons on specific items.         

David Sandström, Chief Marketing Officer at Klarna, added, “Our vision is to empower consumers to vote with their wallets to enact change. As a first step, we gave users insights into the environmental impact of their shopping with our CO2 tracker. Now, we are giving consumers powerful tools to act on this knowledge and inform their shopping choices.”

The first set of collections features 23 clothing brands, including Asket, Pangaia, Lucy & Yak, Mara Hoffman and Nudie Jeans. All of the brands included in Klarna’s Sustainable Collections today, and in the future, will have received top scores from Good On You for their sustainability track records. You can peruse through the apparel collections here.

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In the era of climate-related power outages and overstrained electrical grids, the Ford Motor Company has adopted a civic service angle within its electric vehicle (EV) marketing strategy. Instead of simply pitching the zero-emission benefit of its popular F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, Ford is encouraging Lightning owners to deploy their EV battery for the good of the entire community as well as themselves.

Electric vehicles and grid stability

Utilities have long recognized that EV batteries can work two ways: they can both receive and discharge electricity. Normally the discharged electricity makes the EV run. A home can also run lights and other appliances from an EV battery, assuming that the vehicle and home are both equipped for that. In effect, the EV battery can serve as a zero-emission emergency generator.

The two-way feature provides utilities with a powerful new tool for preventing strain on the grid. They can encourage EV owners to charge up during periods of low demand, and deploy their battery at home to help reduce demand on the grid during peak periods.

The civic duty of the pickup owner, with solar power

Auto marketers have long associated pickup trucks with personal independence and a willingness to pitch in when someone needs help. Ford transplanted that legacy onto EV territory when it introduced the Lightning F-150 electric pickup truck last year, and now it is adding a rooftop solar angle as well.

In a press release dated February 2, Ford announced that it has partnered with the leading solar company Sunrun as the preferred installer for Ford's home charging station and energy management system. In addition to enabling home appliances to run from a Lightning EV battery, the system can also integrate rooftop solar panels.

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Ford also used the announcement to introduce the idea that EV owners can help prevent grid strain, by using their battery strategically.

"In the future, Ford will introduce additional F-150 Lightning features to help customers potentially save money and take pressure off the electric grid during peak usage,” Ford explained.  “Ford Intelligent Power, for example, will allow customers to power their homes with their truck’s battery when electricity rates are higher, while charging the truck when rates are lower – or from their own solar-powered rooftop.”

Ford also broadened the civic service theme to encompass improving grid stability and resilience nationwide.

“This load shift can also help buffer the load on the nation’s grid and help reduce the use of higher carbon energy without affecting daily routines or charging schedules,” Ford emphasized.

Although Ford did not mention coal or natural gas power plants by name, the mention of reducing “higher carbon energy” is a clear reference to fossil power plants in general and gas peaker plants in particular.

That’s an interesting point because gas peaker plants are designed to cycle on during periods of high demand. Clean power advocates have made the point that a combination of energy storage and renewable energy can replace peaker plants, and Ford has subtly invited F-150 Lightning customers to assist with that movement.

With certain caveats, Ford estimates that the average U.S. home could run off the F-150 Lightning extended-range battery for up to three days. The solar-plus-storage element kicks that up to an impressive 10 days, which makes a good case for EV owners to install rooftop solar panels if they are in a position to do so.

Ford, energy independence and the can-do spirit

Ford’s February 2 announcement did not neglect the self-interest angle. The company highlighted how EVs can contribute to independence and self-reliance.

"Truck owners are used to tapping a variety of features – torque, towing capability and more – to get things done,” Ford explained. “Now, with the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, Ford is the first in the U.S. to offer the ability for customers to power their homes with an electric truck when the grid goes dark, providing innovative new capabilities that enhance the energy independence of its customers.”

Reclaiming clean power and saving lives

By emphasizing the “energy independence” angle, Ford put a personalized stamp on a theme that has long been associated with national clean energy policy through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

The Energy Independence Act aimed to wean the U.S. from dependency on fossil energy, partly by improving on old technology and partly by increasing the availability of clean power.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration replaced the theme of independence with “energy dominance.” In practice, that meant touting fossil energy at the expense of renewables. The danger of that approach is well known, both on the level of global climate change and on community impacts when fossil power systems fail.

Those community impacts were on full display in Texas last February, when hundreds of deaths were attributed to a days-long, widespread grid failure. Fossil energy stakeholders blamed the outages on the state’s renewable energy resources, but a University of Texas study reflects the consensus of experts. All power systems were impacted to some extent, but the storm revealed especially significant failures and shortcomings in the state’s network of natural gas power plants, including fuel transportation and storage as well as power generation. Renewable energy is the solution, not the problem.

More bottom-line benefits for EV owners

Ford also underscores a key bottom line advantage of deploying an EV battery for home use.

The home energy storage trend has been catching on quickly, and it is sure to keep growing as ratepayers seek alternatives to noisy, polluting gas or diesel emergency generators. The need for reliable power at home includes small business owners who work from home, remote workers, and the self-employed.

Home battery systems are expensive, but Ford makes the point that EV owners don't necessarily need to invest in a battery to install at home, since they already have one in their vehicle.

Ford positions its Intelligent Backup Power system for the F-150 Lightning as a superior alternative to both home batteries and fossil-powered generators.

"The F-150 Lightning extended-range battery system can store 131 kilowatt-hours of energy and deliver up to 9.6 kilowatts of power in a cleaner, quieter, more efficient way versus gasoline-powered generators, and with greater capacity than many wall battery units," Ford explains, emphasizing that the "F-150 Lightning can also offer lower-cost energy storage in a product customers already own – their truck."

Restoring civility

For all the bottom-line benefits of deploying EV batteries for home use, it is refreshing to see Ford focus attention on the civic services that EVs can provide. In adopting that marketing strategy, Ford has the potential to cultivate a new generation of car owners who take civic responsibility to heart.

Clearly, the time has come for leading automakers to take action on the civic front. From the series of noisy “Trump Train” demonstrations featuring tricked out SUVs and pickups, to a white supremacist running down Heather Heyer with his car, to the ongoing occupation of downtown Ottawa by truck drivers, vehicles have become a right-wing weapon of choice for disrupting communities, attacking counter-protestors and wreaking mayhem.

Ford has begun to craft a counterbalance, and there are many more opportunities for other automakers to follow.

Image credit via Ford Media Center

The latest job reports show that even more U.S. workers have quit their jobs, giving further fuel to the flames that many of us have been calling the Great Resignation.

We know the narrative: Whether they work in low-paying food service jobs or at marquee tech companies — or within organizations that have a pay scale somewhere in between — employees have been making their feelings heard loud and clear. To quote the classic line from the 1976 film, Network, millions have pretty much said, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

It’s been a labor transition that hasn’t been kind toward too many Americans. The pandemic made it very difficult for women to balance life and work. Evidence also suggests that many people of color have felt as if they had to stay in jobs they hate for a bevy of reasons, financial and cultural.

At a macro level, however, it turns out that many people who quit their jobs actually found other positions that paid higher and where they were also treated better. As Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, recently observed on Twitter: Maybe we shouldn't be calling it the Great Resignation, but rather the Great Upgrade. 

“Companies are paying higher wages, offering signing bonuses and adjusting schedules to attract and retain talent. A growing number of companies now pay student debt benefits, hoping to keep good workers from hopping to other employers,” reporter Christine Romans recently wrote for CNN Business. “The opportunity for American workers has never been greater, and they're getting rewarded for quitting.”

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That reality hasn’t been lost on such financial giants as Goldman Sachs, which has advised companies that the ongoing competition for labor will still be fierce, and companies will have to respond in kind — as in, with compelling pay and benefits packages.

“The Great Resignation may have been a big story of 2021, but the numbers show that for those willing to commit, many companies have been sweetening the deal more than they have in the past,” staff writer Raisa Bruner wrote for Time last month.

To be clear, this rising tide isn’t lifting all boats. Bruner noted that employees working in professional services and information technology overall cite impressive pay raises, for example, while the opposite is true across the leisure and hospitality sectors.

More companies are responding with more perks and higher pay, but that won’t solve all of the challenges they face in the workplace, where employees (ahem) aren’t going to take it anymore. For example, the hard work on the inclusiveness and diversity fronts still isn’t done. One 31-year-old Black man summed it all up during a recent interview with the Atlanta Black Star, suggesting organizations need to go beyond pledges and take action: “I’m like, why not just talk to your employees, talk to us like we’re people.”

Image credit: Israel Andrade via Unsplash

Tech nonprofits keep stepping in where companies aren’t. And more opportunities within the nonprofit space keep appearing.

The demand for nonprofit programs and services had already increased before the COVID-19 pandemic began. And during the pandemic, 26 percent of social service nonprofits reported revenue growth; that data illustrate the increasing demand for education, food assistance and other services.

A unique benevolent type of nonprofit has emerged to help solve the problems amplified by the pandemic. Fast Forward, a tech nonprofit startup accelerator, knows this. It works with nonprofits with technology at the core of their impact models and provides funding, mentorship and network support.

In a recent interview with TriplePundit, Fast Forward’s executive director, Shannon Farley, explained why tech nonprofits are booming right now and why this combination of sectors is profitable and can help drive solutions.

How tech nonprofits seize opportunities in market failures

This is an opportune time for tech nonprofits because they can meet increasing demands with an easy, accessible tool that is central to their solutions. “Technology has become so much cheaper and there is a generation of founders who grew up with a phone in their pockets,” said Farley. “The problems are so big; they require technology to reach scale.”

The pandemic has amplified issues of access, resources and equity across industries. Disrupted supply chains, and a decreased demand in tourism, the travel sector and other industries have had impacts both businesses and consumers. Right now, governments are tasked with managing the reopening and closure of essential public services, providing supportive policies for businesses and delivering social assistance. While authorities juggle multiple priorities on a high-level, tech nonprofits can deliver solutions directly to communities.

Scaling impact

According to Farley, tech nonprofits can thrive in areas like health care, mental health and education where there are market failures. These failures include cost challenges and last-minute emergency responses.

Considering these trends, Fast Forward is helping startups network and build connections. After learning that almost half of Americans can't cover emergencies up to $400, Ronnie Washington, with support from different partnering organizations, launched Onward in 2016. This platform encouraged low-wage employees to start personal savings plan. After working with Fast Forward, the employee benefit platform won the $25,000 BlackRock Employee Choice Award, gained mentorship connections with Google, and received a $1 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to name a few milestones.

In 2021, the accelerator introduced The Fast Forward Academy to teach social entrepreneurs about businesses models, raising capital and building organizational culture. A recent example of its impact is Almost Fun.

The organization’s founder, Lisa Wang, launched Almost Fun, a digital library of math lessons to help middle school and college students understand math. In 2021, the platform served over a million students. Almost Fun has also partnered with Snap, the results of which included more students accessing the library’s math resources on the social media app.  

Where are tech nonprofits headed?

Tech nonprofits must consider the challenges and opportunities of two different sectors. “It’s hard to be a tech nonprofit because it’s everything about being a tech startup and everything being a nonprofit at the same time," said Farley.

The pandemic has accelerated digital adoption, though not necessarily out of choice for nonprofits. During the pandemic, nonprofits faced limited financial contributions, travel restrictions, increased costs, and staffing issues. In response to this, the social sector was compelled to rely on innovation and quickly adopting digital technology. With this, the focus of nonprofits leaders has been to transform their operations, develop new fundraising strategies and deliver services that reflect the changing needs of communities.

On the other hand, tech startups face challenges around technical and business expertise and market access. These startups must not only focus on delivering technological solutions but also produce services that can create an attractive return on investment. The combination of these sector issues makes tech nonprofits all the more interesting and challenging. And in the case of meeting a wide range of challenges, resources and help do exist.

Farley explained to 3p that right now there are communities of founders who have tried, tested and figured out solutions. And these trailblazers make excellent supportive peers. For the future, Fast Forward is looking into business models that can increase the capital available to later stage tech nonprofits.

"I think as many social, environmental and human problems we have, there needs to be tech nonprofits that are building products for those communities," said Farley. "We need more tech nonprofits; we need more tech-driven solutions to help solve these problems."

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