sustainable & socially responsible business

Sustainable & Socially Responsible Businesses

Innovation Day - UH Maui College - May 2, 2014

David B. Fisher Maui Venture Consulting

An Overview

http://MauiVenture.net

What are sustainable and socially responsible business practices?!• Not to pollute • Design with minimal waste, re-use, and recycling in mind • Use less resources and substitute renewables wherever

possible • To look out for the welfare of the community where the business

is located • Do the products and services promote health? • Does the business create jobs and a future for the

community? • To look out for the welfare of customers, employees, and

suppliers in addition to return on investment to the investors. • To engage and be engaged with your stakeholders through

transparency, governance, and ownership. • Move from “sustainability” to “regenerative” to “anti-fragile” !

Why should businesses focus on triple bottom line returns and why should you care? • What is a triple bottom line?

• People • Planet • Profits

• Both Investors, Consumers and Governments are looking more carefully at companies before investing, buying, regulating.

• Talent (students/employees/entrepreneurs) are factoring this in to what they work on and who they work for.

• To help stakeholders make better decisions about their time, money and votes

For-Profits Working to Be More Socially Responsible !!!!!

Non-Profit Social Enterprise Working to Be More Business Like

A General Trend

Green Washing

MetricsThe Importance of

Traditional Metric!•Profits = Revenues - Expenses •Return on Investment = Profits/Investment = % Environmental •Carbon Footprint = Carbon Dioxide draw down + reduction of carbon emissions in product/service life cycle

•Waste Reduction People & Community!•Job Creation • Adequate Pay • Jobs with a future

Metrics - examples

http://giirs.orgGlobal Impact Investment Rating System

http://giirs.org/storage/documents/CompanyReports/

sample_company_report.pdf

Hawaii’s New Legal Entity: “Sustainable Business Corporation”

!Similar to the National “B Corporation”

Hawai‘i Sustainable Business Corporation Signed into Law July 8, 2011

Why The Need For Special Entities?• To Prevent Hostile Stockholder Actions

protesting action supporting other stakeholders

• To show accountability to customers, stakeholders, and social investors.

• To become skilled at developing, improving and using social impact metrics

• Standards • Third Party Certification

https://www.bcorporation.net

A Few Examples of Maui and Hawaii Businesses and Organizations

Focusing on Sustainable and Socially Responsible Business

http://www.biodiesel.com

http://hawaiitaro.com

http://www.hnuenergy.com

http://www.risingsunsolar.com

http://hevn.net

http://www.energyexcelerator.com

http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability.html

http://hawaiifarmersunionunited.org

http://www.sustypacific.com

http://www.sahawaii.org

Business Alliance for Local Living Economieshttps://bealocalist.org

http://socialcapitalmarkets.net

http://www.missionmarkets.com

The Toronto Social Venture Exchange - http://SVX.ca

https://www.cuttingedgex.com/listing

http://h-cx.com

Mahalo!

http://MauiVenture.net df@mauiventure.net