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What if your clothes mimicked nature? What if wearing a jacket gave you an internal compass like a migrating bird? What if a dress shed leaves like a tree?

A collection of fashionable garments, designed for social good by the students and alumni at the Parsons' Design and Technology Program, were exhibited at SXSW and drew significant attention. It's easy to see how social good fashion could be incorporated into, say, the marketing of an eco-friendly car such as the Tesla Model 3. (Audi did something similar with electronic, 3-D plastic garments last year.)

Here are five of the garments that were exhibited. Birce Özkan contributed to and curated the Design and Technology collection.

1. "Fall" by Birce Özkan

“ … Fashion can be kinetic, dynamic and almost living expression of our unique experience with nature. I strongly believe that Fall can influence the fashion world to become more dynamic and to increase the way clothes can react to the world around them," Özkan said. "I want clothing to have more responsiveness to the environment, so that instead of people always change their clothes, the clothes can sometimes change themselves.”

She began the garment design process by asking herself: “What if when the temperature got hot suddenly, our clothes would start to break apart in response? What if they had the skill to behave depending on the surrounding conditions? What if garments had the ability to sense the environment just like living organisms?”

Trees naturally shed leaves depending on the temperature and light. So, Özkan created an interactive garment that does the same. “In the fall, as the days shorten, and the temperature gets colder, the trees, without the light they need to sustain their chlorophyll, shed their leaves to keep their energy to survive for the winter ahead," Özkan said. "This process was the inspiration for creating my garment’s mechanism. To prepare for the fall of leaves, trees activate “scissor cells” that split to create a bumping layer that forces the leaves out of place, destabilizing them so that they fall.”

Özkan used the same process for her garment that trees use. Light activates small motors in the garment. The motors speed up when there is less light and make the “leaves” fall from the garment. The motors are attached to steel wires, and the wires connect to holes where leaves are attached with wax. When there is less light, the motor pulls the wire which breaks the wax adhesion and makes the leaves fall down. Özkan said she believes the piece will help people have a greater appreciation for the earth.

2. “Augmented Jacket” by Birce Özkan

Birds have a biological compass that tells them what direction to fly during migration. Their compass is guided by the earth’s magnetic field.

“This gives them a freedom that humans lack. Instead, humans become more dependent on their mobile phones to find their bearings. This dependency limits the awareness of their surroundings and denies them of some experiences,” Özkan said. So she created a jacket that imitates a birds’ internal compass. The jacket uses an electronic compass and embedded motors that make the feathers on the shoulders rise up when the wearer walks north.

3. “Bury” by Yuchen Zhang

Distraught by the amount of pollution in the environment, designer Yuchen Zhang created a hood that protects against pollution. The garment also provides commentary on the fact that we are rapidly destroying our naturally healthy environment. When we damage our surroundings, we turn them into a hostile environment that we then have to protect ourselves from.

“This garment protects the wearer by using reflective fabrics to increase their visibility in dim daylight which results from heavily polluted air," Zhang said. "Its unique facial covering allows the wearer to wear a filtration mask without compromising his or her style. More importantly, the garment illustrates an environment where we have almost depleted the protection of our atmosphere.”

4. "Vessel" by Elizabeth Tolson

The dress responds when a woman is touched inappropriately and changes colors depending on the wearers menstrual cycle. It turns a taboo topic into an interesting conversation that empowers women. Designer Zac Posen also created an LED dress last year in an effort to inspire and challenge girls to code. Posen's dress was part of Google's Made With Code initiative, and the electronics for the dress were coded by 30 girls in the program. Even today, girls can go online and learn to code the dress.

5. “Sensory” by Kendall Warson

"Sensory" is a garment designed to help people with visual impairments. It is often difficult for them to tell their clothes apart, so this garment has a braille label which allows the wearer to identify the clothing. Another user-friendly feature is the rubber band pocket which allows the wearer to easily slip in their hand (there are no cumbersome buttons or zippers) and the elastic nature of the pocket entrance prevents the contents from falling out. The cane that visually impaired people often use can slip inside the front edge of the jacket, allowing the wearer to blend in and not be immediately identified as having a visual impairment.

"Fashion is a form of self-expression,” Warson said. “To not understand color and patterns, people with visual impairments lose so much independence. I want them to get that back and to feel a sense of empowerment.”

Photo credits: 1) by Alex Tosti, 2) by Rebecca Enis, 3) by Rebecca Enis, 4) by Alex Tosti, and 5) from Elizabeth Tolson

California again faces potential blackouts. This time it is tied to a natural gas storage facility called Aliso Canyon owned by Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas. The site's ability to deliver energy was crippled by a natural gas leak described as an ecological disaster comparable to the BP oil rig explosion. State officials worry that this key facility will not be able to deliver sufficient supplies to California’s natural gas generating plants during summer peak electricity demands.

Imagine islands of light fueled by solar connected to batteries

Here’s how solar and distributed generation could become national news this summer. It is 7 p.m., and Los Angeles is blacked out. It's the third day of a blistering heat wave made more intense by global warming. People cut back on their air conditioning in the first two days in response to public service announcements to “save the grid.” But on that third evening, it was still over a 100 degrees from the valley to the beaches. Everyone decided they had to get cooler. Collectively they only moved their thermostats back down just a couple of degrees. But that was enough. The increased draw of electricity overwhelmed the grid. It automatically shut down because it just could not produce and deliver any more electricity.

But across LA, there are customers with power. They have lights. Even more importantly, they have air conditioning. Customers flock to these businesses. Neighbors walk over to ask their solar-powered neighbor about how they still have electricity.

The press see a media opportunity. Camera crews show up in front of the homes and businesses that have electricity because of solar systems connected to batteries. They ask questions about cost and find that these customers are actually saving money too. Then the reporters turn to the camera and ask, “Could this be the next iPhone-like technology breakthrough that California creates for all of us?”

California’s push to make solar and batteries the lower-cost, more reliable solution

California leads the nation in solar installations. The state has almost 500,000 solar systems representing approximately 4,000 megawatts.

California is also pioneering how battery systems can displace fossil fuel generation. California passed legislation in 2010 that mandates grid-scale electricity storage. In 2013, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) set a target for the state’s utilities to develop over a gigawatt of energy storage by 2020. In 2014, the CPUC overruled utility efforts at blunting or stopping customers from connecting their onsite solar system to battery systems. California also started a behind-the-meter battery incentive program. The combined result is that California has over 11 megawatts of behind-the-meter batteries representing 80 percent of the nation’s behind-the-meter battery capacity.

This solar-plus-battery push by California is being driven by three factors:

1. Global warming public policy. The state’s leadership believes global warming is real and a threat to human and economic health. They are pursuing public policy that targets a 40 percent reduction in global warming emissions below 1990 levels by 2030.


2. A focus on lowering customer electricity bills. California’s price of grid electricity is one the highest in the U.S. Counterintuitively, California’s focus is not on the price per kilowatt-hour, but on the size of electricity bills. This focus explains the state’s emphasis on energy-efficiency technologies and Zero Net Energy building codes. This focus explains California’s commitment to customer-owned solar. Now the state is pursuing battery technology as the next technological step for enabling cleaner, lower-cost and more reliable electricity.


3. Economic growth. California is outpacing all other states in economic growth. Since the Great Recession, it has added more jobs than the entire population of Nevada or Nebraska or the combined populations of Delaware, South Dakota and Alaska. It is achieving this scale of economic development success while also reducing the state’s global warming emissions. From smart thermostats to solar to batteries, California is focused on selling its technology solutions to the world as part of the state's economic development strategy.

A global solution to blackouts

Solving blackouts is a fourth reason for California’s commercialization pursuit of solar-plus-battery technologies. Blackouts are rare. But they do happen. Local blackouts occur when a car hits a power pole. They happen when severe weather damages lines. More rarely, outages can occur at the generation and transmission levels. Generation can go offline when coal piles freeze or natural gas is curtailed. Transmissions lines can fail if placed under too much load and heat.

In today’s digital world, a blackout has a significant and often high cost. California is creating the commercial path for avoiding this cost. It may be on display this summer if state warnings of a potential blackout are realized. If this happens, then this blackout could launch another California clean-tech innovation into national awareness. It might be the event that accelerates the day when most homes and businesses in the U.S. have a solar-plus-battery power system.

Part two of this article will explore how California is pioneering the smart, lower-cost, cleaner and more reliable technology alternative to a monopoly electricity system.

Image credit: Flickr/Joe Wolf

The world's second-highest leader in technology development says reducing its carbon emissions will save the country billions of dollars in the coming years, as well as boost green innovation.

Israel's cabinet approved its 2030 targets last week, opening the door for more funding for energy-efficiency projects and technology development. Those targets are set to realize a 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, or 7.7 tons of CO2 equivalent per-capita based on its 2005 levels. According to data released by the Israeli government, if the country stays on track and meets those targets, it will save about $8 billion over the next 14 years.

Under the proposed plan, Israel will commit $132 million in loan guarantees for energy-efficiency projects. Another $80 million in grants will help boost efficiency in local municipalities, business and technology through added support to small- and mid-sized businesses and towns. According to a September 2015 proposal submitted ahead of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, the plan also calls for a substantial increase in Israel's renewable energy sector, from 2 percent of the country's total energy generation to 17 percent.

A key goal for cutting pollution, the cabinet said, is cutting the country's dependence on coal and increasing its use of natural gas. However, doing so may also require revising its plan for harvesting natural gas from the Leviathan offshore gas reserve. Last month, the High Court struck down the project, saying the government's plan to fix gas prices for the next decade was unconstitutional.

Other initiatives include improving the country's transportation sector and green building opportunities, in part by revising government requirements and processes. A committee will be appointed to investigate ways to cut government roadblocks and facilitate funding for clean energy.

The budget that will allow for loan and grant funding still needs to be finalized, but the government says it is working on those final steps.

The Israeli government has come under pressure from local environmental groups and government advocates in recent years for its sluggish response to carbon reduction. The September 2015 announcement of its 2030 goals was met with lukewarm response, with the chair of the Knesset’s Social-Environmental Lobby, Minister Tamar Zandberg (Meretz Party), branding the projected goals as "no more than lip service" to the 30 percent reduction recommended by the country's Environmental Protection Ministry.

“It will not allow for the development of renewable energy – which in sunny Israel, was supposed to have gone without saying already for years – or for a real plan for energy efficiency. It is time we understand what is already clear to the whole world – the climate crisis is here,” Zandberg said.

Image: Flickr/Israeltourism

TaDah Foods was founded on the idea of putting your money where your heart is. Five years ago, the company’s founder, John Sorial, set out to create super inventive, high-quality, insanely delicious East Mediterranean cuisine with a purpose. He has since built a thriving social enterprise which promotes eating good, doing good and changing the world.

John Sorial was born in New York City to an immigrant family of foodservice and restaurant entrepreneurs. He was the front-of-the-house kid that happened to have the gift of gusto in the kitchen. Influenced by his family’s love of international cuisine, he became inspired by how amazing food could delight people no matter their background.

“Growing up in NYC, you’re exposed to so many different types of food,” he explained. “It was the ‘United Nations’ of friends, neighbors and foods. It shaped who I was and what I did. It was the perfect playground for my inner chubby kid.”

However, despite his love of food, it took some time for him to make a career out of it. After high school, he went on to pursue a degree in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. The problem was: He never wanted to be an engineer. He just happened to be “wicked good” at problem solving.

After graduating, he ended up working in marketing for AOL before being heavily pursued by a major telecom company. “I knew I didn’t really want the job,” he said. “So I asked them for a ridiculous amount of money.” But much to his surprise, the company obliged, and he reluctantly took it.

Needless to say, this position didn’t last very long. Sorial had a calling to do something more meaningful with his life. After speaking out in a meeting against what he described as the company’s unethical practices to boost profits, he was offered a position to transfer to the corporation’s office in India.

Inevitably, he decided against uprooting his young family and moving them across the world all for a job he hated. He had fulfilled his duty to his immigrant parents of working in a respectable field, and he decided it was time for a change. What followed was a series of all too coincidental events which lead him to the nonprofit sector.

Gone were the million-dollar budgets, staff and resources at his disposal. It was just him, and he was determined to make the best impact on people’s lives. He decided to dive head first into the food industry, and admits to being a bit naive at first. “I wanted to make this product the way my parents would serve it out of their deli or restaurant,” he said.

One day, before an important meeting with a buyer from Costco, he whipped up a falafel wrap on the fly, which would eventually become his best seller. He found a small facility to make the product and relied heavily on his engineering background to scale up the recipes and troubleshoot any problems that arose.

“We went to the largest food show in the country, got a booth and the crowd went crazy. Suddenly, all of the stress, anxiety, insecurity that I was doing the right thing went away. It was such a huge relief.” From that experience, Sorial was able to connect with some big buyers who would catapult his business to the next level. And from there, the company grew slowly and steadily.

“We’ve made some mistakes and had to rethink some things,” he said. “But the purpose has remained the same. I was mission-driven but flexible enough to learn and grow.” He stayed true to his vision to create innovative, delectable food that never compromises on quality.

“I was never driven by money,” Sorial explained. “Whatever I’m doing, I’m always doing for other people.” This idea is what justifies that fact that nonprofit organizations have a majority share in his company. Over 25 percent of the company’s profits go toward organizations that are actively engaged in social change.

This has paid off not only in the lives of people that are impacted by his brand, but it's also shown in the company’s profits which have steadily increased over the years. He attributes this a great deal to the company’s quality product, impeccable branding and strong, dedicated consumer base.

“We aspire to become active, responsible, corporate citizens, not just with our money, but with our time,” Sorial said. “I believe that the social enterprise business model is the future for all companies looking to make a meaningful connection with their communities and their consumers.”

As for what’s in store for the future of TaDah Foods, Sorial has set some ambitious goals. “We want to get to the point where people associate Middle Eastern food with us, and we have earned the trust of our customer base,” he said. “We have hundreds of products we want to get on the market, and we want to continue building a company that is supported by customers that feel good about the food, and inspired to do something in their communities.”

Image credits: TaDah Foods

The gender pay gap is real. And if we continue on as we are, it will take until 2059 to close it.

Gap, Inc. wants to bring awareness to the issue with a social-media campaign focused on the gender pay gap. Using the hashtag #CloseThePayGap, Gap is asking people to “represent the 21 percent pay gap” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The company created a website devoted to the campaign that's chock full of basic information about the pay gap. Information such as American women earn, on average, 79 cents for every dollar men make. Or that for non-white women, the pay gap is even worse. African-American women earn, on average, 60 cents for every dollar men make, and Latina women earn 55 cents.

Gap is no stranger to pay equity. The company proudly proclaims on the campaign’s Web page that in 2014 it became “the first Fortune 500 company to announce that it pays employees equally for equal work.” Gap discovered it paid employees equally for equal work through an internal gender compensation analysis it conducted. And to validate its findings, Gap asked consulting firm Exponential Talent to perform its own analysis. Exponential Talent found that “there is no significant gender wage difference between women and men at Gap Inc. within job codes globally and in any of the major retail geographies.” In other words, Gap’s internal analysis was correct.

Pay equity is good for the bottom line, as a report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) states. The belief that an employer is fair improves employees’ morale, making their work performance improve. “Workers who believe that they are paid fairly are more likely to contribute their best effort to the job,” the report concluded.

However, not all employers understand that pay equity is good for their bottom line. As the AAUW report points out, there are companies that have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle gender pay discrimination cases brought by women employees. The report cites several companies that have settled such cases, including Home Depot, Novartis and Smith Barney.

And that highlights something about the gender pay gap: There is a bigger problem with gender pay inequity among the private sector. Pay secrecy is “much more common in the private sector,” according to the report, while it is much less in the public sector, which is attributed to the greater amount of transparency in the public sector.

Gender pay equity is good for the economy, as the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) found. A persistent gender pay gap “translates into lower pay, less family income, and more poverty in families with a working woman,” according to the IWPR. About 71 percent of all mothers in the U.S. work, and a third of those who work are single. Almost 60 percent of women would earn more if working women were paid what a man of the same age, education and hours of work are paid.

Other findings by the IWPR also demonstrate how closing the gender pay gap would benefit the economy. The poverty rate for all working women would be halved, if there was gender equity pay. The poverty rate for single working mothers would almost be halved. The U.S. economy would produce additional income of $447.6 billion, which represents 2.9 percent of 2012 gross domestic product (GDP).

Gender pay equity is a win-win for everyone, including men. It would be good for the economy and a company’s bottom line. When more companies decide to pay their women employees what they pay men for the same job, education and experience, the gender pay gap will be a thing of the past. And we will all be better off for it.

Image credit: Flickr/jseliger

By Kayla Matthews

Clean technology has become a blanket term to describe various efforts to embrace renewable energy, biofuels, the development of eco-friendly consumer products, “green” buildings, sustainable agriculture and earth-friendly transport.

And many countries are ramping up their efforts, having realized that clean tech is the future.

Canada and China join forces

Although Canada’s clean-tech industry is strong compared to some other countries, news broke last year about a partnership between the Vancouver Economic Commission and a Chinese investment firm that should make the country well prepared for the future.

In addition to contributing over $4 million to the initiative, the Chinese organization will look for business opportunities in Vancouver, potentially giving the Canadian destination the chance to host Chinese entrepreneurs.

Elsewhere in Canada, the clean-tech industry is a huge economic booster. In addition to creating more than 50,000 jobs across 800 firms, clean tech is nearly a $12 billion industry.

Clean tech could particularly be useful in China, a place where the heavy smog causes people to wear masks outside and much of the groundwater is unsafe to drink. Canada has made strides in its own clean-tech efforts, so it should be a good resource and leader for China to follow.

Ireland makes some progress, but still faltering

OxyMem, a company founded by two chemists from University College Dublin, has been tapped as a standout company in the clean-tech sector. It aims to make wastewater treatment processes more efficient.

Although the clean-tech industry in Ireland is still emerging, OxyMem may offer some long-lasting momentum. More than 6,000 companies from 60 countries were nominated as outstanding, and OxyMem was shortlisted among a group of 99 other finalists for a list called the Global Cleantech 100.

Despite the good news about innovation, Ireland is not on track to meet its EU clean energy targets. If it doesn’t reach the minimum by 2020, the country could face fines of up to 600 million euros per year. Some companies have suggested wind energy would be particularly effective in Ireland. In 2015, 24 percent of the country’s electricity was produced from a total of 201 wind farms.

Positive changes made in the United States, but more work to do

The United States ranks among the worst countries for emissions and energy consumption, but it’s also among the best in terms of clean energy. The country is known for embracing electric vehicles and renewable energies, plus it has put a great deal of investment in clean tech.

Between 2013 and 2014, investment in clean tech went up by 74 percent. Furthermore, the country has the most clean tech-related patents worldwide and is the world leader in renewable electricity generation.

According to the 2016 BDO Technology Outlook Survey, 96 percent of chief financial officers surveyed said they thought mergers and acquisitions across the tech sector this year would stay the same, if not increase, and nearly three quarters of respondents thought mergers and acquisitions would be “primarily offensive.”

Clearly, even though the United States has many bad habits to break, it’s also trying to adopt better ones that’ll contribute to a healthier planet. The progress made so far is hopeful, but it’ll have to continue on a long-term basis.

The countries mentioned here are certainly not the only ones starting or continuing to make strides in the clean tech sector, but they’re worth a closer look for their inspiring gains. Hopefully, their accomplishments will encourage other places around the world to follow suit, even if resources are scarce.

Image by Jakub Rostkowski

Kayla Matthews is a healthy living writer and blogger who writes for The Huffington Post and The Climate Group. Follow her on Facebook or at ProductivityTheory.com. 

One of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne's big ideas was to increase the National Living Wage (NLW) on 1 April 2016 and wasn’t an April Fools! Not to be confused with either the National Minimum Wage or the Living Wage; this NLW increase should be popular with 1.3m workers aged over 25 who will immediately benefit, boosting the incomes of many of the U.K.'s poorly-paid employees. Though some employers particularly from small businesses have said it will have a negative impact on their profits. It is calculated by academics as the level of pay that would give workers sufficient for a basic standard of living.

The NLW will be paid to workers aged 25 and over, and will be initially set at £7.20 an hour, with a target of it reaching more than £9 an hour by 2020. Part-time and full-time workers will be paid this wage. Some employers, particularly those in London have pledged to pay even more than the NLW! At the moment, the amount is £8.25 an hour and £9.40 an hour in London.

Some companies have agreed to pay at least this amount and include FTSE 100 companies such as Aviva, Barclays and Legal & General and there are a few big local authorities who also pay the living wage. Mr Osborne said that there was an ambition that the National Living Wage should continue to increase to reach 60 percent of median earnings by 2020, subject to sustained economic growth. It is that calculation that leads to the aim for the NLW to be more than £9 by 2020.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has warned that 60,000 jobs will be lost as a direct result and reduce hours worked by four million a week. Fashion chains, supermarkets and the hospitality sector are expected to raise wages and from 1 April, penalties for non-payment of the NLW will be doubled, from 100 percent of the money owed, to 200 percent. Plus, any employer found guilty can be disqualified as a company director for up to 15 years.

While across the pond, California lawmakers voted on 31 March to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers, on the same day, New York governor Andrew Cuomo struck a similar deal to pay workers there $15 too! At $10 an hour, California is already tied with Massachusetts for the highest minimum wage of any state in the States. The estimated 5.6 million California workers affected by the increase will see their annual pay rise an average of 24 percent according to the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley. The vast majority of the affected are adults employed full-time. Increasing the minimum wage in America and the NLW in the U.K. is a reminder that the fight to raise wages also goes to the core to preserving rights, fairness and dignity for workers everywhere.

Photo Credit: torange.biz

UK National Living Wage • minimum wage • California Minimum Wage • America • New York Minimum Wage • Living Wage • Chancellor of the Exchequer

Finance and SRI

- See more at: http://www.justmeans.com/blogs/the-uk-new-york-and-california-increase-the-national-living-and-minimum-wage-in-the-same-week#sthash.bfJRnerP.dpuf

 

Alexandre Ricard is CEO of drinks giant Pernod Ricard. Currently the world’s No2 wines and spirits business, he is keen to make it to the No1 slot and believes that his company’s approach to responsible drinking is a serious step towards achieving that goal.

Interview by Liz Jones.

At 43, Alexandre Ricard is fairly young to be CEO of the world’s second biggest liquor company. And it’s something he is asked about a lot. However, he believes youth is nothing to do with how old you are, but down to one’s mindset. “We at Pernod Ricard all have a young mindset, regardless of our age group. We are a dynamic organisation.”

At a recent ‘Meet the CEO’ student event in Brussels organised by the company, Ricard displayed his obvious and unashamed passion for the drinks industry: “Alcohol is art, part of human mystery if you like. It’s beautiful, as long as you respect it of course,” he said. “I love the industry and its ability to spread conviviality around the world.”

He is enthusiastic about the heritage of his brands too – which include Absolut vodka, Chivas Regal whisky, Jameson Irish whiskey and Malibu rum– and their stories. “Some of them have fifth generation coopers!” he told his rapt audience.

It is clear too that he has an equal passion for his business’s tag line ‘createurs de convivialité’ (creators of conviviality) and that responsible drinking is a huge part of that. “Conviviality and excess do not mix,” he said. He acknowledged that the drinks industry is part of the problem when it comes to drinking issues but maintains that he wants Pernod Ricard to be part of the solution. “We want to be more positive about the responsible drinking message,” he said. “Company prides comes out of the firmly held belief in the concept of responsibility. We’re not cynical about it. Excess is the opposite of what we want.”

Indeed responsible drinking is a key pillar of the company’s CSR programme. In 2009 the company underwent a big review of its CSR activity, restructuring and assessing its relevance to each market. For example, in some markets the topic of responsible consumption addresses drink driving while in another it may tackle binge drinking.  However its Responsible Party initiative is a pan-European programme, run in partnership with the Erasmus Exchange Student Network (ESN), which is present in 32 countries. Thus the programme has great scale, having reached 250,000 students since its creation.

Now in its sixth year, the company originally teamed with ESN to address the problem of binge drinking. As a body that supports exchange students and the nature of their work (running lots of ‘get together’ events), it has inevitably run up a reputation for exchange semesters as being ‘times to party’. [Exchange students are distinct from international students in that they are only do part of their degree in a different country, as opposed as a whole three-year degree].

ESN research shows that exchange students tend to drink in the manner of the country in which they are studying. For example, Spanish students who usually drink wine with a meal at home, suddenly shift to drinking vodka shots when studying in Stockholm…

While the first partnership in 2010 was very much regarded by students as being ‘anti-alcohol’, its approach has been tempered and the focus is now fully on wellbeing. Responsible Party ‘squads’ – trained student ambassadors – provide kits to enable and promote responsible consumption, ie water, breathalysers, condoms, etc.

Ricard himself is a firm believer in the ‘peer to peer’ approach at a Responsible Party. “It should be considered friend to friend. It’s a young person’s duty to inform, rather than a top down approach,” he said. “Friendliness is key.”

And he knows what he’s talking about. Last year, on the company’s annual Responsible Day - where the whole company stops to do voluntary work - Ricard spent the day as a party squad member.  “It was a very enjoyable experience,” he recalled. “It was interesting to see how receptive people were to the message.”

And when talking to students in Brussels recently, he shared a story to emphasise further the importance of promoting responsible consumption: “I recently asked a bar owner why he didn’t push excess consumption to boost his sales and he told me that excess drinking led to fights and that way he’d lose customers, so ultimately was bad for his business.”

It’s true for Pernod Ricard too. When one student suggested that an alcohol company promoting responsible drinking was rather like a gas station promoting public transport, he was quick to respond: “We’re in this for the long term, to ensure the sustainability of the company. Ethics have to be part of the business. We also want to attract talent and young millennials are looking at these kind of ethical stances in their future employers.”

Quizzed further, Ricard insisted: “Excess is bad for the individual and bad for the company. Moderate consumption will not have a negative impact on sales.”

Ricard is keen for Responsible Party to reach further in 2016.  “One thing I’m expecting and will see over time is further innovation and creativity with new technologies. They’ll be able to give us new ideas and so we’ll be leveraging new technologies to spread the message. We’ll also be sharing best practice.”

The Responsible Party initiative does not promote the company’s brands nor is there any signage, indicating that it is a Pernod Ricard activity. Why not? “It’s not the objective of the party,” Ricard said. “The objective is to do it, not advertise it. It’s better the ambassadors advertise the message and not Pernod Ricard brands.”

“It’s not about scoring ‘positive points’ nor is it free advertising,” he said. In fact, he says he’d be happy to partner with competitors and would really like Responsible Party to be a global spirits industry initiative.

Speaking to Ethical Performance he said that he has seen an evolution in general consumer behaviour towards a more balanced approach to drinking, given that the ‘please drink responsibly’ message has been promoted – by law – for a significant time.

“After work you can go home and switch on the news. But that’s a downer. I go home, get a drink and then chat to my partner about how the day has been. That kind of balanced approach and lifestyle is only going to grow, he maintained.

Ricard doesn’t like the term ‘CSR’. “It’s fashionable,” he said. “But it’s been part of the company’s DNA from the beginning and not new to its principles.”

Indeed, he told the story of how during his grandfather’s day, the Vichy government during World War Two prohibited the production of alcohol (said to be ‘contrary to the values’ of France). “That meant 800 people out of job but my grandfather couldn’t allow that. He called his workers together and decided to grow rice instead and to this day, the area – the Carmague – is the biggest rice growing area in Europe.”

 

 

Responsible Business Week, sponsored by Business in the Community, kicked off at 11 Downing Street with the launch of the £1bn Buy Social Corporate Challenge, an effort to encourage big businesses to procure goods and services from the UK’s social enterprise sector. Social Enterprise UK and the Cabinet Office will work with a number of large corporations including RBS Group, Johnson & Johnson, PwC, Santander, Wates, Zurich, and Interserve in training their procurement teams on how to source and buy from social enterprises, and the benefits to be achieved. They will also receive advice on measuring the impact of their spend with social enterprises, and how to use the data in sustainability reporting and bid writing. 

With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there’s no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you a fun, easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.

While most of us are consumed with the merry fisticuffs of the presidential primary race, an alarming number of discriminatory policies are being passed at the state level. Thankfully, the backlash has proved swift and punishing.

Companies are threatening to reduce business operations in North Carolina and Mississippi following legislation that legalizes discrimination against LGBT people. Meanwhile, Indiana women are waging what has been jokingly referred to as a "terror campaign" against conservative leadership.

Yes, it's safe to say that April has been a rough month for Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana.

More than a thousand protesters rallied at the statehouse on Saturday to protest the controversial anti-abortion law Pence signed into law in late March. Among other things, House Bill 1337 prohibits a woman from terminating a pregnancy due to genetic abnormalities in the fetus, which effectively means she could be forced to carry a pregnancy to term even a doctor tells her it is likely to result in a still birth. The law also mandates the cremation or burial of fetal remains following a miscarriage or abortion.

Indiana already severely limits access to abortion -- its prior laws most closely mimic the embattled policy passed in Texas last year -- and many Indiana women feel the new set of regulations is even more intrusive.

The rally gained a few minutes in the headlines, but the medium they chose in the weeks before is what really garnered attention: Since Gov. Pence seems to be so concerned with the reproductive functions of Indiana women, they took to social media to tell him what's going on down there.

"[The law] was being discussed a lot in the news. I read the bill and realized that it is both intrusive and confusing," Sue, the woman who created the Periods for Pence Facebook page in late March, told Broadly. "I said to my husband, 'If he's this worried about what goes on in there, maybe I should just call and tell him about my period.' And I went back that night and started the page."

Indiana women used inspiration from the page and the #PeriodsforPence hashtag to connect with Pence and the bill's author, state Rep. Casey Cox (also a man, in case that needs clarifying), to tell them about their menstrual cycles and ask for gynecological advice. A typical post looks something like this:

Well @GovPenceIN I started today. You'll recall I was spotting at the end of March but this seems to be the real deal #periodsforpence

— Kati (@katinixon) April 9, 2016

The hilarity that ensued proves why this is the perfect example of leveraging social media to spur change at the policy level. One tweeter proclaimed the hashtag was "hours of entertainment," and those giggles and pop-culture references clearly added up to attention: Thousands tweeted using the #PeriodsforPence hashtag, and the campaign's Facebook page had nearly 50,000 likes at press time.

.@GovPenceIN My period is 2 days late, but I have been abstinent, so no worries! I'll keep you updated #periodsforpence

— kate warren (@DowndogKate) April 11, 2016

Dear @GovPenceIN, it's 2nd day of my period. Having #PCOS sometimes day 2&3 are worst for cramps. Holding true so far. #periodsforpence

— The Women's Watch (@TheWomensWatch) April 6, 2016

@GovPenceIN if my vagina bleeds but you don't see it, did it really happen? @periodsforpence #periodsforpence #existential #womxn #vagina

— Brittany Machado (@BrittLynnMach) April 11, 2016

@GovPenceIN ok now what do I do? Please answer quickly! #periodsforpence pic.twitter.com/MRJo67suCH

— Laura Reagan (@AlauraBorealis_) April 9, 2016

Women were also encouraged to call the two legislators in their offices with questions and period updates, and the Facebook page is full of conversations with their exasperated staff.

The page's organizers received reports that Pence's office briefly shut down phone lines last week, and one tweeter reported being blocked:

Got my number blocked from calling @GovPenceIN 🙌💃🏻🙏 #periodsforpence @periodsforpence

— Olivia (@theOwlPost) April 11, 2016

Here at 3p, we've learned firsthand what kind of impact social media engagement can have. We recently gave readers the opportunity to engage directly with the CEO of one of America's most controversial companies, Monsanto -- and the result was a positive and productive conversation. Another Twitter chat gathered young influencers to discuss the future of an inclusive tech industry. We're often genuinely surprised by the conversations social media engagement can spark -- and campaigns like this one only further prove that social is the new megaphone of civil society.

And if that's the case, companies and governments better watch out.

In only a few hours, an Indiana woman went from watching TV with her husband to mobilizing hundreds -- and then thousands -- of her peers to fight policy they deemed unjust. Democracy Spring, another campaign organized largely on social media, rallied hundreds of supporters for a week-long march from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., culminating in a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol on Monday that resulted in more than 400 arrests. Civil disobedience continued through the week, resulting in more arrests, as demonstrators called on federal lawmakers to get corporate money out of the election process.

If all of this is possible, imagine what else can be accomplished through the power of social media.

The moral of the story? If you oppose policy at the federal, state or local level, don't stay silent. Let lawmakers know you're not happy, and that it will affect your decision when you head to the polls. Go online and find social media groups doing the same thing to rally your efforts behind those of your peers. With the right hook, more will surely follow.

Image credit: Periods for Pence via Facebook