Building Partnerships for CSR

24 May 2016. I made a move to the social sector after 27 years of corporate life. After managing a 1,500 crore business with thousands of employees, shifting focus to a non- profit rural initiative at a seemingly small scale raised many questions – internally and from my peers. But I am grateful to our co-founders Ronnie and Zarina who supported me as I navigated a new landscape – literally and figuratively. I visited Swades villages in Raigad and experienced first-hand, the transformation of our rural communities and the promise they hold when empowered with the right tools. Reflecting on these fabulous 8 years, here are some of my biggest learnings: 1. Earn community’s trust: Community, is the strongest catalyst to create sustainable social change. It is imperative that we earn their trust - through conversations, community-building exercises and above all, patience. The Village Development Committee that plays the eyes and ears of Swades on ground is an excellent example of how a supportive and aspirational community drives change. 2. Build team confidence: Understand the motivations, strengths and challenges of your key stakeholders and teams. Invest in building 3 Ps – process, people and performance. Engaging meaningfully with the team by way of town halls, competitions, recognitions goes a long way in creating a transparent and inclusive environment where one can leverage every insight (especially of those on ground) that’ll help collectively chase a common goal. 3. Share learnings to create replicable models: Social sector unlike corporate sector thrives on collaboration, not competition. There is excellent work happening the world over in the social sector and with regard to government initiatives. So expand your peer networks, indulge in knowledge sharing with corporate CSRs, other NGOs, governments, academicians. Swades model is a combination of some of the brightest ideas adopted from other institutions – for one, BRAC (Bangladesh) that is one of the few to adopt a holistic model of change.   4. Adopt a climate lens: At the outset include ways to make the model green – with renewable energy, local resources, mindful use of resources. The Swades toilet with compost pits, community-led water conservation efforts, solar-powered water / lighting programs are fine examples of how social change can be environmentally conscious. 5. All Hands (Head and Heart) on deck: Measuring social impact is not the same as measuring profits. Considering the human aspect of the effort is crucial to creating a compassionate model where the team, community and all other stake holders can work seamlessly and contribute most effectively. Hope you will find these useful. Ronnie Screwvala Swades Foundation

We are proud to launch a new report, Just Climate Transitions in Bangladesh, co-authored by the mission-driven consultancy FSG with support from the Laudes Foundation and us at H&M Foundation. This report offers transformative pathways for the textile, apparel, and construction industries to achieve a just and sustainable transition. Throughout this project, insights were gathered from over 80 Bangladeshi stakeholders like labour rights experts, RMG manufacturers, climate experts, policy experts and skilling providers. Their perspectives underscored the high stakes involved—without climate adaptation, Bangladesh could lose 22 percent of its apparel export earnings and approximately 5 percent of jobs by 2030. However, there is hope and potential if we act collectively. The report not only outlines the challenges but also provides actionable strategies to help workers, industries, and communities thrive in the face of climate change. As a donor focused on promoting just climate solutions for the textile industry, we are fully committed to supporting decarbonization, circularity, climate adaptation, and improved labor policies. These findings will directly inform the next phase of our collective impact initiative, Oporajita with an increased focus on catalyzing a just transition alongside decarbonization. What truly inspires me is the spirit of collaboration that this journey demands. Real, meaningful change occurs when all stakeholders work together. That’s why we are inviting everyone — policymakers, industry leaders, financial actors, and civil society — to join us in creating a greener, fairer future for Bangladesh’s industry and workers. You can download the report here: https://lnkd.in/dUDQyFGi I genuinely hope you find it as insightful and inspiring as we do. #justtransition #rmgindustry #bangladesh #justclimatetransition #climatemitigation #climateadaptation

Sourcing and supply chain, pointers from years of practical experience... 🧵 At The Pant Project we come from a family background of ~50 years of experience in textile manufacturing. As a brand, we work with vendors across India to procure the highest quality materials for our product. What have we learnt in this time about how to manage supply chains? 1. Trust is everything. If your vendors trust you to lift goods, make payments, and honour your commitments, then you are golden. If they don’t trust you, then no amount of legal documentation or paperwork can make the relationship work. Trust is built over time, with consistently honouring your commitments. Trust takes a lot of time to build up, and just a few bad experiences to lose forever. 2. Processes > people. At scale, if you are person dependent, things are bound to break. You need to have set standard operating procedures (SOPs) for everything from raw material inward to pre production processes, mid-line inspection, final quality control, packing and dispatch, else you have no way to control irregularities in quality. You also need a kaizen mindset to continuously make micro-improvements. 3. Cost is just one factor in deciding which vendor to partner with. While it’s important to optimise for the right purchase price, there are a host of other things to consider when choosing a manufacturing partner. Speed of delivery, flexibility on minimum order quantities, and quality of the product matter a lot. So it’s a vendor scorecard of all of the above that determine who wins the right to produce what & how much for your brand. 4. Diversify your supply chain, but not too much. While it’s important to have multiple partners for each critical component or SKU to minimise single party dependency risk, it is also important to give meaningful volumes to select partners so you are a relevant part of their annual operating plan and get the priority service that your brand needs. We see too many brands making the mistake of splitting volumes across too many factories before hitting meaningful scale, and they have no control anywhere. Like with any investment portfolio, while diversification protects against the downside, if you know what you are doing, some level of concentration into high conviction bets (factories) leads to outsized returns. 5. Invest in product R&D, it’s worth it in the long run. Becoming a pure commodity player is a race to the bottom. There are real innovations to be made at a yarn level, fabric technology level and garment design & engineering level, and you have to invest the $$$ upfront to reap the long term benefits. So invest in R&D to stay ahead of the curve, and co-create, collaborating closely with your supply chain partners, or run the risk of becoming irrelevant over time. The strength of your supply chain is the backbone of your brand.

When countries work together, supported by strong coalitions and partnerships, we can turn shared risks into shared progress. In the Western Balkans, support from the Adaptation Fund has enabled Albania, Montenegro & North Macedonia to join forces in tackling floods in the Drin River Basin – a challenge that knows no borders. With UNDP and partners, and building on earlier efforts supported by the Global Environment Facility, this initiative truly highlights the power of partnerships to meet transboundary climate challenges and advance shared climate goals. The results speak for themselves: More than 30 new or upgraded hydrometeorological stations are improving flood forecasting and early warning. Thousands of hectares of farmland and communities are better protected through rehabilitated embankments and drainage systems. And for the first time, Albania, North Macedonia & Montenegro have a joint flood risk management strategy, backed by shared data, aligned with EU standards, shaped by community voices, and paired with a five-year action plan to reduce vulnerability across borders. See the work in photos: https://lnkd.in/e-hgzK9C This is proof that partnerships are one of the most powerful defenses we have against climate change. UNDP in Europe and Central Asia UNDP Albania UNDP Montenegro UNDP North Macedonia

Since its founding in 2020, Transformers Foundation has established a body of work demonstrating that suppliers have not been meaningfully included in the creation of sustainability strategies – whether they pertain to cotton, climate action, chemical management, and beyond. This is not only unjust, it's ineffective. This begs the question: if a key reason sustainability strategies fail is because the actors primarily responsible for enacting those strategies – suppliers – have not been meaningfully included in their creation, then where do sustainability strategies come from? Which stakeholder group(s) have defined the problems we seek to solve? How do solutions that reflect a particular - as opposed to shared - understanding of the problem end up so ubiquitous? These questions were the catalyst for Transformers Foundation’s latest report – which looks at supplier inclusion and exclusion in fashion’s multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) - and was authored by Elizabeth Cline. The report reveals that suppliers tend to perceive MSIs as having developed or supported strategies, standards, tools, and assessments that are enacted solely by the supply chain for the benefit of brands and retailers without their full participation or buy-in. The report’s conclusion supports and echoes Ilishio Lovejoy’s call to adapt and apply the organizational management theory of fair process to transform MSIs and enhance stakeholder engagement. Fair process is founded on three key principles:  👉Acknowledgment and reduction of bias: We call for non-biased decision-making that involves participants' perceptions of justice within a process. Organizations should acknowledge the role of bias and work to ensure that stakeholders feel they are being treated fairly in relation to others.  👉Equitable engagement and decision-making. We aren’t just calling for suppliers to have a seat at the table; they must have a meaningful voice in decision-making. We advocate equitable engagement and decision-making, which would address the power differentials and barriers suppliers face to engagement. 👉Transparency around the process -  Transparency is key to building trust and buy-in in solutions. We advocate for clear rules and reporting concerning who makes decisions, how members can and cannot influence decisions, clear communication of final decisions, and how and why decisions were reached.   The term “fair process” sounds like a tidy, technical solution, but, in my view, it's pretty radical: it's a set of rules for rule-making – and rules can never be neutral. They always have a point of view on how power is distributed. 👉Download the report and register for the launch webinar on 14 November where we'll be joined by Tricia Carey Alberto De Conti Elizabeth Cline Ilishio Lovejoy: https://lnkd.in/e2-5ayme This report was such a collective effort, but particular thanks to Marzia Lanfranchi Ani Wells Cam-Ly Nguyen.

In 2022, catastrophic floods left a third of #Pakistan submerged, 8 million people displaced, and $30 billion worth of damages inflicted on the infrastructure, agriculture, business, housing, and livestock sectors.   That has led to growing calls in Pakistan to better manage environmental, social and governance (#ESG) risks—particularly in the financial sector – and our work with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Pakistan aims to do exactly that.   Through a manual we jointly developed, banks can now better address climate-risks, reduce losses over time and ultimately increase their profitability. This is a first in the country and I am confident it will pave the way to greening its financial sector.   You can find more info here:   https://lnkd.in/dwEtp8AK IFC Climate

Decarbonization is a strategic imperative for organizations today. Here are some key takeaways from a recent KPMG report on the journey to net zero emissions: - Decarbonization must align with overall business strategy. Consider how it impacts your value proposition, capital structure, compensation, and stakeholder reporting. - Operationalize sustainable behaviors through energy efficiency, renewables, green finance tools like green bonds, and carbon pricing mechanisms. - Gain regulatory agility as climate disclosure requirements increase. Think local with regulations like emissions caps for buildings. - Accelerate partnerships across your supply chain and industry to spur innovation and align on carbon reduction. - Digitize data collection and leverage AI for insights into your carbon footprint. Verify progress via blockchain to build trust with stakeholders. - Use a mix of verified emissions reductions, renewable energy, carbon capture and high-quality offsets to reach net zero. - Tell your climate success story with data-backed metrics and progress towards decarbonization goals. Maintain competitive advantage as climate action becomes an expectation. The convergence of cloud, IoT, AI and blockchain can provide the data ecosystem and visibility needed to make and prove progress on net zero journeys. What steps is your organization taking? What partnerships or technologies could accelerate your decarbonization efforts? #decarbonization #netzero #climate #sustainability #business

🌍 Accelerating Industry Decarbonization: Collaboration Is the Key The World Economic Forum's latest report, United for Net Zero: Public-Private Collaboration to Accelerate Industry Decarbonization, outlines a roadmap for tackling industrial emissions, which account for 30% of global greenhouse gases. The report highlights the urgent need for collaboration between governments and businesses to overcome barriers like insufficient funding, regulatory fragmentation, and slow technology adoption. 8 key opportunities to accelerate progress: ✨ Understand and leverage public financial mechanisms: Governments must provide tailored incentives like tax breaks and subsidies to make decarbonization projects financially viable. ✨ Engage your sector to co-develop financial mechanisms: Industries should work with stakeholders to design financing models that align with sectoral needs and drive innovation. ✨ Facilitate carbon tracking adoption within your value chain: Promoting standardized carbon measurement tools and tracking systems can improve transparency and drive efficiency. ✨ Contribute to harmonizing carbon accounting standards: Aligning global standards for carbon reporting will reduce costs and improve accountability. ✨ Proactively support net-zero solutions across value chains: Companies must help decarbonize supply chains, particularly by supporting SMEs with knowledge and funding. ✨ Collaborate with governments on value chain decarbonization policies: Businesses should actively shape policies that accelerate emissions reduction while ensuring fairness. ✨ Co-invest in climate technologies and market creation: Joint investment in technologies like green hydrogen and renewables will be key to achieving net-zero goals. ✨ Help create enabling policies for climate technology adoption: Governments and industries must design policies that reduce risks and boost demand for climate innovations. 🌱 My Reflections 💭 1. Mobilizing Consumer Influence Consumers hold untapped power to drive change. A globally recognized "carbon-neutral certified" label could transform purchasing habits. Transparent certifications and awareness campaigns could accelerate demand for sustainable products. 💭 2. Ensuring Equity Across Borders Global supply chains must help developing economies transition fairly. Capacity-building, knowledge-sharing, and financial support can ensure all regions—not just wealthy ones—meet net-zero goals. 💭 3. Fast-Tracking Green Innovation Regulatory bottlenecks remain a major hurdle. An international fast-track mechanism for green projects could streamline approvals and accelerate innovations like green hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. The challenge is immense, but so are the opportunities. What do you see as the most critical steps toward net-zero industries? 🌟 #NetZero #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Decarbonization #Innovation #Collaboration

Business Framework for Climate Adaptation 🌎 Climate adaptation is an increasingly strategic concern for companies across sectors. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and supply chain disruptions are no longer distant threats but material risks to business continuity, performance, and value creation. Responding to these risks requires more than isolated initiatives; it calls for structured, forward-looking action. A comprehensive approach to adaptation begins by recognizing the business drivers that make action necessary. These include avoiding financial losses from climate impacts, unlocking new revenue streams and efficiencies, and contributing to broader resilience in communities and ecosystems. These motivations help define the scope and urgency of adaptation efforts. To move from intention to execution, companies can organize their response across three pillars: enhancing resilience, capitalizing on opportunities, and shaping collaborative outcomes. This structure supports both internal action and external engagement, ensuring that adaptation efforts are both strategic and systemic. Enhancing resilience involves assessing physical climate risks and strengthening the capacity of operations, assets, and value chains to withstand disruptions. This includes scenario planning, supplier resilience programs, and investments in infrastructure that can endure future conditions. The second pillar focuses on capturing opportunities by developing solutions that support adaptation. This includes climate-resilient products, services tailored to emerging risks, and investment in technologies that deliver both adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. These innovations create new markets and competitive advantage. Collaborative outcomes are essential for building resilience beyond the boundaries of the business. This involves partnerships with governments, NGOs, and communities to support large-scale adaptation initiatives. Collective action can drive systemic change and expand the reach and impact of individual company efforts. Implementation requires enabling structures that integrate adaptation into decision-making. This includes aligning corporate strategy with climate science, embedding risk analysis into governance processes, and ensuring transparency through credible disclosures. These elements make adaptation measurable, accountable, and scalable. Taken together, these components form a practical path for companies to address the climate risks ahead while contributing to long-term stability and sustainable development. Adaptation is no longer optional. It is a critical lever for resilience, relevance, and long-term value. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange #risks

Community is a climate solution. In December, I helped ClimateVoice organize a webinar called "Green Team Success Stories: How Employees Advance Climate Action at Work" and now, we're following up with a blog post that goes a level deeper! This article provides an exclusive glimpse into how employees from Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Salesforce have self-organized into employee sustainability communities (often called Green Teams) for years, showcasing their successes, challenges, similarities, and differences. Their efforts have shifted the dynamics of who can engage in sustainability work at these companies, created industry leading green innovations, and in each case, unlocked more resources and support for sustainability work. I authored this month's Connect the Dots newsletter to recap the session (find a link to the recording in the comments below) and explain just how powerful and transformative these communities can be. ✋ Green Teams work in organizations of all shapes and sizes and mostly run on volunteer labor, enabling individuals to align their passion and purpose with their work, while providing valuable career development opportunities and improving employee attraction and retention 🕸️ Their decentralized structure breaks down organizational silos, fostering connection and collaboration across the entire workforce, while increasing overall climate literacy 🪴 They uniquely embed sustainability throughout every part of an organization, driving innovation while reducing environmental impact simultaneously. 💡Most importantly, they transform sustainability from an operational task driven by a single team to a core part of organizational culture, making sustainability part of everybody’s job in the process. We learned that the challenges employees face doing this work are more similar than different: lack of place (no sustainability community), lack of time (burnout, layoffs, and competing priorities), lack of influence (employees are not considered a critical stakeholder), lack of knowledge (little to no climate literacy in the workforce), and crucially, lack of support (no top down sponsorship from a Chief Sustainability Officer or executive). The good news is that all of these obstacles can be overcome, and the employees in Green Team Success Stories: How Employees Advance Climate Action at Work told us how each had uniquely done it in their organizations. Read on to learn more and share your experience with green teams in the comments below. Help us tell your story! Kevin Houldsworth Mia Ketterling Alyssa Chen Prashansa Sonawane Nidhi Kaul Céline Zollinger Antoine Cabot 🌱Lindsey Peterson Rohan Nijhawan Sam Gooch Zoe Samuel Holly Alpine (née Beale) Van Riker Aiyana Bodi Chris Bradley Patrick Flynn Manav Goel Nina Panda Kimberly Forte Abraham Chen, MBA Ryan Eismin, PhD Peggy Brannigan Dana Jennings Elizabeth Shelly Maddie Stone Cecilia Emden Hands 🌱Kati Kallins Lucy Piper Katelyn Prendiville Nivi Achanta