
Can social enterprises like Fairphone can help achieve a world free of conflict mineral products?
Mogadishu, Somalia’s broken capital is ready to experience a rebirth. Its tale is of a city with a troubled but rich history, full of ruins and opportunities. At the 43rd St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, its mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nur reflected on his courageous mission to rebuild the war-torn city. In Mogadishu and throughout the rest of Somalia, clashes between clans and the central government caused the fall of the Somali state in 1991, leading to a raging civil war—one not yet fully over.
Whistleblowing has become a major news item again since Edward Snowden recently decided to expose secretive materials of the National Security Agency. What about whistleblowing in the corporate world? During the St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, Michael Woodford (former CEO of the Olympus Corporation) shared his insights and experiences in whistleblowing in the Olympus scandal. His story provides us with valuable lessons regarding corporate governance and human nature, but an elementary question remains: where do we go from here? ST GALLEN, Switzerland – Whistleblowing: an act of courage or betrayal?
“Don’t say no to plastic. Say no to plastic which is non-degradable.” Speaking at a TEDx conference in his home country of Indonesia last year, Sugianto Tandio – President Director of PT Tirta Marta – shared what he is calling his “redemption story.” Formerly in the conventional plastics business, he explained his current passion for solving the global plastic waste problem as both an activist and a social entrepreneur. The 3P’s of people, planet, profit – also known as the Triple Bottom Line – is the holy grail for business sustainability practitioners. Can plastics, Mr. Tandio’s redemption story, fit in? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jON7MvJ1xOk&w=640
According to a report commissioned by PlasticsEurope, and authored by British futurologist Ray Hammond, plastics will continue to play an important role in meeting many of the world’s crucial future challenges.