Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Businesses no longer have an excuse not to disclose their climate risks
It is vitally important for investors to understand the risks that climate change may pose to the businesses they have invested in – and the opportunities in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. It’s not an easy task. Climate change may be one of the world’s best-modeled processes in Read More...
Better cotton: It’s not perfect but it’s a major step in the right direction
Perfect is the enemy of good. That’s a challenge The Optimist Daily often faces. Cotton, the most widely used natural fiber, is the world’s dirtiest crop. It uses 17.5 percent of global insecticide sales. That’s why fashion business leaders like Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are using organic Read More...
GoFundMe cracked the code for charitable giving, and the best is still to come
2016 was a big year for the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. The philanthropic force reached over $3 billion in total donations, and had three times as many donors than in previous years. Now GoFundMe has ambitious plans for the future as they look to allow causes from around the world to set up Read More...
Why digital nomads are ditching mainstream banking for better options
For the digital nomads traveling the world and working at the same time, banking can be a giant headache. Moving money between international accounts costs money, withdrawing money costs money, and exchanging foreign currencies costs money. With all these fees, what’s even the point of banking? Read More...
Sustainable fashion: Lab-grown leather and spider silks
Watch what you wear. By some estimates, the fashion industry contributes ten percent of global carbon emissions, it uses a quarter of the chemicals produced worldwide each year and only agriculture consumer more water. The good news is that technology is changing the fashion industry. New fibers Read More...
Samsung takes a stand against worker abuse
After finding out about abuses in its supply chain, Samsung has terminated the contract of one of its main labor supply companies in Malaysia. According to media reports, contracted workers had terrible working conditions that involved long periods of standing without adequate rest and restricted Read More...
Progress climate change efforts depends on industry, innovation; not government
Does climate policy matter? That’s a question that arises when a new president-elect in the U.S. has vowed that his country would withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. In this deep historical analysis, the Breakthrough Institute concludes that politicians have a minor impact on Read More...
In Silicon Valley, savvy founders are networking all around town by driving for Uber and Lyft
The first thing Jason Coleman did when he finally decided to start Yarden, the urban gardening business he had dreamt about, was to drive 40 hours per week for Lyft, shuttling passengers between Oakland, Berkley, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley. The connections just rolled in. Coleman says he met Read More...
GRI launches new global standards to help companies report on sustainability
As momentum for sustainability reporting picks up in Singapore and across the world, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has launched a new global Sustainability Reporting Standards to help companies assess their non-financial impacts. Announced in October this year and launched on Read More...
Appliance maker Electrolux wants to start “Uber for laundry”
The opportunities for the sharing economy are endless and corporations are exploring how they can stimulate and participate in peer to peer experiences. Swedish appliance maker Electrolux is considering launching an “Uber for laundry”, a platform that would allow anyone with a laundry machine Read More...