Fabian Pattberg

Tag Archives - innovation

Think outside the box: The question of Sustainability and CSR Innovation

March 10, 20104:23 pm

6 Comments

A lot of my posts on my blog are based on questions that I am being asked or ask myself on certain Sustainability / CSR topics. So did this question today. The question came up in an conversation I had last week with a colleague. Here it is:

What about innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field? Is this field any different when it comes to innovation then, say the technology sector? And what is the role of innovation in this field?

thinkingbox Think outside the box: The question of Sustainability and CSR InnovationI think this is/are a valid question/s to ask in the wake of the problems Apple for example is having when you think about their reluctance to start with Sustainability reporting.
Are they just ignorant or even arrogant to not consider it. And just because they are so innovative in the technology area is this enough to not be innovate in the Sustainability / CSR area as well?

This is how I see the role of innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field:

  • Innovation is one key factor for the success of Sustainability / CSR at an organization
  • Without innovative ways of thinking and engaging, progress in the discussion and best practice would be very slow or even not existing.
  • If we stop to innovate we will loose all that we have and worked for to bring Sustainability / CSR to where it is currently in the eye of stakeholders and organizations.

But it is not only about the point of view we have but also about how to use this innovation in the corporate context to advance Sustainability / CSR. Here are some interesting corporate examples of innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field that in my opinion show how innovation can lead to a more profitable business and increased stakeholder recognition:

  • Intel – For their great blogging platform, blogs on a wide variety of topics and social media engagement
  • Seventh Generation (US consumer brand) – For their thought leadership and willingness to engage in order to advance responsible business practice and change our ways which products we use
  • Novo Nordisk (Danish pharmaceutical company) – For their vigorous and detailed Sustainability know-how, the focus on proving the business case as well as integrated reporting contributions.
  • Centrica (UK utility company) – For their innovative stakeholder engagement and openness to learn from their stakeholders

But now it is over to you. Do you know more examples of great innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field? And how do you see the role of innovation in the field?

Picture Credit: debaird™

A big challenge: Being a Sustainability / CSR professional at Shell

January 27, 20105:21 pm

11 Comments

Imagine you are working for Shell in the Sustainability / CSR department and you really want to make a difference by showing that Shell is a responsible company. Todays post is about the challenges someone working at Shell might face. This is all from the viewpoint of a normal Shell stakeholder such as myself. I have also included a video response with some additional aspects to consider.

The Sustainability / CSR professional working at Shell as far as we can tell is facing the following situation at the moment:

Worsening reputation: Shells reputation with regards to Sustainability / CSR is not good. After being seen as leaders some years ago they are now being perceived as just putting a lot of money in their communication

shell logo A big challenge: Being a Sustainability / CSR professional at ShellLack of Sustainability / CSR innovation: Over the last few years Shell have not really convinced on the content and implementation side through innovation at all. This might be the consequence of not being leaders anymore combined with a lack of aspiration for bringing their reporting and best practice onto the next level. But where has this enthusiasm for innovation gone?

Perceived indifferent corporate culture: From what we can see outside as a stakeholder is that the corporate context and culture itself at Shell does not fully go hand in hand with their Sustainability / CSR messaging. I have no prove of that obviously but from we can interpret from press releases, other communications and article about Shell this seems to be the case. Here are three examples which just show how conflicting Shells messaging is at the moment:

So what should or can this employee do to change things for the better?

I believe that these following points are some aspects the Sustainability / CSR professionals at Shell need to consider to kick start their Sustainability / CSR innovation process again:

  • Stop shouting so loud about what you do. More PR does not mean that you are being perceived better in the long run. Less is more for Shell at the moment in my opinion.
  • Only communicate when you have something to say. This might be an obvious point but there is nothing more damaging when you have message and this message is being perceived as green-washing.
  • Spend at least 80% of your time now lobbying the senior management to increase the importance of your department and for you to get more leverage for future policy influencing.

I have also prepared a short video response on what I think Shell could do better:

Shell has been one of the innovators in the Sustainability / CSR field in the past and they can be again. Others like Centrica, Timberland and Intel have taken that position now. What happened to the Shell we saw several years ago?

As always please let me know what you think and whether you agree or disagree.