All is not well in Cupertino…

Those of you who know me well are aware of my affection for Apple Computer. I have been a long-time customer, supporter, and advocate.

In the past several years, however, I have become increasingly aware of much of Apple’s darker side. The company’s PR machine usually has a nice statement to smooth things out, which does little to make feel better, but still seems to have a certain amount of contempt for those seeking greater accountability.

Shareholder meetings are frequently accompanied by protests from environmental groups (as noted in the linked MacRumours article above), and there have been recent reports regarding the working conditions of an iPod OEM in China. I would very much like to see Apple take charge and lead tech companies in greater environmental awareness. Its computer recycling program is a great step forward, but still more could be done.

As an interesting aside, were I an Apple shareholder (I haven’t been for a few years—perhaps a bit shortsighted…) I would gladly forgo a certain amount of profit if it meant that the company would be a better steward of the environment and of human rights. That said, it is far easier to make such a claim than to strip all of the environmental and labor issues from such a large company, let alone one in such a highly competitive industry. If any company can make serious inroads, however, I’d put my money on Apple having the greatest potential. I hope that turns out to be the case.

[Update 8/29/06]: This is not related to the content above, but Google and Apple seem to be getting a bit more snuggly. I think the news is quite interesting in relation to the China-related issues both companies have been having the past year or so. The Microsoft connection obviously adds an interesting dimension, and this may reflect more poorly on Google (as the Techcruch post alludes to) than anticipated.

TAGS: Apple Computer | Mac | iPod | Macintosh | CSR | Corporate Governance

Audeamus lists a number of great green technology news items today starting with information on venture capital fund based in the Netherlands which intends to focus on sustainable technology startups.

TAGS: Social Enterprise | Sustainable Technology | CSR | Corporate Social Responsibility | Audeamus

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., the largest Coca-Cola bottler with operations in North America and western Europe, just released its 2005 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Review. The review is quite interesting (and very well designed) and covers all of the high-level information one might expect.

This review should be of interest to anyone familiar with the recent cola-company scandals in India mentioned earlier. The bottlers involved are different than Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., but it should be interesting to read the review in relation to the specific issues the India bottlers are grappling with. In particular, note the following items from the “Environmental Management System” section:

• Comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations everywhere that we operate
• Establish objectives and targets and conduct auditing to improve our performance on a consistent basis
• Incorporate environmental considerations in our business planning process, including design, production, packaging, transportation and ultimate disposal of materials related to our products
• Work with communities on environmental projects of local benefit

I have yet to do the research but am curious if the India Coca-Cola bottling company has the same level of stated commitment to environmental management and local cooperation.

As an aside, this serves as a good example of a company obviously going through the motions of at least attempting to show greater corporate social responsibility, yet perhaps having its efforts discounted due to the complications another Coca-Cola bottler (and perhaps other cola bottlers) is experiencing.

For the cynical observer, it becomes increasingly easy to pass off multinationals’ CSR efforts as empty PR attempts–a reality that is becoming more commonplace. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the cynics will lose material to fling as the CSR movement matures.

TAGS: CSR | Coke | Coca-Cola | Corporate Responsibility | CSR Report

I don’t have much else to add other than that I thought this was a fantastic post.

As a follow-up to my last post about socially responsible investing, I thought I would pass on another resource my friend sent to me (thank you Dave!).

He emailed me a PDF of a report authored by Abby Joseph Cohen, Partner and Chief U.S. Investment Strategist, Goldman, Sachs & Co, that covers the SRI sector noting the various vehicles as well as any potential opportunities. I think the report is excellent and should be a very quick read for anyone interested in the subject. Here are a few links:

• Direct link: Capital Markets At the Crossroads [PDF]
• Research page at Goldman Sachs (the Cohen report is listed toward the top)
• A transcript from State of the Planet 2006 where Cohen discussed the report

TAGS: Abby Cohen | Goldman Sachs | SRI | Socially Responsible Investing

A good friend of mine from my MBA program just emailed me a link to a Goldman Sachs report that was quite compelling. The report covers the economic growth potential, over the next 50 years, of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the “BRICs economies”), and should be viewed by anyone interested in investing.

I personally found the report quite powerful for several reasons. First, I enjoy following markets and economic trends (not enough to be good at it), particularly ones that I am invested in. Second, the report paints a fairly good picture of what the world economic makeup will look like over the next 50 years, which could potentially impact (positively or negatively) the environment, business norms, consumption habits, and more.

For instance, as the BRICs economies continue to grow and consume sources of energy, prices will rise (great for investors but not so optimal for consumers) and resources will become more scarce. In such a scenario there is just as much opportunity to capitalize on the scarcity as there is to develop alternatives. It is the development of alternatives that I am most interested in watching over the next fifty years.

Here are a few additional observations I had while viewing the report:

• BRICs, if the report is correct, will define the future of business far more than they do now. Doesn’t mean US, Japan and current other economic powerhouses will fade away or dramatically lose influence, but that more players will be present at the table. This could be equally positive and negative.
• The car purchasing statistics were quite interesting in that they showed a massive percentage of ownership sitting in the BRICs economies. Since such high growth in ownership is expected, there is a huge opportunity to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly auto footprint. At the same time, there is also the potential for the growth to go in the other direction, adding to the already large environmental and natural resource issues we are experiencing.
• The energy and oil demand does not seem that extreme but still raises many important questions about the future of our environment in direct correlation to increased growth.
• From an investing standpoint, pay particular attention to the information on energy and commodities, as well as the potential appreciation of the BRICs economies’ currencies.

TAGS: SRI | BRICs Economies | Brazil | Russia | India | China

If anyone has not heard of socially responsible investing (SRI) yet, the Miami Herald has a brief but nice overview of what SRI entails: Socially Responsible Portfolios (added: free registration needed). Those inclined to read a more robust overview may also enjoy a paper I authored a few months ago.

[Update: 8/23/06] I just checked the Miami Herald link and saw that free registration is required. Sorry about that–curiously, no registration was needed when I originally read the article coming from a Google News link.

TAGS: SRI | Socially Responsible Investing

I had thought the Wordpress 2 update, and perhaps the new server as well, would fix the technorati issues I have been experiencing. So far nothing seems to have changed (almost 24 hours) so I am going through the process of reclaiming this blog to see if that does the trick. Pardon the dust…

Technorati Profile

…And another interesting press release from CSRwire catches my eye…

The release, TerraCycle Plant Food™ Becomes First Consumer Product to Earn Zerofootprint™ Seal, introduces TerraCycle Plant Food and is my first exposure to the Zero Footprint organization. The product and the organization sound compelling, though I wonder if the word choice will help or hinder the company’s efforts.

TAGS: TerraCycle | ZeroFootprint | Social Enterprise | CSR

Image source: Global System Change homepage

I caught an interesting press release on CSRwire this morning that prompted me to do a bit of extra digging. The release, Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR): New Sustainability Approach Addresses Critical System Change Issue, covers a recent article by Frank Dixon which, “claims that evolving economic and political systems into sustainable forms is the best way to ensure business prosperity and probably the only way to provide a sustainable world for our children.”

Sounds intriguing. Here’s another clip from the press release:

“Effectively addressing these extremely complex systemic issues requires collaboration and adoption of a systems perspective. A new approach to sustainability, called Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR), does just this. TCR is being implemented by Gazeley Ltd, a wholly owned but independently operated Wal-Mart subsidiary based in the UK. Gazeley is a global real estate developer of distribution warehouses. It provides Wal-Mart and many other clients with environmentally-superior facilities that lower energy use and carbon emissions by as much as seventy percent.”

Navigating to Dixon’s site and reading more about Total Corporate Responsibility and Global System Change (GSC), it is somewhat difficult to figure out what GSC or TCR are exactly. There is a considerable amount of information on the site, both in text and linked articles, yet none of it gives me a clear idea about the specific changes or improvements Dixon suggests when working with a client. That doesn’t mean that GSC and TCR are simply catchy acronyms meant to muster up some more sales, but without some concrete information about the specific changes Dixon recommends, it is quite difficult to perform a more substantial evaluation.

If you are interested in learning more about either concept, I have a few suggestions. As a starting point, I’d recommend visiting Dixon’s website. From there, you will find a number of articles he has authored including one titled, System Change. Beyond those resources, a deeper search may be necessary.

TAGS: GSC | TCR | CSR | Frank Dixon | Global System Change