Corporate Social Responsibility

In 2010, fewer than 100,000 battery electric vehicles were sold worldwide. In 2025, that number was 12.7 million. The Nissan Leaf launched in 2010 as the world's first mass-market electric car. The Tesla Model S followed two years later. For most of the decade, the market barely moved. The technology existed. The buyers didn't come. Then something changed. From 2020, the curve went near-vertical. Falling battery costs, a flood of new models, and policy pressure in China and Europe together triggered one of the fastest technology transitions in automotive history. 1 in 6 new cars sold globally last year was battery electric. In China, it was 1 in 2. We are still in the early stages. But the direction of travel is no longer in doubt.

The European Central Bank is now making the economic case for decarbonisation. Not as climate policy. As monetary policy. Frank Elderson, ECB board member, argues in the Financial Times that Europe's dependence on imported fossil fuels is a structural threat to price stability (👉 https://lnkd.in/eKWWjKbh). The data is damning: energy price shocks pushed euro area inflation to 10.6% in October 2022. Every geopolitical tremor in the Middle East shows up in European energy bills. And the ECB is caught in an impossible bind: tighten to fight inflation and deepen the slowdown, ease to support growth and entrench inflation. The solution is not better forecasting models or finetuned monetary policy. It is cheaper energy. Spain shows what is possible. Wholesale electricity prices in early 2024 were approximately 40% lower than they would have been had wind and solar generation remained at 2019 levels ( 👉 https://lnkd.in/edXgxh9q). Once the infrastructure is built, the energy itself is virtually free. Volatile global commodity markets simply become less relevant. Elderson is explicit: €660 billion per year in clean energy investment sounds large. But Europe already spends nearly €400 billion annually on fossil fuel imports, money that leaves the continent and buys geopolitical vulnerability. Analysis in the UK shows that for every pound invested in sustainable energy, benefits outweigh costs by a factor of 2.2 to 4.1 ( 👉 https://lnkd.in/emEXVfiw). This is precisely what I argued in my piece for Triodos a few weeks ago: Europe's crisis response has been backwards. We keep treating energy dependence as a shock to manage rather than a structural problem to fix. (👉https://lnkd.in/ehFqA6iY) The ECB cannot decarbonise Europe. What it can do is name the conditions: keep the ETS, mobilise capital toward renewable capacity, strip out fossil fuel subsidies, and stop confusing cheap fossil fuels with affordable energy. If people need help with energy costs, target it: don't suppress the price signal that drives the transition. The cheapest energy is the energy we no longer have to import.

This visual helps explain 3 concepts that A LOT of people forget about solar☀️   Solar energy’s fuel (sunshine) is free and delivered daily.   Therefore, electricity from solar does not include the cost of each marginal unit of fuel. That makes sense to people.   But the full implications of an energy system built upon a zero-cost, abundant fuel source are often still dramatically underestimated.   There are three other kinds of savings that solar provides:    Infrastructure Savings – As shown in the graphic, the world spends billions of dollars every year extracting oil, gas, and coal and transporting to the places it will be burned. The infrastructure to mine, refine, and move these fuels from point A to point B, whether by boat, rail, or pipeline, requires regular maintenance and TONS of investment. With solar, the sun does it all for us, delivering usable photons every morning.   Predictability Savings – When you’re relying on a globally traded commodity to produce electricity, the final cost of each gigawatt can fluctuate with the current price of oil and coal. Market uncertainty can send the price of these commodities (and the final price for electricity) soaring on a whim. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Once a solar farm is installed, the cost of each unit of electricity is basically fixed. This helps utilities better predict their costs and that’s a huge benefit to consumers.   Energy Independence Savings – Because oil, gas, and coal rely on complex international supply chains and lots of global infrastructure, there is a lot more that can go wrong. Geopolitical shocks, natural disasters, port congestion, and accidents (remember the Suez Canal blockage?) can all impact the predictability and reliability of coal and gas generation. No one can embargo the sun or interrupt its delivery to us, so solar energy is fundamentally more local and more independent.   I think it’s important to explain these hidden savings when talking to naysayers because, while they may understand that free sunshine = free fuel, they may not understand just how much they’re paying for the infrastructure, uncertainty, and volatility of fossil fuels.

In countries like the Netherlands, trash doesn’t just disappear — it goes underground. How is it organized in your city? Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht use underground waste containers and smart collection systems where bins are connected to large subterranean units, keeping streets visually clean, reducing odour, and cutting unnecessary truck movements. But this isn’t just a Dutch story. It’s a global shift powered by technology. 📊 How leading cities are transforming waste management: 🇳🇱 Netherlands • Underground containers reduce surface bin clutter by up to 70–80% in dense neighbourhoods • IoT sensors monitor fill levels, enabling 30–40% fewer collection trips 🇰🇷 Songdo, South Korea • Fully pneumatic waste system • Trash travels through underground vacuum tubes at 70 km/h • Eliminated traditional garbage trucks in residential zones • Reduced waste handling costs by up to 50% 🇳🇴 Bergen, Norway • Pneumatic underground network beneath historic districts • Cut CO₂ emissions from waste collection vehicles by up to 35% • Reduced noise pollution in heritage zones 🇸🇬 Singapore • Smart bins + centralised waste chutes in HDBs • Waste-to-energy plants process over 90% of Singapore’s waste, shrinking landfill dependency • Semakau Landfill projected lifespan extended from 2045 to beyond 2035 through tech & efficiency gains 🚀 Technology making this possible: • IoT sensors for real-time bin monitoring • AI-powered route optimisation reducing fuel use • Pneumatic vacuum tube networks • Automated robotics for waste sorting • Waste-to-energy conversion systems ✅ The impact: • Cleaner cities • Fewer pests and odours • Reduced emissions • Lower operating costs • Better citizen experience The future of urban living isn’t just about shiny skyscrapers — it’s about invisible infrastructure working intelligently beneath our feet. Smart cities aren’t just built. They’re engineered to stay clean. #SmartCities #UrbanInnovation #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #CleanTech

People sometimes see Acumen raising large amounts of commercial capital and assume we no longer need philanthropy. No sooner had we announced $250M for our Hardest-to-Reach fund — to bring off-grid light and electricity to 70 million people across 17 of Africa’s most challenging markets — than some concluded Acumen must be set. In fact, the opposite is true. First, let me acknowledge how tough this fundraising environment is. I couldn’t be prouder of the team and partners who made our Hardest-to-Reach announcement possible after 2.5 years of relentless effort. And yet it’s worth underscoring: none of this would have been possible without philanthropy. Philanthropy is the first mover. It allows us to place early bets in fragile markets like Malawi and Benin, cover the development costs needed to structure and raise investment across the capital spectrum and provide the technical assistance that builds capacity. To put a finer point on it: of the nearly $250M raised for Hardest-to-Reach, more than $80M is philanthropic. That risk-taking anchor made it possible to prove new models — and ultimately unlock institutional investment. During Climate Week last month, I met philanthropists who see this as the time to pivot from grantmaking toward impact investing. While I understand the instinct, I want to offer a reframing: it’s not either/or. If you want your capital to have lasting impact, there may be no better use than catalytic philanthropy — especially when deployed through blended finance models like Hardest-to-Reach. Philanthropy cannot see itself at the margins. It is catalytic capital — risk-taking, patient, and unabashedly impact-first — creating the conditions for commercial capital to follow. And it's more important now than ever as traditional aid shrinks and many governments shift from grants to investment approaches. At Acumen, philanthropy from donors at all levels remains our bedrock. It enables us to reach the hardest-to-reach, build inclusive markets where none exist, and keep social impact at the center of everything we do. And because solving problems of poverty is Acumen’s mission, raising philanthropic capital will remain essential to our work.

One image just disrupted a £22 billion fashion empire more effectively than a thousand sustainability reports. 🔥 This isn't an official SHEIN campaign gone wrong. It's artist Emanuele Morelli's AI creation—a haunting visualisation showing what fast fashion's "affordability" really costs us. The image speaks volumes: a SHEIN billboard where the model's flowing dress transforms into a cascade of textile waste. Art communicating what statistics alone cannot. 5 uncomfortable truths this image forces us to confront: 1. The scale of fashion waste is staggering → 92 million tonnes of textile waste produced annually  → The equivalent of one rubbish lorry of textiles dumped every second  → Most fast fashion items designed to be worn fewer than 10 times 2. The business model depends on our amnesia → Constantly changing trends keep us buying  → Ultra-low prices remove financial friction  → Digital marketing creates artificial scarcity and FOMO  → We're trained to forget yesterday's purchases 3. The true cost isn't on the price tag → Environmental damage from production chemicals  → Microplastics shedding into water systems  → Supply chain ethics compromised for speed and cost  → Communities near production sites bearing health consequences 4. Our definition of "affordable" is broken → When clothing is cheaper than a coffee, someone else is paying  → True cost spread across communities, environments, and future generations  → Psychological cost of constant consumption never factored in 5. Solutions exist but require systemic change → Circular fashion models gaining traction  → Rental and resale markets growing rapidly  → Consumer awareness rising but needs to translate to behaviour While SHEIN isn't the only culprit in the fast fashion ecosystem, Morelli's artwork throws a spotlight on an uncomfortable reality we've normalised. What we wear reflects our values more than our taste. What is your wardrobe saying about yours? Image: Emanuele Morelli ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network.  ⚡ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

This Danish foundation gives away $1.3 billion annually – and their secret isn't efficiency ratios, it's something far more radical: They implement nothing. Behind this Danish foundation's rapid rise is Ozempic – the blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drug that's generated unprecedented profits for Novo Nordisk. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which owns about a quarter of the pharmaceutical giant, has become one of the world's wealthiest charitable foundations with assets around $167 billion. Yet rather than hiring armies of staff like other major philanthropies, they've gone the opposite direction. In a recent interview, their Chief Scientific Officer for Health Flemming Konradsen revealed their secret to me: They don't implement – they only work through partners. Zero programs. Zero direct service delivery. The model: ➡️ Find what already works  ➡️ Partner with governments who own the strategy ➡️ Create sustainable markets, not dependency  ➡️ Stay for 15+ years, not 3-year cycles Example: Their school feeding programs create permanent markets for local farmers while training health workers and scaling AI solutions across continents. The hard part? Saying no to putting your name on things. Letting partners get the credit. Trusting that influence matters more than control. For development professionals: This approach creates new opportunities. These ultra-efficient funders skip the usual suspects and source partners who can be trusted with strategy, not just execution. They're looking for implementers who think like owners. If you can demonstrate government relationships, long-term thinking, and the ability to build sustainable systems (not just deliver projects), you become invaluable to this new breed of funders. What could your organization accomplish if it stopped trying to do everything itself? Disclaimer: I’ve edited this post as it’s been flagged that Novo Nordisk Foundation has 250 employees. #Philanthropy #Partnership #Foundation 📷 Novo Nordisk Foundation

Climate Risks Are Financial Risks An alarming USD 1.14 trillion in corporate value, linked to the world's largest stock markets is exposed to severe socio-economic impacts from #climatechange by 2050. Data from the Climate Hazard and Vulnerability Index (CHVI) highlights a critical blind spot for many businesses: 📌 48 countries will be highly vulnerable to socio-economic climate impacts by mid-century, double today’s figure. 📌 Major emerging markets are expected to face significant climate-related disruptions. 📌 India alone accounts for over USD 1 trillion of the at-risk corporate assets, dramatically impacting global markets and supply chains. 🚨Companies must place dedicated climate leadership at the highest level to proactively identify risks, anticipate market disruptions, and strategically invest in long-term resilience. 🚨 Businesses should move beyond physical hazards to systematically report and manage socio-economic climate vulnerabilities. Transparent, detailed disclosures help stakeholders understand risks and encourage informed investments. 🚨 Corporates must prioritize investment in resilient infrastructure, diversified supply chains, and sustainable practices, particularly in vulnerable regions. This strategic foresight protects operational continuity and market valuation. The globalized nature of corporate operations means that climate vulnerability anywhere becomes a financial risk everywhere. 🌱 Is your company equipped with climate leadership at board level? Read more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eFnsnjyY #ClimateRisk #ClimateLeadership #SustainableGovernance #ESG #BoardGovernance #InvestmentStrategy #Resilience #ClimateAction

Congo's war isn’t just killing people—it’s tearing down forests, silencing activists, and fueling an illicit trade worth millions. The resurgence of the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 🇨🇩 has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and thousands killed. Yet another casualty has received less attention: the environment. The conflict is exacerbating deforestation, undermining conservation efforts, and fueling the illicit exploitation of natural resources. The Albertine Rift, home to endangered eastern lowland and mountain gorillas, is under severe pressure. Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks—both UNESCO World Heritage Sites—have become battlegrounds. Since late 2021, M23 has taken control of towns surrounding Virunga, including Rutshuru, Rwindi, and Masisi, while in February 2025, it pushed into Kahuzi-Biega, seizing areas adjacent to the park’s highland sector. ⚠️ Deforestation in Virunga has accelerated: In 2023, 1,222 hectares of tree cover were lost in a charcoal production zone, more than double the annual average of 571 hectares from 2019-2022. ⚠️ Kahuzi-Biega’s forests are following suit: The same year, deforestation in its charcoal production zone surged to 1,171 hectares , up from 521 hectares annually over the previous four years. ⚠️ Charcoal demand is a key driver: With 800,000 displaced people arriving in Goma, the price of charcoal has spiked, shifting supply chains from Virunga to Kahuzi-Biega. Armed groups have long profited from the region’s natural wealth. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) previously controlled much of Virunga’s charcoal trade but M23’s territorial gains have disrupted this balance. The group now levies taxes on charcoal and timber transport. In Kahuzi-Biega, illegal logging is surging, facilitated by newly constructed ports on Lake Kivu. While M23 touts itself as a pro-conservation force, its environmental record is contradictory. It has banned charcoal production in some areas while profiting from the timber trade elsewhere. Meanwhile, park rangers struggle to operate: since 1996, over 200 have been killed. Caught in the crossfire are Indigenous groups such as the Batwa, forcibly displaced by the conflict and unable to access their forests for sustenance. Activists attempting to expose illicit extraction have been silenced, some fleeing, others disappearing. The future of DRC’s forests—and those who depend on them—hangs in the balance. THE WAR 📰 NGOs flee (Elodie Toto): https://mongabay.cc/C8aqxx 📰 The environmental toll (Fergus O’Leary Simpson, Joel Masselink, Lara Collart): https://mongabay.cc/3p5AcP 📰 Toll on Indigenous people (Aimable TWAHIRWA): https://mongabay.cc/c5QGnY 📰 Key factors (John Cannon): https://mongabay.cc/ZMwBNz

Mario Draghi's analysis of the future of European competitiveness highlights the changes that I have long considered necessary and urgent. Draghi points out that the telecom sector is overcrowded: "Today, the EU has dozens of telecom players serving around 450 million consumers, compared with a handful in the US and China, respectively," and adds, "as a result, in Europe both revenues per subscriber and capital expenditure per capita (...) are less than half the US’ and Japan’s levels," reaching the conclusion that "the declining profitability of the telecom sector now may represent a risk for industrial companies in Europe." There couldn’t be a more authoritative confirmation of the perfect storm I also described on stage at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2023 (https://lnkd.in/dfi5yQss). That’s where I showed how it was necessary and urgent to change the rules of the game, because #InactionIsNotAnOption. Some may have thought I was being provocative, but step by step, we are all converging on the same positions. First, there was the report "Much More than a Market" by Enrico Letta and Jacques Delors Institute, then the White Paper by the European Commission with Thierry Breton "How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?". Now, Mario Draghi's perspective joins them, recommending to "reform the EU’s regulation and competition stance to complete the digital single market for telecommunications, harmonizing rules and favoring cross-border mergers and operations," and he adds in more detail: • "reduce country-level ex ante regulation and favor rather ex post competition enforcement • facilitate cross-border integration and the creation of EU-wide players • introduce a ‘same rules for same services’ principle across the EU • encourage the definition of commercial contractual agreements for terminating data traffic and infrastructure cost-sharing • incentivize the deployment of new infrastructures by defining cut-off dates for older technologies". Well, let’s continue down this path, united as we are already doing, thanks to the work of organizations such as the Confindustria team led by Emanuele Orsini, GSMA, and Connect Europe, with the indispensable contribution of the Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy by Adolfo Urso, Alessio Butti, Agcom, and AGCM. We are ready to do our part, aware that the game we are playing is one of the most important: without #TLC, there is no digitalization. Report “The future of European Competitiveness”: https://lnkd.in/dhb875VR