Grounded World

This just in! Our latest edition of our newsletter :) Get grounded with us on this year's #ClimateWeek - from coast to coast! Inside this edition you'll also find our proud announcement of our partnership with futur/io Institute for their inaugural CSOs Awards! It was a pleasure to be part of the Chief Sustainability Officers Awards while Climate Week NYC was in full swing. Much more included below- good listens, interesting reads, places to be, and some words from Team Grounded, on-the-ground at both coast's Climate Weeks!

Happy Halloween! Here's a treat for you- getting grounded in the roots of the circular economy through our participation in rePurpose Global's #PlasticRealityProject. Our intrepid, Paloma Jacome, joined the Plastic Reality Project across India to unpack the plastic waste crisis and experience first-hand the innovative solutions accelerating the global transition to a circular economy. In addition to Grounded, other purpose-driven brands and organizations that joined this year's journey included: Thrive Market, Olyra, Innersense Organic Beauty, Lintbells | Home of YuMOVE, VAHDAM® India, Goodwin, Great Eastern Sun Trading Company, Inc., Andersen Corporation, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH! As always, we've curated some must reads, watches and listens for this edition of #CircularEconomyMonth, including some *tricks* to slash your trash next Halloween... because there's nothing scarier than WASTE!

October is Circular Economy Month, and this week (October 21-27) marks Waste Reduction Week—a perfect time to focus on sustainable practices in our everyday lives! A recent article from KPMG highlights the pivotal role of sustainable practices in paving the way for a circular economy, particularly in the consumer goods and retail sectors. The insights shared underscore how businesses can innovate and implement strategies that not only reduce waste but also create lasting value. As we reflect on our consumption habits this week, it’s inspiring to see how companies are stepping up to adopt circular principles. From optimizing supply chains to enhancing product lifecycle management, every effort counts towards a more sustainable future. Read more in the article below 🌍🌿☀️ #CircularEconomy #WasteReductionWeek #Sustainability #RetailInnovation

Time flies! It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since the CSO Awards North America. We're still buzzing from this incredible event and proud to have been a community partner.✨ 🌍 A huge shoutout to Futurio for hosting and capturing the day’s highlights! With over 150 CSO leaders gathered together in NYC, the event celebrated the fantastic work driving sustainability across industries. Here are some key takeaways from the event: This year, the CSO Awards partnered with Denominator to create a diversity report, revealing that women hold 65% of CSO roles, showcasing sustainability’s role in advancing gender diversity in leadership. Thanks to Rainforest Partnership, the CSO Awards used the Tropical Rainforest Industry Impact (TRII) Index to evaluate nominees, highlighting how companies affect rainforests and promoting transparency in environmental reporting. Check out some inspiring voices featured in the aftermovie: - Harald Neidhardt, CEO & Curator of the Futur/io Institute - Vandinika Shukla, Deputy of Global Programs at the Obama Foundation - Emma Stewart, Ph.D., Sustainability Officer at Netflix and a CSO Award Finalist - Sophie Beckham, VP and CSO at International Paper, Bronze Winner of the CSO #CSOawards #Sustainability #Leadership #Diversity

Holiday shopping already?! For the busy beeez that like to get ahead of the crowd (or are actively intending to!) here’s some help: A Holiday Gift Guide for Impact: 25 B Corp Gift Ideas for People & Planet🎄🌎 This gift guide features festive flavors and fragrances, inspiration and utility, and circular solutions we should all be adapting into our routines and making our new year’s resolutions. All thanks to B Lab U.S. & Canada! Special mention to the featured B Corps transforming the gift of giving into an act of impact: TOMS Coradorables Lover's Tempo FTJCo Fine Jewellery Ciele Athletics Inc./Ciele Athlétique Inc. Oolie United By Blue Purse & Clutch Life Without Plastic Sapahn The Human Beauty Movement Every Man Jack Here I Am STRAiGHTAWAY Cocktails Numi Organic Tea Lake Champlain Chocolates | Certified B Corp Narrative Food Westland Distillery Clif Family Winery at Velo Vino Room & Board Heath Ceramics New Leaf Paper, Certified B Corporation + Public Benefit Company Earth Rated Gifts for Good® #BCorps #GiftGuide #GreenFriday #SustainableShopping

It's been almost a month since the inaugural North America #CSOawards and this this little beauty popped out of the production machine! Big thanks to Harald Neidhardt Luciana Bacchi Prestes and all the team futur/io Institute for having us and many congratulations again to all the winners. You can see the finalists and winners on this link https://lnkd.in/ePRPtk7y https://lnkd.in/eScXW5H5

Why aren’t consumers making more sustainable choices? Well, sustainability marketing is clearly lacking. Only widening the intention-action gap. A study by CreativeX analyzed over 2.5 millions ads over the last few years and found that the majority of ads (96%) did not communicate sustainability. Further widening the gap is the simple fact that “sustainable products” are still the minority at retail. For example, the “Sustainable Market Share Index” by NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business found that only 18.5% out of the 250,000 U.S. products that were evaluated were marketed as “sustainable” (even with sustainable products are growing market share annually). How do we close the gap?! In his latest article, “Close the Sustainability ‘Say-Do’ Gap: A Call to Action for Brands and Society,” Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan, helps us see a path forward that involves the support from government, business and civil society at scale. (+ provides us with some fascinating charts! 🔗 in comments) “To scale sustainable behavior, we need to move beyond just making sustainability attractive— it needs to feel inevitable. This requires a cultural shift, where sustainability becomes part of everyday norms, reinforced by infrastructure, policies and societal signals.” The more we play the blame game and try to point fingers at any one stakeholder for the climate crisis— the more the intention-action gap widens. A macro-coordinated effort is required across society to transform culture and make sustainable living mainstream. #TimeToGetGrounded #SustainabilityMarketing #Advertising

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Startup Westport’s event, Sustainable Success: Certified B Corps and Benefit Corporations! Linked is the full forum if you’re interested in what our panelists had to say :) Alongside Impact Growth Partners, we were joined by other outstanding B Corp leaders who shared their experiences growing impact driven businesses and discussed how certification impacts employee retention, market positioning, and fundraising. B Corp Certification is the leading social and environmental impact measurement and management framework for business. More than 8,100 Certified B Corps from 95 countries in 161 industries work together toward one unifying goal: to redefine success in business. Companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multinationals, can achieve B Corp Certification. Special shout-out to our local B Corp community here in Connecticut! Athletic Brewing Co. Grace Farms Tea & Coffee Earth Animal | B Corp Bigelow Tea Saffron Road Foods C.E. Floyd Company, PBC Chabaso Bakery Blue Earth Compost Inc. Timo & Violet Star Strong Capital SIMPSON Healthcare, an IQVIA business Publish Your Purpose, a Certified B Corp Kane Footwear FoundHer, LLC ALOHA Envest Asset Management, LLC Nantucket Spider & Nantucket Footprint Hugo & Hoby Good Sam Ideal Fish Westport Family Dental Armonia LLC Tag your fave local B Corps in the comments! B Local Connecticut B Lab U.S. & Canada #BCorps #Impact #Leadership

Now THIS 👇 I can get behind!!! I am a lover of classic cars. They have such style and presence. If we can turn these babies green then we have the best of both worlds — the ability to reclaim and #upcycle cars and give them a second life while supporting the #EV movement. YES PLEASE! This shift is preserving their history, design, and performance while reducing carbon emissions. Thrilled to learn about Everrati! https://lnkd.in/eJHZbEnJ

"Purpose and profit are not mutually exclusive" - Phil White of Grounded World on transforming purpose into profit for businesses. Phil shared crucial insights on the value of purpose-driven strategies, during interview #291 of my research paper. His experience highlights how companies can align sustainability with commercial success. Key points: - Purpose and sustainability are often seen as costs rather than drivers of value. - The challenge is convincing companies of the commercial rationale for investing in purpose. - Authentic storytelling is crucial to avoid greenwashing and engage stakeholders. - Connecting purpose to business success and growth is both a challenge and an opportunity. Phil's perspective underscores that while many see purpose as separate from profit, the real opportunity lies in integrating them to drive innovation and progress in business. Who's interested in further discussions on aligning purpose with profit in today's business landscape? #PurposeDrivenBusiness #SustainableProfits #SocialInnovation #CorporatePurpose #BusinessForGood #ESGStrategy #StakeholderEngagement #AuthenticLeadership #SustainableGrowth #CorporateStorytelling #PurposeAndProfit #BusinessTransformation #SustainableInnovation #ValueCreation #CorporateSustainability