Emilio Marti’s Post

How can you successfully communicate academic insights on sustainability to non-academic audiences? Every year, Maggie M. Cascadden, Chelsea Hicks-Webster and I get to interview the finalists of the ONE-SIM Outreach Award on this topic. The first interview was with Wren Montgomery and Tom Lyon on how they raise dawareness for “Greenwashing 3.0”. To do so, they created their own website (www.greenwashaction.com) and a colorful flip book. In the video, Wren gives an excellent account of how to clearly signal to journalists that you are not just expressing your opinion, but a statement that builds on research. And Tom was a master in conciseness, also in the interview. Have a look at the video. It is only three minutes long. ONE Division, AOM, SIM Division, AOM, Network for Business Sustainability (NBS), Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

In a new Harvard Business Review article, we explain why experimentation is critical for CSR initiatives to create a positive impact on the environment and society. Experimentation means that companies constantly adapt their CSR practices based on local feedback. Given the critical role of experimentation for impactful CSR, we also outline how sustainable investors and ESG rating agencies can evaluate whether companies have adopted an experimental approach to CSR implementation.   The HBR article is joint work with Andromachi Athanasopoulou, David Risi and Eva Schlindwein, and builds on our recently published JMS paper (link in the comments). We are grateful to Eben Harrell for excellent feedback and editing. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University / Business-Society Management (B-SM), Erasmus University / Erasmus Initiative: Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity

In a new video, we explain that sustainable investors can increase their impact by going beyond portfolio screening (exit) and shareholder engagement (voice). Sustainable investors should also engage in “field building.” Field building means that investors exert their influence on companies indirectly by influencing (1) key stakeholders and/or (2) assumptions, norms, and rules that surround companies. Field building is a core part of systemic investing or system-level investing. Our video illustrates two tactics for field building. Have a look! The video is joint work with Martin Fuchs, Mark DesJardine, Rieneke Slager, and Jean-Pascal Gond, and builds on our JMS literature review and our HBR article. We are grateful for funding by the Erasmus Trustfonds, particularly by Ivo Lurvink. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University / Business-Society Management (B-SM), Erasmus University / Erasmus Initiative: Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity

If you do research on sustainable investing and live near Rotterdam, consider signing up for this event. I will be involved in a session on shareholder engagement. Looking forward to that!

Patrick Haack, PhD Haack and Lionel Saul are organizing an intriguing workshop on "alternative futures" at HEC Lausanne. Amazing line-up of scholars!