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The run-up to the 2016 presidential election cycle touched off a rash of boycotts organized through social media. Many slipped silently into the clutter of the Internet, but others broke through. Now, one of these silent boycotts is taking shape against the high-profile automaker Tesla — offering an opportunity to explore why automakers that promote their environmental profile also need to attend to the social aspect of ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles.

When boycotts work

Before a boycott is organized on social media, there needs to be a groundswell of consumer discontent. That's what happened in 2016 when then-candidate Donald Trump campaigned for president on a platform critics derided as based on bigotry and xenophobia. The well-known #GrabYourWallet boycott launched in October of that year, after months of public exposure to Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric. It was soon followed by the Sleeping Giants campaign, among others.

These boycotts took a strategic approach. Instead of simply urging consumers to stop buying certain products, they prevailed upon businesses and advertisers to stop engaging with the target of the boycott and his allies in right-wing media.

One red flag for Tesla: Consumer discontent

As regards to Tesla, two red flags crop up. First is consumer discontent. Tesla launched in 2003 with high marks for the environmental part of ESG. It was the first modern U.S. automaker to reach scale with an entirely zero-emission electric vehicle lineup, leading the way into the decarbonization movement.

However, in recent years the brand has suffered a well-documented series of reputational blows related to social and governance issues. The hits increased exponentially after Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired the social media site Twitter in October of 2022, exposing his controversial views on social issues to constant, widespread attention.

Sure enough, earlier this week Reuters reported on several consumer surveys that indicate consumer discontent is contributing to the recent decline in Tesla sales in the U.S. and Europe. Among the sources cited by Reuters is the marketing research firm Caliber.

“It's very likely that Musk himself is contributing to the reputational downfall,” Caliber CEO Shahar Silbershatz told Reuters, partly because his name is so closely associated with the Tesla brand.

As reported by Reuters, Caliber found that 83 percent of Americans associate Tesla with its CEO by name. It would be difficult if not impossible for any other CEO in the entire automotive industry to match that level of recognition.

Another red flag for Tesla

The other shoe to drop involves the business-to-business element — which is also beginning to materialize, without any evidence of an organized boycott.

In November 2021, before Musk acquired Twitter, the rental car firm Hertz announced plans to buy 100,000 Tesla Model 3 cars over the next two years. Hertz cited “climate change benefits” among the reasons for the growing demand for electric vehicles.

By this year, the bloom was off the rose. Hertz did not come close to buying 100,000 Model 3s, which was just as well. In January, the company announced plans to sell its Tesla cars along with much, though not all, of its electric vehicle fleet — citing lack of interest from renters along with issues related to collision risks.

That same month, the Germany-based global rental firm SIXT also announced that it was phasing out its entire fleet of Teslas, to be replaced with a mixed fleet of electric vehicles, hybrids, and gas vehicles purchased from Stellantis for the North American and European rental markets. Among other reasons, SIXT noted that Tesla’s recent price cuts were undermining the resale value of rental fleets. Tesla’s recent labor and environmental controversies in Europe were not cited but may have also played a role.

The importance of leveraging social issues in a crowded electric vehicle market

In this day and age of heightened consumer engagement with social issues, these two red flags would normally spark some corporate damage control to ensure that the silent boycott does not build to an organized roar.

In terms of ESG, the social element is particularly important at this stage of the electric vehicle market. Because many more automakers are introducing environmentally-friendly cars of their own, the way they respond to social issues can help them stand out from the crowd.

Notably, Tesla has never had a public relations department or media representative, other than Musk himself. The company finally issued its first diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) report in 2020, only to drop all references to DEI in its latest 10-K financial report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January of this year.

How to avoid a silent boycott

In that regard, it’s instructive to take a look at three other automakers surveyed by Caliber. As cited by Reuters, Mercedes, BMW and Audi saw their consideration scores — which measure consumer preferences — climb slightly from January, even as Tesla’s score dropped by 8 percent.

Notably, all three of these rivals continue to sell gas vehicles, indicating that environmental issues are secondary to other reputational elements. None of the three are leaving anything to chance on ESG or DEI. They devote considerable space to these issues on their corporate websites.

“We foster a culture of appreciation and respect in which age, ethnic origin and nationality, gender and gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion and belief, sexual orientation as well as social origin play no part,” Mercedes-Benz states forcefully “Alongside sustainability and integrity, diversity forms the foundation of Mercedes-Benz's sustainable business strategy,” the company adds, by way of introducing a detailed rundown of its engagement programs.

BMW also emphasizes, in great detail, the importance of integrating DEI principles holistically throughout its operations. “We find the topic of diversity so essential today that we offer diversity campaigns and events throughout the year that sensitize our employees and encourage them to exchange ideas with each other,” the company states.

Audi also takes nothing for granted. The company’s DEI statement starts off by acknowledging that the automotive industry as a whole needs to do better. “We recognize that people of diverse backgrounds — including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and beyond — are underrepresented within the automotive industry. At Audi of America, we are challenging the norms and challenging ourselves,” the company’s U.S. branch states.

It's not rocket science. It’s just plain common sense. All three brands have established a reputation for luxury and engineering excellence, and they are not about to risk it with an unforced error on DEI or ill-considered words on timely social issues. Building a strong DEI profile is part and parcel of today’s hotly competitive global automotive market, and top brands — well, most of them — are leveraging every angle to attract and keep their customers.

(Homepage image: Dmitry Novikov/Unsplash)

The projected global revenue from shifting to a circular economy is expected to increase from $339 billion in 2022 to $712 billion in 2026. The emphasis on regenerative resources, material circulation and eliminating waste at the core of this economic model requires changing the way products are consumed and, ultimately, the way businesses operate.  

This isn’t a new observation for Ikea. The global home furnishing company aims to become a circular and climate-positive business by 2030. Building on its vision to improve everyday life for people and create a positive global impact, Ikea recently brought leaders together to envision a better and more sustainable future. 

One Home, One Planet U.S. 2024: Developing collaborative solutions 

Ikea U.S. hosted its second One Home, One Planet U.S. event at House of Sweden in Washington, D.C. last month. Nonprofit organizations, political leaders, entrepreneurs and corporate professionals in the sustainability field came together to discuss challenges and opportunities related to climate action, inequality and resource shortages. The goal of the two-day event was to inspire action, as it did for Ikea and guests of the last One Home, One Planet U.S. event in 2022. 

"One Home, One Planet has created a lot of these movements,” Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer for Ikea U.S., said in his opening remarks at the event. “Many of the actions that were put in place are because of inspirations that we have had in the past. Our Buy Back and Resell program is something that came from One Home, One Planet in 2019, and now it's a service that we offer all over the world. So, imagine the power of these gatherings.”

Ikea brings ideas to execution at One Home, One Planet U.S.

The One Home, One Planet U.S. event was split into a series of town hall panels and co-lab sessions — where leaders shared their unique perspectives on public and private interventions that power a more sustainable future, and attendees broke into groups to discuss them. 

One town hall, for example, focused on addressing public policy. Former Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, filled the audience in on the Biden administration’s sustainability and environmental justice efforts, the impacts they have and how businesses and other stakeholders can get involved. "Every opportunity there is to potentially celebrate a huge success for Ikea [around sustainability and social impact], that also is a huge success for the administration,” Benjamin said. 

During the co-lab sessions, attendees were divided into groups to discuss core topics related to the insights shared in the town halls, specifically around ideas and solutions for the circular economy, affordable housing and clean construction. 

Throughout the second day of the event, attendees completed a series of strategy activities such as trend maps, identified challenges and opportunities close to their topics and created desired future statements to develop practical ideas that would turn their desired future into reality. The co-lab topics align with Ikea’s overall strategy and vision, with an eye toward what the company can learn from what’s discussed. 

Next steps for the company following the event include gathering insights and ideas shared by attendees and translating them into plans for future action, both within Ikea and externally via continued cross-sectoral collaboration. "We don't know everything, but we all know a little bit, and when we come together, magic happens,” Quiñones said.

People and planet are ingrained in the Ikea ethos

This type of learning-and-doing model is just one way Ikea looks to embed sustainability across all areas of the business. In addition to the Buy Back and Resell program that gives used furniture a second life, the company has developed strategies to reduce emissions and implement renewable energy sources to achieve its goal of becoming a climate positive business by 2030 — specifically in its supply chain operations. 

To date, 25 of the company’s global retail markets operate with 100 percent renewable electricity, and 408 additional factories and suppliers use 100 percent renewables. In its fiscal year 2023 (September 2022 – August 2023), Ikea U.S. collectively generated more renewable energy than its locations consumed. It also installed public electric vehicle chargers at several U.S. stores and plans to install an additional 500 public chargers and 300 fleet chargers within the decade across its U.S. locations.  

In fiscal year 2023, Ikea U.S. also granted more than $2.5 million in donations to nonprofits that work toward social change. More specifically, it donated over $50,000 from sales of its Storstomma rainbow shopping bags to True Colors United, a nonprofit organization focused on the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ young people experiencing homelessness. Ikea U.S. also partners with the American Red Cross and has provided numerous financial donations including its most recent contribution of $150,000 in relief efforts for the Maui wildfires. 

"We know that climate change does not affect everyone in the same way,” Quiñones told the audience at One Home, One Planet U.S. “And many of the people who are affected are actually the ones who have nothing to do with climate change.”

By hearing from those impacted and those with the vision for a brighter future, companies like Ikea can improve on what they already do and implement the new systems we need to realize a more regenerative, circular and climate resilient economy.

This article series is sponsored by Ikea U.S. and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

This story is part of Let's Talk About It, a guest-contributed column exploring how to navigate hard conversations and complex challenges in the workplace. If you're interested in contributing your perspective on DEI, corporate culture and workplace issues to this column, please get in touch with us here. 

Almost as soon as the news broke that a cargo ship lost power and hit a bridge in Baltimore, conspiracy theorists took to social media to blame the accident on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. While some making the claim are merely internet trolls, the sentiment was also shared by a former member of Congress and a gubernatorial candidate. Before Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed, a critical safety incident on a Boeing plane was also blamed on DEI, a charge championed by billionaire Elon Musk, who has called DEI “another word for racism.” Perhaps this attitude explains why his electric vehicle company was recently ordered to pay a former employee $3.2 million in a racial discrimination lawsuit.   

If the people with influence making these claims had a better understanding of the value of DEI, they would see it as an insurance policy against workplace discrimination claims and the strain they put on productivity and profitability. It’s a no-brainer to think that employees will be more engaged in a workplace where they feel valued and treated fairly. 

The value of DEI to leaders was clearly demonstrated in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. When Israel responded with force, the world reacted. U.S. college campuses, in particular, became a symbol for pro-Palestinian sentiment, and several university leaders were summoned to testify before Congress about campus protests. Under this scrutiny, DEI opponents cynically linked diversity programs to antisemitism and attacks on DEI proliferated, providing new fuel for those who had already mounted a concerted effort to sink these policies long before the Israel-Hamas conflict.
 
Many companies felt pressure from internal and external stakeholders to comment on the Hamas attack and its aftermath. Knowing what to say about complex and emotionally charged global events is uncomfortable territory, especially as sympathies toward both sides in the conflict shift — particularly among younger generations, hence the congressional focus on college campuses. 

Navigating this uncharted territory creates a crucial test for leadership that requires a thoughtful and strategic approach.
 
Change is the only reliable constant, and smart leaders will invest in planning for change sooner rather than later. Effective leaders take necessary steps to control their destiny, and investing in DEI is one way to future-proof an organization.

Take, for instance, a small financial services firm we consult that initially struggled with how to respond to the conflict. Leaders recognized that office opinions about the situation were divided and that any statement they made was likely to disappoint some subset of their employees. But they also recognized they couldn’t ignore the situation. 

Instead of issuing a statement, they facilitated a listening circle with carefully considered ground rules, providing employees with a safe place to express their feelings and perspectives. The session reinforced the company’s commitment to creating an inclusive work environment and allowed employees to feel heard, valued and engaged.
 
This private equity firm passed a critical leadership test because the executive team considered the needs and perspectives of the company's stakeholders. They took the time to understand why their employees cared about the conflict and how they are personally impacted by events halfway around the world. Company leaders also took the time to acknowledge their own points of view and why they hold those opinions. Checking your own bias can be difficult, but it’s important to be honest about why you feel one way versus another. Listening exercises like these demonstrate respect for differences of opinion and different perspectives.
 
In contrast, another mid-sized company in the healthcare space that our firm is familiar with took a different path and failed the leadership test in its response to the Hamas attack. The company’s CEO sent an all-staff email reflecting his personal beliefs without consulting anyone in the organization. Many people on staff were offended by the message and felt like they didn’t belong at the company. Months later, the company is still trying to manage the internal crisis, spending precious capacity on a problem that didn’t need to happen.
 
Making employees feel heard and valued is an important factor in improving employee engagement. Gallup research shows that only 32 percent of employees are fully engaged and thriving at work, a number that has continued an alarmingly steep decline since the pandemic. Interestingly, engagement is higher among employees who are either fully remote or in a hybrid work location, possibly reflecting the fact that people are less likely to experience microaggressions outside of the workplace. But since 61 percent of the U.S. workforce cannot work from home, investing in DEI remains critically important for most workplaces.
 
Although some news travels fast and is impossible to avoid, it is important for leaders to remember that not all events worth acknowledging make headlines. Whether it is the psychological trauma Black Americans face inside and outside the workplace, the targeted attacks against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, or even the economic stress low-income Americans navigate daily, every employee carries their personal and community trauma to work each day. Leaders can make the workplace more welcoming, for example, to Black employees by recognizing the effects of injustices and violence that occur closer to home. What business leaders choose to react to, or not react to, sends a message about company values, whether it is intentional or not.
 
Today’s company leaders are so much more than bosses and managers, and leadership is more nuanced than giving orders and setting goals. Today’s leaders are responsible for setting the tone of an organization by reinforcing its culture and demonstrating its values. Leaders need to create workplaces where employees feel safe — both physically and psychologically — and want to do their best work and be fully engaged. While a leader may be responsible for a final decision on how to address a particular situation, they will be well-served to listen to diverse perspectives before making that final decision.
 
While billionaires may blame their large legal bills on DEI, the risk and liability were created by the absence of a DEI strategy. A workplace that tolerates racial abuse, pervasive stereotyping, and hostility — including epithets and slurs — does not respect the civil rights of its workers and leaves itself vulnerable to civil and criminal legal action.
 
Effective leadership means standing up for what is right by fostering a culture where everyone feels empowered and welcome to contribute their unique perspective and talents, ultimately leading to a more successful, strong, and resilient organization for the long term.

In the United States, wage theft is the crime of the century. Every year, American workers lose approximately $50 billion in wages stolen by their employers, according to the most recent data available from the Economic Policy Institute. 

Wage theft occurs when employees are not paid the wage they agreed to, are not paid for all the hours they worked, don’t receive overtime compensation, or receive illegal deductions to their pay.  

This national epidemic is most prevalent in America’s biggest cities. Each year, an estimated 2.1 million New Yorkers lose a cumulative $3.2 billion to wage theft, according to a report by the Center For Popular Democracy. The bulk of those workers live in New York City. These numbers depict the ubiquity of the issue in America, and the risk is even higher for immigrant workers. In New York City, low-income laborers who were born in other countries are more than twice as likely to experience wage theft than those born in the U.S.

While wage theft is a universal problem, it is not universally felt. Immigrant workers are more vulnerable to wage theft for a multitude of reasons. The barriers for an average low-wage worker seeking to reclaim stolen wages include a lack of knowledge of state wage and hour rules, flawed complaint processes, and lack of access to legal counseling. Immigrants who had their wages stolen must navigate these obstacles while contending with potential language barriers, complicated paperwork, and the fear of employer retaliation. Even when stolen wages are reclaimed, workers only receive a small portion of what they are owed. 

The app that’s helping reclaim stolen wages

Rodrigo Camarena first learned that wage theft was a big problem for immigrants in late 2019 while reading a Spanish-language newspaper. Camarena is the director of the Justicia Lab at Pro Bono Net, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to legal aid to vulnerable populations in America, including immigrants and people facing poverty. The Justicia Lab develops digital tools that help immigrants navigate citizenship, taxes, aid eligibility and more.

Camarena read the story of a low-wage immigrant worker who had his wages stolen, and the employer harassment he was subjected to when he sought to reclaim what he rightfully earned. Unlike with housing or employment, Camarena couldn’t think of any nonprofits dedicated to helping immigrants reclaim stolen wages.

So, the Justicia Lab partnered with policy work centers like Make The Road to develop a digital tool to provide a unique answer to this problem. The resulting app, Reclamo, launched in October 2022 and has already helped hundreds of immigrants reclaim their stolen wages. It guides legal and non-legal advocates at work centers as they navigate the process of reporting stolen wages with immigrant laborers.

“We’re trying to help the helpers here, who are doing amazing work in all of our communities,” Camarena said. “They’re very resource-strapped, and we believe that technology can be a force multiplier and can help.”

Similar apps were created in the past to help immigrants with issues like tallying labor hours, but Reclamo is the first digital tool created by a nonprofit advocacy group for the express purpose of screening and filing wage theft complaints from low-wage immigrant workers.

The tool is designed to address multiple barriers presented by stolen wages. A wage theft calculator helps determine just how much pay an employer has stolen. A legal center streamlines the complaint-filing process and advises advocates. And data collection and analysis help to identify larger-scale wage theft patterns to help influence labor organizing and systemic reform. 

On top of that, the app is full of educational material relevant to both immigrant workers and their non-legal advocates. Many wage theft victims are not even aware that they are victims, and others are not aware of the extent to which they have been robbed, Camarena said. So, Reclamo doesn’t just help determine if wages were stolen, but it’s also fundamental in determining how much was stolen.

The current impact and future focus

Reclamo had a near-instant impact when it was rolled out in October 2022, and has grown ever since. When New York City’s immigrant population began to soar last summer, many immigration nonprofits were stretched thin trying to address their needs for things like shelter, food aid, employment, healthcare and schooling. Being an app, Reclamo didn’t experience that same stress when serving more people. 

While reclaiming stolen wages may not initially seem as essential as finding food or housing, the app has helped hundreds of people file claims, collectively amounting to more than $1.5 million in stolen wages. 

Besides the obvious demand for the app, the financial support of partner organizations has been fundamental for Reclamo, Camarena said.

“We’re always trying to grow the app’s popularity and awareness amongst work centers and workers themselves,” Camarena said.

Funding from the government isn’t easy to come by for Justicia Lab, but Camarena and his co-workers are optimistic about receiving more government assistance in the future. 

For the moment, Reclamo is only available in New York state, but Pro Bono Net has greater aspirations for the app. “We are excited to bring powerful digital tools to people who are already doing really impactful work throughout the country,” Camarena said. 

Anyone who owns shares in a publicly-traded company has the right to voice their opinion on key decisions that company makes. Through a process called proxy voting, individual shareholders can weigh in on issues like how much the company pays executives, the information it discloses to investors and the public, and its policies related to workers and the environment.

If you own stock — even if you purchased a few shares on a mobile app years ago — you likely get emails every spring reminding you: "It's time to vote!" But many individual investors don't know what proxy voting is, why it matters or how to do it. If you're curious about proxy voting and how it can help you align your money with your values, read on for the need to know. 

What is proxy voting? 

Publicly-traded companies hold annual meetings for their shareholders every year around May and June. Executives present key information about the company's financial performance, and issues related to company policy are put to shareholder vote.

Unless they're incredibly wealthy, most individuals who own stocks do not have the opportunity to attend a company's annual shareholders meeting. Since they can't attend in person, they're given a proxy ballot, similar to an absentee ballot in political elections, and their votes are counted in accordance with how many shares they own. These votes generally aren't binding — in other words, a company doesn't have to enact a policy just because shareholders voted for it — but they often inform the company's decisions as executives want to keep their investors happy. 

Why does proxy voting matter?

Environmental and social justice advocates have used the shareholder and proxy voting process for decades as a way to influence companies to improve their impact on people and the planet. These stakeholders — which include nonprofits, impact investors and shareholder advocacy organizations — purchase stock in large companies and use that influence to file what are known as shareholder resolutions which request that a company act on a specific issue.

This could be publicly reporting certain data — related to greenhouse gas emissions, plastic use or diversity in leadership, for example — or enacting a specific policy. Large institutional investors, such as asset managers and mutual fund providers, also file shareholder resolutions on various issues they feel could put their investments at risk. Around 400 shareholder resolutions related to sustainability and social impact in particular are filed with U.S. public companies every year, according to the shareholder advocacy organization As You Sow.

Many companies prefer not to raise these issues at their shareholder meetings, out of concern it could harm their reputations, and opt to agree to the terms of a resolution before it comes to a vote — for example, by agreeing to disclose how much plastic they use or how many women and people of color hold leadership roles. Around 30 percent of the environmental and social resolutions filed last year were withdrawn after the company agreed to terms, according to an analysis from Harvard Law School's Forum on Corporate Governance. 

When issues do come to a vote, they can have a major influence on what companies do — even if the resolution does not receive majority support from shareholders. "Votes with more than 10 percent support are difficult for companies to ignore," according to As You Sow. "Resolutions with 20 percent or more support send a clear message to corporate management that the current company policy is too risky or not beneficial to shareholder interests. Only the least responsive company would ignore one in five of its shareholders." 

How do I vote my proxies?

Most individual shareholders don't exercise their proxy voting rights. Individual investors voted less than 30 percent of the shares they owned in U.S. public companies last year, according to Broadridge ProxyPulse's 2023 Proxy Season Review. Considering a 20 percent support rate among shareholders could sway a company's decisions, each investor holds real power if they choose to make their voices heard. 

If you're looking to get started with proxy voting, you're in luck, because proxy season is right around the corner. If you own stock in a company, either that company or the brokerage firm you purchased the stock with will send you an update on proxy voting about 60 days before the next annual shareholders meeting. For most companies, these updates start going out around March and April.

If you opt for electronic communications, this update will come into your email inbox. Otherwise, you may receive a proxy voting card in the mail. If you have a physical card, you can use it to support, oppose or abstain from voting on various proposals up for decision and return it in the mail before the company's annual meeting. Emails will include a link to vote online up to 24 hours before the meeting. 

As You Sow also offers an option for individual investors to automate the process. Shareholders can register at AsYouVote.org to redirect their proxy voting emails to As You Sow, and the organization will fill out the forms according to its sustainability-aligned proxy guidelines. Users then receive an email with a link to the completed form and an option to further customize as they choose. 

"I think a lot of people feel guilty. They see all these proxy statements piling up in their inbox and they think, 'I just can't deal with it,'"  Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, told TriplePundit last year. "What you'll get instead is, 'Thanks for voting.' You'll feel great about yourself, and it takes literally two minutes to set up." 

This article is part of Money Month in our 2024 Sustainable Living Challenge, where we unpack accessible ways to align your money with your values and leverage sustainable living to save money at home. Learn more and take the challenge here. 

Gathering Scope 3 emissions data from suppliers isn’t easy for food and beverage companies, but new remote sensing and analytics technology can help. 

Bunge, one of the oldest and biggest grain agribusinesses in the world, is using these systems in collaboration with the agriculture technology innovator Indigo Ag — resulting in a more efficient, streamlined process that takes a full ecosystem approach to assembling key supplier data from a variety of sources.

The new Scope 3 opportunity for food and beverage companies

The partnership with Indigo Ag grew out of Bunge’s realization that grain processors can drive the pace of food systems decarbonization by leveraging their pivotal role in the supply chain.

“We were getting inquiries from customers that wanted us to bring solutions to the table,” said Gregg Christensen, Bunge’s head of corn milling. “We were getting many different requests, but they all wanted the same outcome. It was time to streamline a program, led by us, to avoid duplication.”

Chris Malone, Indigo Ag’s VP of market opportunities, emphasizes the importance of agribusinesses like Bunge in a full ecosystem approach to decarbonizing the agricultural supply chain.

“The origin of this project with Bunge North American Milling Group was in looking back at the way food supply chains have been decarbonized in past years,” Malone said. “Over the past few years, a large CPG would orchestrate a program, bring it all the way down to farmers, and then potentially connect grain processors in the middle. That can be complicated, and it’s not realistic or efficient for every food company to be able to have that capability. Partnering directly with grain processors opens up a new way to decarbonize the food supply chain.”

The need for food and beverage companies to move the needle on Scope 3 emissions from their supply chains is clear, especially regarding emissions from agriculture. The rise of industrial-scale agriculture has enabled global food production to keep pace in an era of rapid population growth. However, as a result agriculture is now the second-largest source of greenhouse gases in the world. It accounts for up to 28 percent of all global emissions, according to the World Bank.

One key area of progress is demonstrated by the adoption of sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices that help sequester carbon and reduce the reliance on emissions-producing fertilizer.  “Scientists have estimated that soils — mostly, agricultural ones — could sequester over a billion additional tons of carbon each year,” notes the MIT Climate Portal.

Encouraging and enabling farmers to grow more resilient crops that produce less greenhouse gas emissions is another key factor in managing scope 3 emissions from a company’s value chain. Solutions in the emissions-differentiated crop area include reducing emissions from fertilizer as well as crop rotation diversity. 

Streamlining the Scope 3 pathway from field to food and beverage companies

Connecting climate-smart farms with food and beverage companies more efficiently is the next step, and that’s where Bunge’s partnership with Indigo Ag comes in. Now operating in 14 countries, Indigo Ag launched in 2013 with a science-based platform to support and quantify the impact of regenerative practices.

Rather than incorporating suppliers as an afterthought in carbon accounting, Indigo Ag treats them as the focal point for progress. 

“The solution was to look at suppliers like Bunge as the fulcrum of a full ecosystem approach,” Malone said. “Food and beverage companies are not buying crops from the field. They are buying processed ingredients. Suppliers like Bunge are the ideal point where a program can be created to measure the carbon score of those ingredients.”

Scope 3 benefits and a holistic supply chain

Bunge’s close connection to the grower experience was an important factor in the company’s decision to engage in a technology partnership with Indigo Ag.

“Across our business, we’ve adopted a carbon-focused decision-making process,” Christensen said. “We are striving to bring a climate-focused lens to everything we do, and a big part of that is contributing to innovative solutions.”

In particular to the partnership, “what was intriguing was the ease of data collection and the speed to implementation,” he explained. “Data collection can be a very heavy lift for the growers. There are many different programs out there, so finding one that centers on the grower experience is critical. Indigo Ag provides rigor in terms of methodology and in terms of outcomes.”

Empowering the food systems middle-person for rapid decarbonization

The full ecosystem model enables suppliers to provide carbon benefits to food and beverage companies while building their relationships with growers into a more connected, holistic endeavor, Christensen said. 

“We are strategically positioned for companies to reduce their carbon in the supply chain,” he said. “Because trust is so important with the growers and Bunge has that, it allows us to play a critical role and bring them on board, get the data and quantify the outcomes.”

Food and beverage companies also benefit from the flexibility built into Bunge’s program. The growers continue to rely on their own experience and expert networks for guidance, while the Indigo Ag platform presents them with new revenue opportunities.

“We view ourselves as a marketing arm of the grower. We engage with them and help them find incentives to sustain them on their farms for generations to come,” Christensen said. “We don’t tell them what to do. We partner and we do it together.”

Next steps for food and beverage companies

Growers have been highly receptive to participating in the Indigo Ag platform, and that has been mirrored by interest on the food and beverage side,” Christensen said.

“Engagement has been pretty robust,” he told us. In addition to the technology partnership with Bunge, Indigo Ag also develops programs directly with the top tier of retailers and food and beverage companies. “A lot of food and beverage companies have already made substantial reductions. As you start to do these programs, you really see that we can get there easier than we think. In almost every conversation I have with food and feed customers, nearly everyone wants to show progress in this space — not necessarily for publicity, but because the need for impact is real.”

Image courtesy of Indigo Ag

This article series is sponsored by Indigo Ag and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

This story on how people are using solutions storytelling to tackle tough problems is part of The Solutions Effect, a monthly newsletter covering the best of solutions journalism in the sustainability and social impact space. If you aren't already getting this newsletter, you can sign up here. 

If you sift through a few climate change communication guides and research papers, you’ll start to notice a trend. 

In an article about using narratives to better communicate climate science, researchers recommend connecting with the audience by considering what they care about and overcoming fear by highlighting the benefits that come with climate-related lifestyle changes. 

In a study about communicating science to motivate action, researchers focused a messaging campaign on how climate change impacts birds. They combined that with examples of actions people could take to help address the problem. The campaign led to more than 33,000 bird enthusiasts taking action to support clean energy policies, which contributed to legislative wins in four U.S. states. 

In its Communicating on Climate Change guide, the United Nations recommends sharing solutions to keep people feeling empowered and motivated instead of overwhelmed. 

In last month’s Solutions Effect, I wrote about news avoidance and how people avoiding the news are looking for more positive and solutions-focused journalism.

Did you catch the trend? The way you frame the problem matters, a lot. Solutions journalism is one example of an effective way to frame discussions about problems without causing people to tune out, but we can’t reach all audiences through the news. Solutions-focused framing can be — and is — applied to other methods of communication to engage people in these difficult conversations, too. 

Video games

Every week, 212.6 million Americans (65 percent of the population) play video games for at least an hour, according to a report from the Entertainment Software Association. The majority of them play for at least four hours. I used to be a part of that weekly number and can vouch for how incredibly powerful a fictional story can be when you actively play a role in it. 

Some game developers are using that storytelling power to share climate messaging. The game Terra Nil, for example, requires players to transform environmental wastelands, polluted oceans, and flooded cities into thriving ecosystems. Players may need to use geothermal energy or repurpose skyscrapers to grow bamboo, for example. That may not sound like the escapist fun we often associate with video games, but over 300,000 people had already played it a week after it launched, Bloomberg reported. 

This is a growing theme. Players in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure gather petition signatures to stop a property developer from turning a wildlife reserve into a hotel. Green New Deal Simulator asks players to decarbonize the U.S. and draws inspiration from real-world policies. 

The connection and community fostered by gameplay are powerful. But the beauty of this style of communication is the ability to break big problems into manageable pieces (like levels in the game) to make them feel solvable. 

“Games are also really good at [fostering] this idea of progression,” Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, founder of the consultancy Games for Good, told Bloomberg. “You don’t have to solve the whole thing in one go. There’s steps. If you take the first step, that will then fuel action for the next step. As long as those things feel doable, you’re going to be much more likely to reach that larger behavior change or that larger change as a society. I feel games can really help people to get on that ladder of ‘Let’s do something together’ and ‘Let’s do more.’”

The industry still has its own environmental impacts to tackle, though. It’s estimated to generate 24 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Cookbooks 

I know that I can search for any recipe imaginable online, and one might argue I don’t need a cookbook. But I beg to differ. Flipping through a cookbook when I don’t know what to cook for dinner is less daunting than scavenging the internet for options. As more people begin to change their diets to reduce their environmental impact, cookbooks could become a new way to encourage conversation about the climate. Making climate-conscious recipes easily accessible also makes personal action easier. With an estimated 30 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions stemming from the food system, every effort counts. 

Good Catch: A Guide to Sustainable Fish and Seafood with Recipes from the World's Oceans was published last year with the intent to share seafood recipes while educating readers on sustainable fishing and the impacts of seafood sourcing, as TriplePundit previously reported. The book blends recipes with personal anecdotes and scientific analysis to make the topic more approachable.

“Having a true conversation about food sourcing will offend a lot of people,” Valentine Thomas, the book's author, told TriplePundit. “What can we do instead of calling each other pieces of shit because somebody's eating a steak, or patting each other on the back because we shared a campaign about saving the turtles? Realistic conversations are how we're going to evolve as a species.” 

Climate cookbooks are far from popular right now, but “you can see a whisper of a subgenre beginning to emerge. At least a dozen have been published since 2020,” Caroline Saunders, a climate cuisine specialist and newsletter author, wrote for Grist. 

Saunders lists several intriguing cookbooks like Eating for Pleasure, People, and Planet, which covers themes like eating plant-based, low-waste, and using local, seasonal ingredients. And For People and Planet, a cookbook created by the United Nations and the Kitchen Connection Alliance, explains topics like biodiversity, food waste reduction and the food system. 

Comedy 

Much of the issue with climate change information is that it’s often dull or frightening. It seems an increasing number of people are turning to comedy to remedy that, and there’s science behind why that works. Humor can help people process negative emotions while sustaining feelings of hope, according to an analysis by Emma Carroll-Monteil, an environment and sustainability education researcher at the University of Edinburgh. Though not all climate-focused comedy is framed through solutions, I’ve seen a few examples that are, and I hope to see that niche grow. 

Research has shown that combining humor and education increases the enjoyment of learning, increases the amount of information people perceive they’ve learned, and promotes new ideas and behaviors, according to the analysis. Since most adults learn about climate change through media, this is a particularly good way to reach those who didn’t learn about it in school. 

But it does require that the jokes are well received. As we’ve seen many times across all forms of media, that’s not always the case. 

Beyond the stand-up stage, podcasts like “The Climate Denier’s Playbook” also take a swing at using humor to discuss climate change in new ways. Hosted by Rollie Williams and Nicole Conlan, “two comedians with master's degrees in climate science and policy and urban planning,” the podcast does an excellent job of using humor to discuss the myths and misinformation around climate change. It’s also mentioned in this New York Times article by climate and environment journalist Hilary Howard which includes several non-podcast examples. 

Of course, solutions-focused framing can apply to any of the issues we face. Climate change is just one example. Next time you’re tasked with engaging an audience with a problem, give it a try. And if you already use solutions to frame stories about problems in your industry, let me know how you do so here! 

The less we buy, the less we waste. That concept sounds great in theory, but how realistic is it? A popular social media challenge could reveal the answer. The “no-buy month” — also dubbed the “no-spend challenge” or “no-spend month” — gained traction over the past few years as participants seek to rein in their spending and, more recently, their environmental impact. While the experiment makes a fitting New Year’s resolution and often coincides with January, it can be implemented any time.

How I fell into my first no-buy month

My first no-buy month was May 2023, though I didn’t know there was a name for what I was doing at the time. I had just relocated to Baja California Sur, Mexico, and was staying in temporary housing while I searched for a long-term rental. It was only logical not to buy anything since it would have to be packed up and moved soon anyway. 

Admittedly, my consumption of takeout food was a little excessive during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that habit was easy enough to break once I moved to Mexico. Aside from one order of rotisserie chicken, I cooked all of my meals from May until August and still do most of the time. Doing so allowed me to eliminate nearly all food waste and save a ton of money.

With zero other funds spent on any other non-necessities in May 2023, the chicken and a few adult beverages from the grocery store were the only exceptions to my first no-buy month. And the home I moved into in June came fully furnished, so it was easy enough to continue along the same path even after the month was over.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a challenge or departure from the already minimalistic lifestyle I adopted while backpacking Central America in 2017. Even after I returned to the U.S. and settled back down, I liked how not having “stuff” eliminated clutter and made it easier to keep my place sparkling clean. So, I was already accustomed to not buying much outside of books and new shoes when the old ones wore out. At one point, a friend started gifting me her used clothes, which made it easy to give up those purchases, as well.

The basic tenets of a no-buy month

While my already minimalist lifestyle no doubt made the switch to no-buy remarkably easy, you don’t need to have that sort of previous experience to succeed at it. Even if you love to shop, have a daily coffee shop habit, and revel in dining out, it’s totally possible to give up unnecessary purchases for 30 days. There’s a good chance you’ll be amazed by the difference buying less can make, and you just might want to continue a similar practice after the month is over.

There are no set rules to a no-buy month. It can be as strict or as lenient as the challenger feels comfortable with. The point isn’t to deprive ourselves of necessities, but rather to experience how easy it can be to use fewer resources, create less waste, and save some cash in the process. In essence, it’s an easy way to pause our participation in consumer culture and, in my case, accumulate less stuff that I would have to cram into my vehicle.

Of course, the regular rent or mortgage still has to be paid during the challenge, as do utilities, insurance, car payments, credit cards and other recurring bills. We all still have to eat — though this is a great time to use up as much of our existing groceries as possible and forego restaurant meals, takeout and coffee shops. And any of the usual cleaning or hygiene products that run out during the month will have to be replaced. There will still be gas to buy, parking to pay for, or bus passes to purchase, but if there’s an opportunity to walk, bike, or switch from driving to public transit, this is the perfect time to give it a try.

There are plenty of gray areas in a no-buy month that we all have to decide for ourselves. You’ll probably still want to buy a gift for a close friend or family member’s birthday, for example. There are also events to attend and entertainment to be had. Again, it’s not about deprivation but eliminating unnecessary indulgences is key. You can still go out on dates or attend fancy events, just wear something that’s already in your closet instead of buying a whole new outfit.

Would I do a no-buy month again?

This question probably sounds like a no-brainer — and it is. I’ve basically adhered to the same tenets since my no-buy month last May. I did have to buy new hiking boots after my old ones wore out and new running shoes after my only pair was forgotten outside during a hurricane. While I was at it, I splurged on a pair of canvas shoes that I didn’t really need. I also purchased a shawl and a blanket that were arguably not necessities. I’ve gone out for coffee once and gotten takeout a few more times. I do go out to eat every once in a while, and much more than usual while a friend was visiting recently. I will have to buy a few new clothing items soon, but for now, I’m making what I have work. Birthdays and holidays also bring exceptions, as I’ve ordered presents for loved ones (though I did considerably more cash gifts this past year).

I don’t say all of that to brag. Rather, to make the point that once you get into the habit of avoiding unnecessary purchases, it’s easier to maintain the same expectations long term.

It is important not to set the bar too high at first. If you feel like you’re missing out, the whole thing can backfire, and you could end up trying to make up for it with excessive spending later. That’s why I don’t count the times when I couldn’t afford to make any unnecessary purchases as no-buy months. They were inevitably followed up by splurges once I got back on my feet, and I didn’t exactly learn anything from those experiences.

The no-buy month has become as much of a lifestyle for me as minimalism was previously. And I wouldn’t want it any other way — not only for sustainability’s sake, but also because it’s pretty much impossible to live my traveling lifestyle when I’ve got a bunch of stuff weighing me down.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published its long-awaited climate disclosure rule earlier this month, compelling public companies to make data on their greenhouse gas emissions available to investors. Public officials allied with fossil energy interests have already filed at least two lawsuits to block it. But the Joe Biden administration is forging ahead with a $6 billion program to decarbonize cement, steel and other energy-intensive industries, regardless of what happens in court.

Here come the lawsuits

The new SEC rules build on existing requirements for climate-related disclosures made by public companies.

“The final rules reflect the commission’s efforts to respond to investors’ demand for more consistent, comparable, and reliable information about the financial effects of climate-related risks on a registrant’s operations and how it manages those risks while balancing concerns about mitigating the associated costs of the rules,” according to the SEC.

Some environmental organizations were critical of the final rulemaking, and fossil energy stakeholders also weighed in. That includes a petition for review joined by 10 Republican-led states, filed in the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which handles cases from Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

The lawsuit is somewhat vague as to details, though Utility Dive is among the news organizations noting that opponents argue the SEC overstepped its authority.

“Petitioners will show that the final rule exceeds the agency’s statutory authority and otherwise is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not in accordance with law,” the lawsuit reads. “Petitioners thus ask that this court declare unlawful and vacate the commission’s final action.”

The 11th Circuit took no immediate action, but the 5th Circuit, which handles cases from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, issued an administrative stay in response to a request filed by the firms Liberty Energy and Nomad Proppant Services. Administrative stays halt further legal proceedings until a ruling is made on the request.

The Republican-led states of Louisiana and Mississippi were also a part of a 5th Circuit lawsuit that was filed along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Longview Chamber of Commerce and two Texas-based stakeholder organizations, the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Alliance of Energy.

Fossil energy stakeholders are not the only ones unhappy with the new rules. The environmental organization Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals accusing the SEC of not going far enough to protect investors.

“Through legal recourse, we aim to hold the SEC accountable to its mission: protect and empower the rights of every single investor,” Dan Chu, executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation, said in a statement, noting that the Foundation is itself an investor.

A $6 billion boost for decarbonization

The new rule was not scheduled to go into effect until 60 days after it was announced on March 6, so the 5th Circuit administrative stay will not have an immediate impact on the timeline. Still, the clock is ticking, and public companies in the U.S. are already being advised to prepare for implementation.

“Companies need to continue to evolve governance and disclosure of climate-related risks and performance not only to prepare for SEC requirements, but also to find new sources of competitive advantage and to realize opportunities while meeting evolving stakeholder expectations in a rapidly changing world,” Joe Sczurko, president of earth and environment at the leading consultancy WSP USA, wrote for TriplePundit.  

That chore just got a little easier for the dozens of leading U.S. companies that qualified for funding through a new $6 billion decarbonization program organized under the U.S. Department of Energy. The funds are allocated from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

The sprawling 20-state, 33-project program is aimed at applying a broad slate of carbon-reducing technologies to industries that are difficult to decarbonize through ordinary electrification alone.

“The projects will focus on the highest emitting industries where decarbonization technologies will have the greatest impact, including aluminum and other metals, cement and concrete, chemicals and refining, iron and steel, and more,” according to a statement from the department.

The program is also expected to create tens of thousands of new jobs, with a focus on community benefits and labor rights. “Nearly 80 percent of the projects are located in a disadvantaged community,” according to the Department of Energy.

Food and beverage firms can lead the way

The funding program showcases new technologies, with the expectation that the qualifying projects will model best practices for adoption throughout their industries.

Three of the top food and beverage brands in the U.S. are represented in the Department of Energy’s list of highest-emitting industries. They were selected based partly on their ability to showcase technologies that lend themselves to widespread adoption and high consumer visibility.

“These projects can increase consumer awareness around embodied emissions by decarbonizing products that Americans consume every day like ice cream, ketchup and BBQ sauce,” according to the department. 

One of the awardees is the consumer goods company Unilever, which plans to deploy up to $20.9 million in federal funding to replace gas boilers at several locations with electric boilers and heat pumps. The system also involves recovering waste heat.

“Along with reduced emissions, this project has an extremely high replicability potential and will create a model that could lead to further decarbonization throughout the food and beverage sector where approximately 50 percent of processing emissions are from low temperature heating,” according to the Department of Energy.

Similarly, the food company Kraft Heinz was awarded up to $170.9 million for a multi-state project that includes renewable energy and energy storage elements integrated with heat pumps, electric heaters, electric boilers and biogas boilers.

The U.S. branch of the beverage company Diageo won the third award in the food and beverage category. It was awarded up to $75 million to demonstrate how on-site renewable energy can be paired with new large-scale, long-duration energy storage technology to replace gas-fired heating systems. The battery, developed by the firm Rondo Energy, is designed to provide continuous energy from wind and solar resources — even when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining.

As for the new SEC rule, it will be difficult to stuff the genie back in the bottle. The Department of Energy program is all but certain to foster climate-based competition throughout the U.S. food and beverage industry. Once the new systems are up and running, household brands under the Unilever, Kraft Heinz, and Diageo umbrellas are going to set a high bar for others to meet, regardless of what happens in court.

Avocados are having their day in the sun. From breakfast to dinnertime, this creamy delicacy is enjoyed in tacos, guacamole, smoothies, desserts and more. 

Not only are avocados tasty, but they’re also renowned for their health benefits, providing a good source of potassium, fiber and other nutrients. 

In the U.S., we’ve fallen hook, line and sinker for avocados, eating over 2.7 billion pounds annually. The vast majority come from their country of origin, Mexico, where avocados have been enjoyed for thousands of years. In just 10 years, exports to the U.S. from Mexico have more than doubled. 

This booming business has its roots in trees — technically, avocados are fruit — which means that the healthy avocado industry is intrinsically connected to and dependent on the health of the environment.. That’s why one of the many nurseries across Mexico has set out to grow avocados more sustainably, setting an industry example from day one.

Cultivating avocado trees sustainably 

Before that avocado was mashed into guacamole, it had to start somewhere. Our southern neighbor is the largest producer of avocados in the world. In turn, the western state of Michoacán grows the most avocados in the country, predominantly on small family-run orchards and farms.

Emblematic of the region, Amadeo Teytud comes from generations of avocado producers. Today, he runs an avocado nursery, Viveros La Sidra. Together with his family, they supply over 60,000 avocado trees per year to the surrounding regions.

Teytud left Michoacán to complete his studies in agricultural engineering, but he always planned to return home. “Production of good quality trees and trees with good genetics was lacking here,” he said. “So I started to investigate what all the nurseries here were like, how they implemented everything from seed… I set out to get a plant with good genetics and improve production here in Michoacán.”

For instance, Viveros La Sidra utilizes a hybrid avocado tree — taking the Criollo avocado variety as rootstock and grafting it with Hass or Mendez varieties. The resulting plant has a stronger trunk and roots, producing a fruit better suited to the weather.

Teytud and his team also strive to run the Viveros La Sidra nursery sustainably. “We try to apply as few chemicals as possible to combat pests and diseases in order to let the tree create defenses from the moment it’s planted in the field,” Teytud said.

They also use organic fertilizers in their nursery, such as compost and manure, to further limit chemical use, Teytud explained.

Another particular challenge is water. While water needs vary based on factors like temperature, humidity and local seasonal weather conditions, an adult avocado tree could require 10 to 30 gallons of water per day in hot climates.

Viveros La Sidra tackles this issue in a few ways. Thanks to Michoacán’s abundant rainfall, the nursery doesn’t need irrigation water for nearly half of the year. In fact, many orchards in the area rely solely on rainfall for their water needs, Teytud explained. For the rest of the year, they use water sparingly, only applying what each tree needs. 

Finally, to avoid plastic pollution, they attempted to use coconut fiber bags for their seedlings. However, the natural product didn’t last the full cycle from planting to selling the tree. Instead, they reverted to using plastic bags and found a way to recycle them.  

Overcoming challenges


Of course, as with any agricultural sector, there are some environmental issues surrounding this fruit. Expanding production could present risks for deforestation, for example. And although plants like avocado trees pull carbon from the air and store it, in a process known as carbon sequestration, there is some carbon footprint as a result of the avocado supply chain.

Reflecting on the avocado industry over the years, Teytud also said he’s seen the impact of new environmental regulations and the positive changes that occur when growers and nurseries invest in sustainability. “It is no longer like it was years ago — there were too many nurseries, too many plants,” he said.

Farmers in the region also have to make adjustments as they begin to feel the effects of climate change. “We've had more problems with it being too hot,” Teytud said. “In recent years, it has rained much less than in past years, so we try to take care of the water as much as possible to prevent it from being wasted and contaminated.”

He adds that growers like him aren’t alone in raising the bar: Some organizations have also stepped in to help.

For instance, the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico supports sustainable farming practices including conserving water, prohibiting cattle grazing and hunting, and using agrochemicals safely. The trade group also supports forest conservation, reforesting over 5,500 acres in Michoacán since 2011.

Another organization, the Mexican Hass Avocado Importer Association, is working to protect monarch butterflies. Joining forces with Forests for Monarchs, the group helped to plant 1.4 million trees in monarch overwintering habitats and the surrounding areas of Michoacán. The partners also educate local communities on conservation and sustainable farming.

A greener future 

Nicknamed green gold, avocados have come a long way. Once a rare, luxury item in the U.S., this $4 billion industry now supports over 436,000 jobs here and across the border. And with increased interest in healthy and plant-based diets, the global demand for this superfood is predicted to skyrocket. 

Teytud said he and his team are continuing to improve sustainability for their nursery and the region. Ensuring this fruit is produced sustainably from day one ensures a healthier product and a healthier planet where more people can enjoy their avocado toasts now and in the future.

This article series is sponsored by the Avocado Institute of Mexico and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.