Reconsidered's Top Social Impact Reads of 2019

As I browsed through the Reconsidered Newsletter archive to curate our annual listing of the year's top articles, I was struck by just how much happened in 2019.

This was the year that the "purpose of a corporation" got redefined. That Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg became household names. That fires raged from the Amazon to Australia to the spires of Notre Dame, sparking much-needed conversations on what it takes to draw attention to crises. That fake meat went mainstream, mindless travel went out of style and we finally got proof that yes, consumers do actually buy sustainable products. 

As a community, it's important that we take time to periodically stop and reflect — to celebrate our wins, mourn our losses and take new learnings and insights into the year (and decade!) ahead. With that...

Our Top 10 Links Of 2019 (In No Particular Order) 

??? Nearly 200 CEOs Just Agreed on an Updated Definition of “The Purpose of a Corporation” — Quartz (August)

No list of 2019 highlights is complete without this one. Though “just a statement,” it was a watershed moment for business and another important step toward a world where social responsibility is the norm. — Jess

Last week the Business Roundtable, a powerful lobbying group of American CEOs, revised their definition of the purpose of a corporation, stating that companies have an obligation to all stakeholders, not just shareholders. It’s a nail-in-the-coffin for the Milton Friedman-inspired ideology that “the social responsibility of business is to increase profits”, which has dominated business schools and boardrooms since the 1970s. Responses have ranged from celebratory to skeptical, with this Bloomberg piece standing out for its reminder of the Business Roundtable’s sketchy past and present. We’re encouraged by the signal this statement sends to the business world but even more excited to see the action that will back it up. In the words of B Labs’ full-page NYT advert — let’s get to work. (3 minutes)

?? Actually, Consumers Do Buy Sustainable Products — Harvard Business Review (June)

The good news all of us working in CSR had been waiting for! It was exciting to finally have some solid evidence we can point to as we persuade companies that impact is in their economic interests. — Amirah

When tasked with making the "business case" for sustainability, those of us working in this space have likely referenced one of many reports saying that consumers are willing to spend more on products that make a positive impact. Now, we finally have the evidence to back it up.  New research from NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business found that 50% of consumer packaged goods (CPG) growth from 2013 to 2018 came from sustainability-marketed products. This article is full of solid statistics demonstrating that consumers are increasingly backing up their intentions with action. (3 minutes)

??? If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home? — The New York Times (June)

“Flygskam” made it to the Financial Times’ Year in a Word list for a reason. The Swedish word for “flight shame” was one of the most hotly debated topics at our dinner table as people became increasingly aware of the environmental impact of travel. Together with articles like this one, it forced me to take a hard look at my own travel habits and commit to purchasing carbon offsets for future travel. — Jess

This article lays out the true cost of our travel simply and powerfully: "One seat on a flight from New York to Los Angeles effectively adds months worth of human-generated carbon emissions to the atmosphere." Climate activist Greta Thunberg recently made headlines when she announced she would travel across the Atlantic by sailboat for COP 25, and even airlines like KLM are encouraging customers to “fly responsibly”. Conscious consumption has so far centered mostly on the things we buy and eat; air travel may be the next big lifestyle choice to reconsider. (10 minutes)

? Extinction Rebellion Succeeded Where Most Climate Protests Fail — Quartz (May)

2019 felt like the year climate activism moved into the mainstream. Whether or not you support Extinction Rebellion's increasingly controversial tactics, there is no doubt that the group — which really only started getting international attention earlier this year — played an important role in bringing the climate crisis to the forefront of the public's attention. — Amirah

If you’ve only heard of Extinction Rebellion recently, you’re not alone. In just eight months, the climate activism group has managed to propel climate change to the top of Britain’s political agenda — so much so that they are widely credited with influencing the UK’s decision to announce a climate emergency last week. While it’s still unclear what this “climate emergency” actually entails, it’s a strong signal that climate change is an urgent risk that governments, businesses and citizens must start prioritizing. (7 minutes)

??The SoftBank Effect: How $100 Billion Left Workers in a Hole — The New York Times (November)

This year I became increasingly interested in — and disturbed by — the “growth-growth-growth” mindset that characterizes so many of the world’s tech giants and unicorns. This article reconfirmed many of my misgivings. This is an issue I hope will get even more attention in 2020. — Jess

SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund is the biggest venture capital fund in history and invests in startups that prioritize scale over profit. But as this story illustrates, hypergrowth can come at a heavy human cost. Profiles of an indebted hotel owner in India, an uninsured delivery messenger in Colombia and a struggling real estate broker in the U.S. reveal how several Vision Fund-funded companies engage in a "distinctly modern version of the bait-and-switch" by using benefits and incentives to rapidly ramp up contracted workforces — before slashing support to cut costs. Though SoftBank has no plans to change course — CEO Masayoshi Son said recently that they "don’t see any rough sea” — the tide may be beginning to turn against growth-at-all-cost models as startup founders seek alternative financing structures. (17 minutes)

?? Brazilian Companies Continue to Degrade Amazon with Impunity — Pacific Standard (May)

From Brazil to California to Australia, increasingly severe wildfires throughout 2019 forced tough conversations on the climate crisis and, in some cases, businesses’ involvement in damaging environmental practices. Hopefully the phoenix that rises from these devastating ashes is greater awareness of our interconnectedness — and our need to take urgent action. — Jess 

After photos of the burning Amazon rainforest flooded social media and captured the world’s imagination, people were quick to blame the farmers and ranchers setting the fires and the Brazilian government enabling the destruction by weakening environmental protections. However, as this article (published back in May) highlights, multinational corporations also play a role. Companies from China, the EU and the US continue to trade beef, soy, timber and other commodities with Brazilian exporters fined for committing environmental crimes in the Amazon. The good news is that companies, like consumers, can vote with their dollars. By cutting ties with bad actors, they can “use their market power to send a signal to Brazil's leadership that the global community will not tolerate the policies of the new administration." We hope they do. (12 minutes)

?? Impossible Foods’ Rising Empire of Almost-Meat — Engadget (May)

Impossible Food's messaging and marketing has become one of my favorite examples of powerful impact communications. This deep dive into their brand strategy explained some of the keys to their successful storytelling. — Amirah

A few issues ago, we celebrated the launch of the first Impossible Whopper, a collaboration between Burger King and rising startup Impossible Foods. This piece dives deeper into the factors that have made this fake meat producer a success, like partnering with high-end chefs to position the brand as aspirational. I found it particularly interesting how Impossible has sought to distance itself from traditional meat alternatives, avoiding the V-words (vegan, vegetarian) and instructing restaurant servers to frame it just as another kind of meat. A fascinating case study of what happens when you market product over purpose. (30 minutes)

?? 23 Eye-Rolling Examples of Brands Pandering on International Women’s Day — Fast Company (March)

From Gillette and toxic masculinity, to Nike and family leave for sponsored athletes, to this round-up of fluffy IWD campaigns — this was the year that brand activism faced greater scrutiny as people peeked behind the curtain to make sure that a company’s practices line up with its reported “purpose”. Going into 2020, it's clear that companies can no longer get away with splashy campaigns if their actions aren’t aligned with their ads. — Jess

Our newsfeeds blew up on March 8th with all sorts of women’s empowerment messaging. All well and good, right? Why NOT celebrate women? The problem, as Fast Company points out, is that “brands tend to treat International Women’s Day as a festival for pandering with cheap Girl Power-isms. It’s as though Ivanka Trump’s books got their very own day.” I’m hopeful that these more critical views will push companies to make next year’s IWD an opportunity to make meaningful commitments that actually push women forward — like equal pay, access to leadership opportunities and more family-friendly benefits. (7 minutes)

??Dark Crystals: The Brutal Reality Behind A Booming Wellness Craze — The Guardian (September)

I've become increasingly conscious of just how many people are involved in any given product — from extraction of raw materials, to processing, to transportation — and how unlikely it is that all those involved are compensated appropriately. Though it isn't always comfortable, it's important to consider who is behind each and every item we use. — Amirah

Thanks to reemerging interest in new-age spirituality, U.S. demand for crystals and gemstones has doubled over the last few years. But the supply chain realities behind these stones stand in stark contrast to the healing, energy and light they are marketed as delivering. In Madagascar, for instance, boys as young as 14 are earning 23￠ a kilo for mining quartz in dangerous and unregulated conditions. That quartz is later exported to the West where a lump of it may be sold for upwards of $100. (30 minutes)

?? Why Social Entrepreneurs Are So Burned Out — Harvard Business Review (December 2018)

While deeply fulfilling, a career in social impact also comes with its fair share of mental and emotional challenges — especially during a year as chock-full of change as this one. In 2019, I heard more practitioners speak openly about their experience with stress and burnout, emboldened by articles like this one. Let's hope this is a dialogue that continues. — Jess

Speaking of the purpose/profit tension, social entrepreneurs are feeling it. New research demonstrates that the “conflicting of goals” between helping those in need and running a commercially viable business can have a serious impact on health and wellbeing. Stress is a major problem (surprise, surprise) but researchers have identified a few characteristics that can help reduce burnout… and increase impact. (4 minutes) 

These articles were first shared in the Reconsidered Newsletter, a bi-weekly briefing of thought-provoking corporate social responsibility, sustainability and social impact content. You can sign up for the newsletter here.