麻豆原创 CSR’s strategy utilizes two approaches to create sustainable impact: being an enabler and an exemplar. As an enabler, we provide products and services that help meet sustainability challenges and create opportunities for customers. As an exemplar, we lead by example in our own sustainable business operations and practices to bring our purpose of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives to life. It is no secret that 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to creating positive economic, environmental, and social impact is a draw for potential employees and customers.聽

There is no better example of that than the work employees do to bring that CSR mindset into the work they do every day. 麻豆原创鈥檚 impact is greater because of leaders who integrate the CSR mindset into the business culture, like Maggie Ramaiah.

Meet Maggie Ramaiah

Ramaiah鈥檚 social impact journey began much like so many of ours. She was involved in one-off events here and there, trying to prioritize doing something good while at work so she could show up more authentically and with more energy to give it her all. However, when she joined the 麻豆原创 Academy faculty as vice president of the 麻豆原创 Academy for Customer Success 鈥� Sales Program, she began to take her dedication to making an impact to the next level, not only for herself but for those around her as well.聽

Ramaiah is a passionate supporter of enabling others to pursue their passions through pro bono volunteering. She knows that with some organization, the impact we can make collectively is limitless. 麻豆原创 has tremendous power to make an impact in a small amount of time. These beliefs are why she works to bring out the best in others by providing opportunities to contribute in a tangible way that is meaningful to them. This core value of investing in employees builds strong leadership competencies, which in turn leads to greater collaboration, innovation, and trust among each other and with customers.

鈥淚n the corporate environment, we are all driven by success, but the CSR mindset is about human beings. We can do something good for everybody that we come across. It doesn’t have to be big; small little steps make a difference, too.鈥�

Maggie Ramaiah

Ramaiah has participated in pro bono volunteering programs and was inspired when she created change. During her time with Pro Bono for Economic Equity, a program 麻豆原创 has partnered with that focuses on supporting Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses in North America, Ramaiah was assigned to a team of three pro bono consultants who had never worked together. Over the course of six weeks, Ramaiah and her team worked part-time with GoLogic Solutions, based in Chicago, Illinois, to propose an organizational structure for new business models. This was her aha moment. 鈥淎t 麻豆原创, we have everything done for us from a process and resource perspective. We just have to look for it. However, for an organization that is run by one person, or maybe two or three people, everything is so constrained,鈥� Ramaiah said.

鈥淓very resource that we put out there from an 麻豆原创 perspective, we might think is a few hours鈥� worth of work, but for [social enterprises] it鈥檚 a whole end-to-end project that they might not have been able to create,鈥� she added. This is a unique way of appreciating the skills that employees bring to their company and a view that builds confidence, empathy, innovative thinking, and other leadership qualities. Ramaiah鈥檚 inspiration to increase her impact footprint came from her experience creating change for an entrepreneur as part of Pro Bono for Economic Equity.聽

Ramaiah saw the opportunity to integrate skills-based volunteering and pro bono consulting into the curriculum of 麻豆原创 Academy, multiplying her impact and enabling others. She offered associates the chance to use what they already knew as well as skills they were developing for good by supporting social enterprise clients through the TRANSFORM Support Hub, a virtual pro bono consulting initiative between 麻豆原创, EY, MovingWorlds, TRANSFORM, and Unilever.聽

Ramaiah鈥檚 goal is to build future leaders who think with a CSR mindset. A CSR mindset is something they can carry with them throughout their career and can be transferred to any team, program, or even company. Specialized experience is not required for employees to build leadership qualities and evolve the way they think at work and about business. Many only need an example set, or the opportunity presented to them. Being a multiplier does not require special skills or knowledge. It can be planning a team volunteer activity, ensuring that each team member knows that volunteering their time is important for their professional growth and overall satisfaction at work. It can also be as simple as sharing stories and takeaways from your own impact experiences or asking your network for support on a social impact project. 

There is not just one way to set an example and enable those around us to make an impact 鈥� what resonates with some might not resonate with others, and it is important to build in choice for meaningful and transformative experiences. At 麻豆原创, being a multiplier for good and investing in our employees, either as an enabler, an exemplar, or both like in Ramaiah鈥檚 case, leads to innovation through experiencing new ways of working, trust with our customers, quality leadership with values that the world needs, and a greater ability to achieve our goal of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.聽

Join Us

Ramaiah鈥檚 journey to being a CSR champion went from her pursing her own interests and passions to helping others find theirs by integrating the CSR mindset into the programs she leads. If you feel inspired to continue your journey as an exemplar and an enabler, we invite you to share this story and聽 on the TRANSFORM Support Hub.

Heidi Pio is a non-profit in residence at 麻豆原创.
Atalanta Kyriazi is a non-profit in residence at 麻豆原创.

Did you know that in 2022 of the overall workforce of large tech companies, and within that only 25% of women held technical roles? Empowering women with education and employment opportunities can help bridge this gap and often is the catalyst for dreams and aspirations to take shape. 麻豆原创 is committed to promoting equitable access to education and employment, fostering future skills development, and driving innovation for a better future.

One of our 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships that we are incredibly proud of is our partnership with , the first nonprofit, tuition-free, American, accredited, online university dedicated to global access to higher education. Established in 2009, it provides virtual learning for over 126,000 students worldwide, with over 16,000 refugees as part of its student population. It serves students believing that higher education is a fundamental right for all.

Last year, in honor of 麻豆原创鈥檚 50^th anniversary, 麻豆原创 funded 100 scholarships, with 50 associate鈥檚 degrees and 50 bachelor鈥檚 degrees in computer science or business administration, for refugees and displaced youth aged 18 to 30 worldwide. 麻豆原创 CSR also partnered with the 麻豆原创 Learning organization to support specifically for Ukrainian refugees and aligned with University of the People and Teach for Afghanistan to fund scholarships for student teachers in Afghanistan seeking their master’s of education degrees. Beyond scholarships, 麻豆原创 established a pilot, one-on-one, virtual mentorship program, where 麻豆原创 employees provide career mentorship for students seeking advice and guidance.

Each scholarship funded by 麻豆原创 supports a refugee student on their education journey with University of the People. To honor Women鈥檚 History Month, we wanted to highlight a few stories of some inspiring refugee women from University of the People who show that education is the tool they used for a hopeful tomorrow.

Let’s start with Kateryna Glubochenko, who proves that education can transform lives, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Kateryna is a University of the People student from Ukraine who recently graduated with her master鈥檚 in education.

In the weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna wrote this message: 鈥淚 am paralyzed with fear. This is our sixth day in a bomb shelter. Air raids happen every hour. Russian troops are only 50 kilometers from my city. I can鈥檛 yet leave my home because I鈥檓 pregnant and have no way to leave the city. Studying is the only way to calm down, and I still believe I will survive all this. Studying at University of the People is hope for me now.鈥�

Thanks to University of the People鈥檚 entirely virtual online experience providing students access to education from anywhere in the world, Kateryna decided to continue her studies despite the ongoing warfare in her hometown. Luckily, Kateryna could travel to Moldova with her 10-year-old son a few weeks later but had to leave the rest of her family behind. Her husband joined the fight against Russia and her parents were too elderly to make the long trip on foot. From Moldova, Kateryna and her son took a train to Poland and then traveled to Spain to stay with a distant relative.

A few months after arriving in Spain, Kateryna gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and, shortly afterward, completed her master鈥檚 degree in education. Kateryna鈥檚 strength and commitment to completing her degree in challenging circumstances is incredibly inspiring. After the fighting in her hometown stopped, Kateryna returned to Ukraine with her two sons and reunited with her husband and parents.

In June 2022, in honor of World Refugee Day, Kateryna joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 hosted by Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility. On the panel, Kateryna talked about what she hopes to do with her new degree.

“Before the war, I believed I could be a curriculum reformer, helping Ukraine advance its education system. I wanted to help advance our economics curriculum because I’m an economics teacher,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow, I hope to be part of rebuilding the Ukrainian education system. I believe we can make our educational system more student-oriented and help Ukrainian students flourish. It might take many years to rebuild our educational system, but I want to take part in this process, and my degree will help me become a specialist and help my country.”

In a recent update, Kateryna used her master鈥檚 degree to help her get a job working online for a Ukrainian university and is on her way to making her dreams a reality.

Another inspiring University of the People student is Asima, based in Afghanistan. Asima is from Kunduz, a northern Afghan city. In late July 2021, she was displaced to the Afghan capital, Kabul, to seek safety from the conflict between the government and the Taliban. Things took an unexpected turn on August 15, 2021, when the Taliban took over Kabul. Life changed drastically for Asima and her family. Women鈥檚 access to education, which had expanded over the last two decades within the country, ended abruptly.

Throughout these changes, University of the People continued to support Afghans seeking degrees, particularly girls and other marginalized groups. The university has provided around 2,000 scholarships to Afghan women since the Taliban鈥檚 return to power so they could continue their studies safely.

鈥淲hen I heard about the scholarships from the University of the People to Afghan women, I quickly applied. Women must empower themselves through education. We are too strong to be frightened. Therefore, I will continue my education,鈥� Asima said. 鈥淲hen I entered the University of the People learning module for the first time, I was thrilled. I couldn’t express my joy and happiness at that moment. University of the People is a fantastic university where I’m in touch with people from different parts of the world for the same purpose of educating. That is where I feel near to my dreams. Thanks to the University of the People, that has become a light on the darkest day of my life!鈥�

As Women鈥檚 History Month ends, we proudly tell stories of women at the University of the People who are using their education to build hopeful futures. We look forward to bringing stories of inspiration and empowerment and powering equitable access to education and employment for students everywhere. To learn more about corporate social responsibility at 麻豆原创 and our partnership with University of the People, .

Julia Donovan is a corporate social responsibility specialist at 麻豆原创.

In 2022, 麻豆原创 launched EmpowerU, a signature talent program across the 麻豆原创 Product Engineering Board area. Its purpose was to widen the participants鈥� aperture, foster relationships, and break down silos while building, engaging, and retaining a diverse, sustainable leadership and expert pipeline across the organization. Working towards this purpose, the program鈥檚 organizers, Kevin Welty and John Millea of the 麻豆原创 Intelligent Spend and Business Network People & Culture team, worked closely with 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility (麻豆原创 CSR) to try something new. Together, they devised a unique initiative, embracing the power of pro bono consulting to develop the next generation of 麻豆原创 engineering leaders and to expedite world-changing solutions in the process.

This program helps connect employees and social enterprise clients across the world through the , a global pro bono consulting platform powered by social enterprise MovingWorlds. Pro bono consulting offers an opportunity for EmpowerU participants to grow as leaders by leveraging their technical skills for good. Four small teams of employees with diverse skill sets ranging from engineering to project management were paired with clients in need of technical support to solve strategic business challenges. Each team offered their dedicated time and expertise over the course of three months to deliver quality solutions. In the end, these teams had the unique opportunity to use their skills to support , , , and more.

Welty believes this hands-on, thoughtful approach to leadership skill-building is paramount. 鈥淟eadership is taking responsibility for how you show up in the world and the impact that it has,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hinking about how you make a difference in the world and how you impact others is what I think of as leadership. It doesn鈥檛 have anything to do with your job title or your experience.鈥� One powerful outcome of connecting EmpowerU with the is that it gives participants the opportunity to explore how they are showing up at work, in their personal life, and for the world.

Through this experience, participants are exemplifying the leadership qualities that the EmpowerU program aims to highlight in unique ways. 鈥淭hat was probably my big takeaway,鈥� shared Chris Roethler, who supported , a refugee aid platform, during the 2022 EmpowerU cohort. 鈥淚 have knowledge to share that is beneficial outside of my daily work. I have also grown a network of people who I otherwise would not have had the chance to work with. My strengths can have a powerful impact in the world and my career.鈥�

Beyond enabling the entrepreneurs to scale their work and impact, cohort participants are integrating innovative thinking sparked by their experiences working with their social enterprise clients into their roles at 麻豆原创. Through collaboration on these projects, employees are building networks across the company as well as with enterprises that are changing the way business works. They are becoming champions for sustainability, social impact, and personal fulfillment through purpose-focused work.

While connection is important, consistency is what truly creates change. Piloting technical pro bono consulting through EmpowerU has led to a multi-year, multi-program partnership between 麻豆原创 Product Engineering and 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility. In fact, the Intelligent Spent and Business Network line of business alone is more than doubling the number of employees and social enterprises participating in its initiatives in 2023.

The resulting impact for social enterprises is tangible, especially in the tech space. Social Entrepreneur, Founder of , and Technical Consultant for the EmpowerU program Angela Busheska noted, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the same resources that a team at 麻豆原创 might have when working on a solution. Often entrepreneurs like me are working multiple jobs, going to school, and doing this work for free because we believe in what we do. When pro bono consultants understand the problems we face and help us prioritize solutions, that is extremely valuable.鈥�

Programs like EmpowerU are just the beginning of experiential learning and leadership development for 麻豆原创 Product Engineering. Every team at 麻豆原创 鈥� in every corporation even 鈥� can create a more connected, collaborative, and sustainable world through pro bono consulting. What started out as a curious pursuit to develop employees has turned into an opportunity to invest in sustainable development, social impact, and personal growth. By empowering employees to harness their skills for good, we are building capacity for innovative social enterprises around the world.

Join Us

With a engaging employees, 麻豆原创, together with EY, MovingWorlds, TRANSFORM, and Unilever, continue to work on the TRANSFORM Support Hub, connecting employees everywhere to social entrepreneurs anywhere through pro bono consulting, coaching, and more. If you feel inspired to build a more sustainable world, we invite you to .

Ten years ago, 麻豆原创 launched the award-winning program, developed in partnership with our nonprofit implementation partner . The program has grown from 30 麻豆原创 employees working with nonprofits and social enterprises in 2012 to over 1,400 today. Within that time, we have worked with over 475 clients in 52 countries around the world. In reflecting and celebrating the past decade, we took this year to tell the stories of employees and our partners, highlighting the social impact and business value resulting from the program. As we look to the next decade of impact, we want to build upon our success and continue engaging with innovative social businesses through pro bono consulting, enabling them to deepen their societal impact.

Reflecting On 2022

The disruption caused by the pandemic greatly impacted the global 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program, putting it on pause. As we started our 10th anniversary celebration in 2022, we were highly motivated to resume in-person engagement because of the ripples of impact it creates but were unsure of when it would be feasible to do so. As we continued preparing for the restart, we focused on sharing inspiring stories of impact from the program. Finally, after thoughtful consideration and preparation, we were able to return to in-person global engagement, setting the standard for other companies in their global pro bono programs.

Our first global cohort of 11 麻豆原创 employees traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May 2022, where they worked with four clients, , , and . In total, they volunteered 3,718 hours and positively impacted more than 10,771 lives.

This cohort was a huge highlight of the year, as most of our participants waited over two years to embark on their 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical, so the level of excitement was very high. After connecting virtually during COVID-19, I think we all missed human connection, so bonds were formed quickly.

Alexandru Ionita, program manager at 麻豆原创 Canada who was part of the Argentinean cohort, echoed these sentiments. 鈥淭he program was very valuable, especially after the pandemic. Connecting with host clients and impacting their organizations and their own clients in a positive way was energizing.鈥�

Eszter Bal谩zs, integrated communications specialist at 麻豆原创 Hungary, said taking part in the program was a dream come true, especially considering that, after COVID-19, she wasn鈥檛 sure whether she would be able to experience an in-person 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical. 鈥淚n four weeks, the teams 鈥� consisting of people with different skills and backgrounds 鈥� could identify and help host organizations with their various, and sometimes invisible, challenges. The leaders of our host organization mentioned that they never found enough time and expertise to identify solutions for the areas that were troubling them. The program was truly amazing!鈥�

Building the Story of Impact

Over the past 10 years, we鈥檝e seen countless stories from stakeholders that the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program builds long-term, sustainable impact for our nonprofit and social enterprise clients, their beneficiaries, 麻豆原创 participants, and the company overall. While these anecdotal stories are inspiring, we now have data to confirm the impact on a broad scale. We partnered with impact measurement social enterprise and developed a with input from employees, partners, and beneficiaries.

Participants noted that problem-solving was a skill highly relevant to their roles as pro bono consultants. As one participant stated, 鈥溌槎乖� Social Sabbatical helped me to learn a lot about myself and find purpose in applying my skill to help others. This helps me to improve my leadership skills to make 麻豆原创 even more successful.鈥� Through this collaboration, we see in-depth skill growth, leadership development, and cultural dexterity.

Our study confirms this, with 86% of employees reporting their ability to collaborate with global and diverse colleagues was improved by their participation in the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program, with other skills gained such as increased confidence and problem-solving.

One element that the study highlighted is the fact that the program impact goes beyond the host client and allows them to take their services to the next level for their community members. This data insight is unique to 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical and provides affirmation that the pro bono work is creating strong beneficiary impact. Per the study, 85% of partners report a positive impact of the program on their ability to serve their beneficiaries better, and 77% of those beneficiaries of 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical client partners report improvements in their quality of life.

Sharad Bansal, co-founder and CEO at SRJNA, one of the host organizations from Jaipur, India, shared, 鈥淭he 麻豆原创 team worked on multiple areas like the customer support process, organization structure, and how to scale our programs for 500 schools. The team has enabled us to go to 2,000 schools with their inputs and will help us create impact in over 1 million students across schools and India and beyond.鈥�

2023 Signifies a New Chapter for Affecting Change

The restart in Argentina was the foundation of bringing the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program back to scale. In addition to the May cohort, we completed two more engagements in October 2022, one in Bangkok, Thailand, and another in Kigali, Rwanda.

Looking forward to 2023, we are excited to have planned eight assignments for the global engagement option of 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical. We have successfully completed a full application and selection process for our cohort of 96 麻豆原创 employees who will take part in the program. We will also be restarting the executive engagement program of 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical, with participation from nearly 30 executives, including those from select 麻豆原创 customers and partners.

Moreover, inspired by the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program, we continue to build out our virtual pro bono initiatives. We are expanding our impact by supporting a vast number of social enterprises through the and bringing year-round virtual pro bono consulting to 麻豆原创 employees via the Acceleration Collective.

We are excited about these developments because they will enable us to build upon the tremendous impact that the program has had over the past decade. This is a new beginning.

Julia Donovan is global CSR specialist for 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility.
Hemang Desai is global program director of 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility.

What if making a small shift in your purchasing decisions this holiday season could collectively create billions of dollars in investment into solving for mounting issues of poverty, waste, and inequality? Would you make a change?

As consumers, we have a unique opportunity to make purchases that have real impact. By supporting social enterprises, local small businesses, and diverse business owners this season, the money you spend will have a direct, positive impact on your community and the people and ecosystems in need around the world. It鈥檚 a win-win: find the perfect gift you鈥檙e looking for and invest in causes that matter to you! Maybe you’re thinking, 鈥淭hat sounds nice, but where do I begin?鈥� 麻豆原创 and our global ecosystem of social impact partners have you covered!

This year, we worked with our community, including many of the members of the , to compile a comprehensive list of places to shop from around the world. These holiday shopping suggestions are sure to delight and inspire you and deliver impact as well.

Jeroo Billimoria, co-founder of Catalyst 2030, shared that the Catalyst Marketplace originally started out as a crazy idea, but turned into something wonderful: 鈥淐atalyst Market is a perfect example of hundreds of entrepreneurs coming together — in only one year — to create a new kind of marketplace that prioritizes people and planet in a regenerative model of commerce.鈥�

Along with last year鈥檚 guide, this is a one-stop resource for all your shopping needs this holiday season, and all throughout the year. We thank the social enterprises, social impact communities, and 麻豆原创 colleagues who have all contributed to make this a globally relevant gift guide, and are hopeful that our efforts will make it a little easier for you to find something magical and memorable to give the ones you love.

And if there are other incredible social enterprises or gift guides you love that are not listed here, share your suggestions on social media, tagging @麻豆原创4Good on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Let鈥檚 continue to build on this collective list of businesses that truly represent the meaning of the season.

Happy holidays!

2022 Holiday Gift Guide

Global

• : A brand-new community-curated global marketplace, collaboratively run by purpose-driven enterprises. The allows consumers to shop across more than 100 global social enterprises.
• : Products support the work of more than 40 nonprofits and social enterprises in 19 states and 65 countries around the globe.
• : An online marketplace and curated community platform for purpose driven businesses; free to set up a profile for your social enterprise.
• : The wholesale marketplace for conscious buyers.
• : An online store for people shopping for unusual and beautifully crafted items. Every purchase supports local artisans around the world and unlocks a donation to UNICEF. ; note that shipping only available in the U.S.
• : A trade association of fair trade enterprises fully committed to equitable and sustainable trading partnerships.

Africa

Kenya

• : Aims to champion meaningful progress in people鈥檚 lives through high-quality shoes, gear, and goods that celebrate their Kenyan heritage (shipping available to U.S. customers).
• : A marketplace for high- quality, locally designed, and ethically produced African fashion, home decor, and crafts products.

Nigeria

• : Provides intensive training and employment opportunities for rural women in Imafon, Nigeria. These women learn to make beautiful crafts from waste materials, produce body butters, and other agricultural products, which are then sold and gives them a source of livelihood.

South Africa

• : A children鈥檚 book by Amonge Elethu Sinxoto to inspire confidence and positive change around the world (ships internationally).

Uganda

• : Up-cycled fashion brand, training and employing persons with disabilities.
• : Sustainable, waterproof accessories made from plastic waste.
• : Empowers refugee women in East Africa with the education and opportunities they need to become skilled, confident, economically independent entrepreneurs.

Asia

India

• : India’s first crop-to-cookie brand crafts delicious, clean, super nutritious baked goods using ancient grains.
• : A female-led social enterprise that produces hand-crafted stationery and engages women from marginalized communities to co-create the stationery, providing a new path to financial independence through the new trade of upcycling, recycling, and making (ships internationally).
• : Handmade, hand painted, eco-friendly products for home decor and gifting, made by artisans who can earn consistent and dignified livelihood from their craft. Their products are made with fusion of more than one art form and are inspired by the rich heritage of India.
• : A social enterprise that takes waste-bound saris and up-cycles them into beautiful clothes and accessories. Along the way, it employs women who did not have the opportunity for an education and path to financial independence and security (ships internationally).
• : A social enterprise upskilling women from rural and indigenous communities of The Nilgiris into fine first-generation artisans. Indian Yards uses only natural fibers to handcraft a wide variety of products using craft forms such as macrame, crochet, quilting, needle work, embroidery, and more.
• : Works directly with artisans, empowering them and their communities with a sustainable livelihood. Available in multiple countries outside of India.
• : A social enterprise that works with artists across more than 70 styles of traditional arts and crafts to create live online workshops, masterclasses, and DIY kits, and also retails beautiful art handmade by these master artists. Their work creates sustainable new livelihoods for traditional and folk artists and provides experiences and products to consumers.
• : A purpose-driven brand that focuses on revival of dying craft clusters across India with the aim to connect consumers and global businesses with the rare crafts of India. Resham Dor aims to empower the Indian artisans and create a sustainable life for them.
• : A sustainable brand for home decor and gifting products. Backed by a large network of women artisans, Sirohi is on a mission to create income opportunities for women from marginalized populations in India with existing craft skills (ships internationally).
• : A social enterprise dedicated to preserving heritage craftsmanship by adapting the heritage handcrafting process, artisanal skills, and know-how to create new products suited for contemporary homes and living.
• : Endeavors to give form to discarded paper through hand spinning, weaving, and handcrafting, amalgamating the traditional skills and knowledge with contemporary appeal (ships internationally).
• : A social enterprise that produces biodegradable disposable dinnerware through community-owned micro-enterprises spread across Northeast India. The tableware provides quality, green alternatives while helping to generate sustainable livelihoods amongst rural women and youth, locally.
• : A designed and curated collection of contemporary terracotta crafts from heritage pottery clusters of India, with a vision to bring the indigenous pottery crafts into the main stream.
• : A curated subscription or one-time purchase box filled with ecoconscious products. To Verth, it matters how these products are made and who they empower.

Indonesia

• : an emerging brand of eco-sustainable fashion that takes advantage of the abundance of waste materials. By doing so, Rubysh has successfully recovered hundreds of kilograms of waste to turn into pieces of jewelry.
• : health and beauty products with zero chemicals and support to local rose farmers.

Malaysia

• : Works with over 200 artisans to make gifts, apparel, and merchandise with hand-dyed textiles and eco-friendly materials (ships internationally).
• : Celebrating craftsmanship and advocating conscious consumption, Earth Heir serves traditional artisans in underserved communities by supporting them with market access and education in ethical business operations.
• : A women-led conscious jewelry brand that educates, employs, and empowers refugee children and youth, Fugeelah is deeply devoted to quality and dedicates itself to thoughtful sourcing, fair wages for the female artisans with whom they co-creates collections, as well as give-back initiatives that truly have an impact.

Nepal

• : A social enterprise dedicated to preserving traditional Nepali arts and crafts while improving the economic conditions of disadvantaged and marginalized producers 鈥� primarily women 鈥� through sustainable development.

Philippines

• : A pioneering UN-recognized Filipino social enterprise that produces a line of sustainable, green, biodegradable, and non-toxic home and personal care products.
• : A livelihood project-turned-social enterprise that specializes in making ecofriendly charcoal made from coconut waste, called the Eco-Uling. It aims to end poverty, save the environment, and empower people in their own little ways.

Thailand

• : A social enterprise that offers customizable and unique products, handmade by marginalized women with locally sourced materials, as an alternative to traditional corporate gifts.

Australia & New Zealand

• 膧kina: A social enterprise that offer a range of consulting and business development services to support businesses in creating positive impact.
• 膧kina has created a list of .
• : Australia’s first national directory of Certified Social Enterprises. The linked list has been filtered down to social enterprises offering giftable items, but the filter can be removed to search for other services.

Europe

Austria

• : An online baking school and coffee shop concept for seniors baking cakes and teaching baking classes to earn additional money to supplement their minimum pension and avoid old-age isolation. In-studio, live online, and on-demand courses available.

France

• : Fair and circular football brand.

Germany

• : With the first charity bag label in Germany, every purchase enables a vulnerable child in Africa to attend school for one year. The bags are created by two women from Hamburg from fine leather returns and surpluses from designer houses.
• : Standing for design that changes society, the label produces sustainably and fairly in Hamburg with socially disadvantaged people as well as with refugees who have only recently come to Germany. Both are united by their enormous craftsmanship beyond certificates and diplomas.
• : The founders of Conflictfood travel to the trouble spots of this world, looking for specialties typical of the country and deal with local farmers: honest, directly, and fair. They strengthen economic structures, fight the root causes of flight, and create peaceful perspectives. Enjoy culinary treasures from all over the world through Conflictfood.
• : A social startup from Munich where senior citizens bake delicious granny cakes. Its goal is to make life more worth living! Senior citizens pursue a meaningful activity and become part of a community, avoiding loneliness and isolation while pursuing their passion for baking.
• : Fair Ethiopian coffee with profits going directly to farmers and cutting the middleman (ships to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).
• : Coffee and tea with social impact directly 100% transparent from the producers. Ohana builds a bridge between family-run coffee and tea farms and socially responsible companies. With purchase prices well above the world market and sustainable partnerships, the company supports farmers and at the same time ensure long-term high quality for customers. Ohana plants a tree for every kilogram of coffee or tea that binds CO2, contributing to biodiversity and creating jobs.
• : A social beer brand from Berlin-Kreuzberg. Every bottle of Quartiermeister support the work of social and cultural projects in the neighbourhood. Every beer is a donation. The company distributes all of its profits where the beer is sold. Consumption becomes a good deed. Quartiermeister has been campaigning for a fair economy for the good of all since 2010.
• : Glass bottles with beautiful designs to discourage plastic waste from bottled water consumption, with profits going to water charities.
• : Founded in 2014, Stadtbienen e.V. takes care of a species-appropriate habitat for honey and wild bees in the city. Inspired by the natural approach of the Mellifera association, a bee house was developed that allows beekeeping even on your own balcony. Support the work with the eco-fair gift box.
• : In large concert halls and at festivals, there is often a certain distance between artist and audience. It is completely different with sofa concerts. With these, a completely new musical experience is created. Experience the music up close and real with friends in your own home 鈥� or zoom call.
• : Online chocolate shop focused on socialecological fairness, quality, and craftsmanship.
• : Since 2013, 脺ber den Tellerrand has contributed to the integration and social participation of refugees in society. The company creates spaces that enable encounter and exchange at eye level and promotes friendships between people with and without a refugee experience. In these diverse encounter activities, mutual prejudices are broken down, openness and respect are promoted, and language skills and cultural knowledge are passed on.

Greece

• : High-quality bags and backpacks from broken refugee rubber boats (ships within Europe).

Ireland

• : An online charity shop that ships internationally.

Netherlands

• : Clothes and other textile products made from secondhand textiles and created by newcomers to the Netherlands (ships internationally at additional cost).
• by Social Enterprise NL: Buy Social Market is the simplest way to buy with impact; all products and services are offered by sustainable and inclusive companies. Check out its for gift ideas.

Slovakia

• : Laptop sleeves and slow fashion accessories, all made ethically and from upcycled materials (ships internationally).

U.K.

• : An initiative aimed at helping social enterprises thrive online, elevating the work of social enterprises that are supporting economic opportunities for marginalized communities.
• : A social enterprise that employs women, particularly mothers, from the Rohingya refugee community in India to create one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose baby blankets, which are hand-stitched from reclaimed and ethically-sourced cotton.
• : The UK鈥檚 membership body for social enterprises leads the world鈥檚 largest network of businesses with a social purpose who together are helping to create a fairer economy and a more sustainable future for everyone.
• : Brings together businesses that are a force for good all under one virtual roof.

Middle East

Lebanon

• : An organization producing the finest quality handmade artisanal products and maximizing employment opportunities for female artisans (ships internationally).

Turkey

• : Unique eco-friendly creative building kit that enables children to transform everyday objects into unique toys (ships within the EU).

North America

Canada

• : Indigenous owned business committed to nature and values the interdependency between all living things. Aurora Heat designs and hand creates sustainable, new-to-market products made from natural fur (ships within Canada and the U.S.)
• : Indigenous artists share stories of resilience through authentic art, culture, and fashion to empower the next generation (ships internationally).
• : Indigenous owned, eco-friendly collections of women’s wear and home decor textiles (ships internationally).

U.S.

• : Coffee grown in Ethiopia, with all proceeds going back to scholarships and education programs for refugees of Sudan in the region the coffee is grown.
• : Corporate gifting that is engaging, measurable, and meaningful.
• : Offers 15 flavors of fair-trade, non-GMO whole and ground coffee beans with specialty and seasonal flavors through a delivery and subscription service (ships to the U.S. and Canada).
• : A social enterprise offering ethically and sustainably sourced, durable, reusable bags that inspire people to reduce, reuse, recycle and re-imagine the world we live in (ships internationally).
• : Personal care products that are fancy and free of harsh chemicals.
• : Philadelphia-based manufacturing startup on a mission to construct stylish, sustainably sourced fashion. They aspire to support women from disenfranchised groups, especially those who are formerly incarcerated, in leading self-sufficient lives by creating fair wage employment opportunities.
• : A place to shop for meaningful gifts, jewelry, and housewares. All of the merchandise was created by participants in Art with a Heart鈥檚 workforce development program, and by committed volunteers. Sale proceeds are shared between Art with a Heart and the artist or community partner.
• : Stunning 3D portrait art made with synthetic hair you can feel and 2D reproductions and accessories from the mind of critically acclaimed visual artist Tyler Clark.
• : Remarkable and handmade wall statements for a thoughtful home, Kazi alleviates poverty in Africa through job creation.
• : Empowering artisan families in the Phillipines to overcome poverty by reimagining time-honored local craft for the global marketplace.
• : Artisanal manufacturer of moisture-rich personal care products, especially formulated for highly textured hair and dry skin (ships internationally).
• : An online baking shop that ships nationwide, products include custom cakes, cake jars, and celebration boxes.
• : A mission-driven jewelry company that puts people and products at its forefront as a social enterprise. Rebel Nell use profits to support programs that promote mental well-being, financial training, career education, and other wrap-around programs.
• : A lifestyle brand specializing in thoughtfully made goods, Rochelle Porter combines passion for patterns with a commitment to responsible manufacturing.
• : A low-carb baking mix company that offers sugar free and gluten free dessert baking mixes. The range of products consist of sugar and gluten free cake mixes, frosting mixes, and sprinkles.
• : With moccasins for children, TPMOCS gives back to Native American communities through employment opportunities and resources.
• : Empowering small farming families in Ghana to bring 100% pure cold-pressed moringa oil to conscious consumers worldwide.
• : Supporting the financial security of women coffee farmers (ships internationally).
• : Partners with NGOs around the world that employ women from disadvantaged communities and pay them fair wages to create beautiful and unique cloth bags from fabric scraps.
• : Each Yellow Leaf hammock is handwoven by the expert craftswomen of the Mlabri Tribe in the hills of Northern Thailand. Across three weaving communities, Yellow Leaf Hammocks works to create jobs for mothers and build a foundation for positive community transformation (ships internationally).

South & Central America

Guatemala

• : A social impact business located in the community surrounding the Guatemala City garbage dump, mi eelo is a 100% women-run team, utilizing honest, handmade processes, and recycled materials to create high-quality products (ships to the U.S. and Canada).
• : Home decor that explores synergies between designers and artisans, and empowers rural communities to rescue their cultural techniques, mitigate migration and preserve culture (ships internationally).
• : Conscious skincare with Mayan wisdom, that is both kind to your skin and the earth (ships internationally).
• : A cooperative of female Mayan backstrap loom weavers across Guatemala, Trama Textiles works directly with 100 women from 17 weaving communities across five regions to offer textile products as well as weaving classes at the Trama office in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (ships internationally).

Mexico

• : Contributes to artisans鈥� wellbeing, the development of small businesses, and preservation of traditional crafting techniques through fair trade by providing secure incomes and community.

Hemang Desai, global program director of Corporate Social Responsibility at 麻豆原创, says that over the past 10 years, the benefits of the program have become clear, and he urges other companies to consider offering these types of programs to their employees. 鈥淭his is because it improves various business and soft skills, builds leadership, promotes entrepreneurial thinking, and allows employees 鈥� and in turn the company 鈥� to make a difference in the lives of other people and client organizations.鈥�

His sentiment is reflected by participants of the most recent 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical who said that, through their experience, they were able to embrace the passion and energy of social enterprises, learn how business-driven companies can create sustainable social impact, and recognize the importance of ensuring that teams are empowered, engaged, and motivated to produce successful work.

Referring to a survey conducted among previous participants over the past 10 years, Desai outlines the top five benefits of :

1. Long-Term Career Impact

Seventy-four percent of employees reported that, as a result of the program, they have experienced a wide variety of outcomes that have benefited their careers. Among these were the ability to think differently, increased confidence, and improved networking. Additionally, nearly half attributed their career growth to program participation. 鈥淭he 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program empowered me. It made me step outside my comfort zone and helped me realize all the things I鈥檓 capable of. This program gave me the confidence to aim for more and obtain the leadership role I now have,鈥� said a participant from Argentina.

2. Influence on Personal Life

Eighty-eight percent of participants shared that the program led to positive, long-term changes in their personal lives. The top three self-reported changes included heightened social awareness, the formation of networks across the globe, and being reminded of what is truly important. 鈥溌槎乖� Social Sabbatical has made me a more open-minded, globally fluent person. I can safely say that my experience has made me a better person with a stronger focus on equality and opportunity for everyone,鈥� shared a U.S. participant.

3. Acquisition of Skills and Knowledge

Teamwork and collaboration emerged as the top skills employees acquired from the program, followed by cultural awareness, adaptability, and resilience. These skills continue to be applied regularly in the participants鈥� personal and professional lives. For instance, 86% reported that following the program, their ability to collaborate with global and diverse colleagues improved, as did the ability of 78% to work within a team. A participant from India revealed, 鈥淭he skills that we acquired through 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical have given me the confidence to take up new projects without fear, knowing that I will find a way to make the project successful. It taught me resilience and adaptability.鈥�

4. Increased Community Engagement

Fifty-one percent of employees shared that they are now better engaged with their communities since their participation in the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program. When participants were asked how the program improved their engagement, two out of three participants鈥� top responses were that they have a strengthened intent for creating a positive impact for their communities, have increased engagement through volunteering, and have experienced greater social awareness. 鈥淚 have always been one to engage in my community, but I always think of my 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical when engaging now and the cultural awareness it gave me. I engage in a more empathetic way,鈥� noted one participant.

5. Improved Sense of Purpose

Seventy-nine percent of employees say their sense of purpose has been impacted for the better following the program. Through immersion into a new culture and working hand in hand with the community to make a real social impact, new perspective and purpose is inherent. Another participant shared, 鈥淭hese programs give me more purpose and make me want to drive change in my own community. I have been able to become an ambassador for other causes I feel strongly towards, such as Shatterproof and NAMI Philadelphia. These are things I likely wouldn’t have done before or may have attempted to do but not followed through all the way.鈥�

Desai says that, ultimately, employees crave purpose, with the desire to make a difference being the primary motivator for the majority of participants to apply to the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program. 鈥淭his need has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis with now reflecting on their purpose in life and how this extends to . In fact, say that their sense of purpose is defined by their work.鈥�

He concludes by saying that the world is currently faced with a multitude of crises from climate change to mounting inequality, but that connecting employees鈥� skills with the needs of communities doing this work on the ground is where these big problems find solutions. 鈥淲hen we show business professionals the power and impact their skills can create to accelerate development in the world鈥檚 most under-resourced communities, it bridges the gap of tackling big real-world challenges and produces ripples of impact that聽gets us closer to聽a lasting, more sustainable world. 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical provides a win-win situation for all.”

Feeling inspired? For more information about the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program or to get involved, visit .

Julia Donovan is an 麻豆原创 Global Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist.

They fill in the gaps that cannot be bridged by the public or private sectors when it comes to providing critical services that impact social and economic growth and are vital for achieving the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) by the looming 2030 deadline.

However, these organizations typically struggle with critical business challenges and need support in areas such as strategic planning, developing business processes, and growing their network. This is where initiatives like the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program come in.

麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical is a portfolio of global pro-bono consulting programs that enable 麻豆原创 employees to share their knowledge, skills, and expertise with non-profits and social enterprises around the world. Over the past 10 years, 麻豆原创 employees have contributed in excess of 359,000 volunteer hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries.

Hemang Desai is global program director for the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical portfolio on the 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility (麻豆原创 CSR) team. He says that non-profit organizations and social enterprises can benefit immensely from the expertise and experience of the private sector in addressing these issues.

鈥淭hrough engagement with the private sector, these organizations can learn the business strategies and skills needed to help improve organizational efficiency and management practices. At the same time, this gives businesses the opportunity to create meaningful, sustainable impact by supporting organizations in bridging societal challenges that they cannot address full-time.鈥�

Bringing Business Thinking and Strategy to Social Sector Partners

麻豆原创 recently conducted a long-term impact survey among the organizations supported by 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical programs. For almost a third of responding organizations, one of the most impactful ways businesses can help them is through guidance on strategy and planning.

For example, during the 2017 program, 麻豆原创 employees volunteering at the Kazakhstan Foundation for Cultural, Social, and Educational Development (KFCSED) aided in establishing a five-year mission, vision, and strategy for the organization and supported it in communicating this with beneficiaries and the community. As a result, KFCSED, which is devoted to empowering women, was able to increase the scale and capacity of its projects, enabling it to serve five times more beneficiaries.

Mariya Asinskaya, a former project director at KFCSED said, 鈥淭he corporate sector can support non-profits because they have a lot of knowledge, and we need that — their professionalism and their tools. Almost all of them can be applied to non-profits.鈥�

Developing Skills for the Future

Over 75% of non-profit organizations and social enterprises that responded to the long-term impact survey said that interventions from business have helped to enhance their employees鈥� skills. For instance, at SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation, a 2014 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical participant that cultivates and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit in teens, employees were taught vital skills in stakeholder management, marketing, and external relations.

As a result of this training, employees learned best practices when it comes to approaching other corporations which opened new doors for the organization.

Founder and Director Lydia Zingoni shares, 鈥淲e are forever grateful for 麻豆原创鈥檚 contribution to our organization. We have recently launched an online version of the entrepreneur program and we are expanding it not only in South Africa, but globally.鈥�

Implementing Tools to Better Serve Beneficiaries

Eighty-five percent of social sector partners said that by being able to offer improved programs and services as well as enhanced systems, along with expanded internal capacity, they can better serve their beneficiaries. This was the impact experienced at the National College of Ireland Early Learning Initiative (ELI), which was developed to address the problem of educational underachievement in marginalized communities.

Prior to the 2015 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical, the organization was struggling to support other communities in setting up or delivering its ParentChild+ program, which at the time was only deployed among 15 families. With suggestions from the 麻豆原创 volunteers, together with tools to better manage day-to-day operations, ELI was able to scale the program by diagnosing and improving process bottlenecks. Today, ParentChild+ has been implemented at 11 organizations and supports nearly 400 children per year.

鈥淔or many businesses, partnerships with NGOs and social enterprises have been purely financial without any real understanding of the challenges their partners face, nor realizing that their know how is in fact the solution,鈥� Desai concludes. “By working together, businesses and social sector organizations can create optimal impact in changing the world for the better.”

This year, 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has relaunched its programming, enabling employees to work hand in hand again with social enterprises and non-profits around the world. To learn more about the program and its success stories, .

As we know, . It creates a ripple effect to solve many social and environmental issues far beyond economic growth. And with almost experiencing interrupted education each year because of conflict, emergency, and disaster, 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility (麻豆原创 CSR) has increased its efforts to mitigate this negative impact.

Optima School in Ukraine

Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in February has emphasized the plight of refugees, many of whom face closed borders, discrimination, and inhumane treatment when they attempt to flee their home countries. And 1.5 million of refugees from Ukraine are children.

In a recent discussion with Justin van Fleet, executive director of Global Business Coalition for Education and president at , he outlined the impact of the Ukraine war on education and said that refugees make us think about the urgent need for humanitarian relief: food, water, shelter, and clothing. He also noted that we must ensure children鈥檚 education is central to the immediate response to their suffering 鈥� because war doesn鈥檛 just destroy lives, it breaks education and learning too.

Adding to this, refugee children are to be out of school than other children and youth around the world. Therefore, we have partnered with several like-minded organizations to help fast track opportunities that support this cause, with an increased focus on Ukraine this year.

One of these initiatives is the , which provides a free distance-learning platform to help 100,000 Ukrainian pupils whose education has been disrupted. The school is backed by 麻豆原创 and several organizations, including Alliance4Ukraine, the Bosch Foundation, and the DFB Stiftungen.

Supporting children among the Ukrainian refugees has been one of the most pressing challenges since the war began. Education is vital in boosting young people鈥檚 prospects in life as they integrate in their new country. We believe that by attending Optima School, young Ukrainian refugees will be able to resume their education based on the Ukrainian curriculum with minimal interruption to their learning.

University of the People Scholarships

In order to support refugees in accessing equitable higher education, earlier this year 麻豆原创 partnered with , a non-profit, tuition-free, U.S.-accredited online university. 麻豆原创 has sponsored 50 associate degrees and 50 bachelor鈥檚 degrees in computer science and business administration for refugees and displaced youth ages 18 to 30. This commitment has now increased by another 50 scholarships to include Ukrainian youth as part of the 麻豆原创 scholarships program.

In the words of University of the People President and Founder Shai Reshef: 鈥淩efugees and displaced people have the greatest need for educational support right now.鈥� Figures from UNICEF show that only 3% of refugees have access to higher education, which is why the University of the People enrolls more than 10,000 refugees, many of whom need financial help because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the spiraling costs of higher education.

Through these scholarships, we can connect willing learners from around the world with the first step in their tertiary education journey, but also support employment opportunities and innovation for years to come.

One of the many refugees who has benefited from University of the People鈥檚 online degrees is Marina Evseeva, who arrived in the U.S. as a Russian asylum seeker in 2016. These studies have helped improve her English and understanding of business administration. After graduating, she hopes to go to law school to further her education, as well as volunteer at the University of the People to give back to other students.

It’s incredible stories like Marina鈥檚 that illustrate how opportunity for education goes beyond just a degree. She now plans to advocate for others and give back to students on their own journeys. Education is truly the catalyst for positive change.

Digital Skills for Today

Another way 麻豆原创 is helping refugees is through , an initiative supporting young people in the Middle East and North Africa. Batoul Husseini, executive director of Government Affairs, MENA Strategic Markets, and CSR MENA at 麻豆原创, highlighted that youth often face limited employment prospects and an inadequate or collapsing education system, especially near conflict zones.

麻豆原创 founded the program in 2016, when it was still called Refugee Code Week, to directly improve the quality of life for beneficiaries by providing in-demand skills for today鈥檚 job market and long-term opportunities for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

To date, Digital Skills for Today has exposed over 112,000 young people to coding and produced over 1,270 bootcamp graduates who have found gainful employment. In addition, over half of its participants are female. As Husseini puts it: 鈥淭he program is about helping young people, including refugees, leapfrog their situation through intensive code and 21^st century skills training that leads to job placement.鈥�

A World of Equal Opportunities

We know the positive impacts of investing in equitable education and how it uplifts under-resourced communities through innovations, economic growth, job opportunities, and overall stable living environments for youth all around the world. When youth have access to quality education and feel inspired to learn, we become that much closer to solving the world鈥檚 biggest problems.

Through proactive humanitarian efforts and the power of partnerships, these initiatives and scholarships are just small steps that can help bring us closer to a world with equitable education opportunities 鈥� especially for those adjusting to the challenges of uprooting their lives in search of a hopeful future.

To find out more about World Refugee Day, visit the . Or learn more about 麻豆原创鈥檚 scholarships at University of the People and our partnership with in support of Ukrainian Optima School.

Alexandra van der Ploeg is head of Corporate Social Responsibility at 麻豆原创.

The program enables this by giving diverse teams of employees opportunities to dedicate their skills and professional expertise to benefit social enterprises in other countries and their surrounding communities, opening participants鈥� minds to different cultures which, in turn, promotes diversity at home and in the workplace.

Launched in 2012, 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical has positively impacted the lives of more than six million people, with 麻豆原创 employees contributing in excess of 359,000 volunteer hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries address critical business challenges.

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Self-Empowerment Is the Key to Growth

鈥淪elf-empowerment is seeking the solution rather than fixating on the problem,鈥� says Gina McNamara, regional chief financial officer for Asia Pacific & Japan at 麻豆原创. During her 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical in Kenya in 2014, she encountered a phenomenon that she hadn鈥檛 witnessed in her native Australia: women outnumbering men in their quest for professional and personal growth.

While volunteering her time and expertise at the African Management Institute (AMI), which delivers workplace learning to equip entrepreneurs and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed, she met female AMI program participants who refused to sit back and let anyone or anything stop them from being successful.

鈥淎fter speaking with these women, I realized that despite, or maybe even in response to, the poverty plaguing the country they are determined to further their careers and personal development. Many said that they were doing the courses to progress themselves, their families, and their businesses,鈥� shares McNamara.

Inspiration Has a Knock-On Effect

At the time of her sabbatical, McNamara held a position in commercial finance for 麻豆原创 Australia and New Zealand. However, these women encouraged her to make a massive shift in her career trajectory. 鈥淚n the Australian business world, there aren鈥檛 as many confident women as there are in Kenya. It is due to these women that I applied for the position of Chief Financial Officer for ANZ and later Regional Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific & Japan. They got me thinking about my career and my dream of making an impact in the boardroom and helped me find the confidence to pursue this.鈥�

Additionally, McNamara saw how the Kenyan women she worked with wanted to improve themselves to better serve their communities. This motivated her to think about what more she could do back home. 鈥淚t got me to consider the bigger picture and how we could do good things in the community and not just do business. I believe that if you do good, then the business will flourish as well.鈥� This led to her supporting some very passionate colleagues and the Australian management team in developing the 麻豆原创 Australia Reconciliation Action Plan, which aims to help support the economic prosperity of First Nations peoples.

Equipping Females of the Future

Her journey also spurred her to join the Future Female Leaders mentoring program for females working in finance both as a mentor and mentee. 鈥淭he program entails mentoring multiple women across the global finance community and sponsoring their careers. I get as much out of it as the women I mentor do. We have to help each other and so I encourage my mentees to mentor other women, especially with more and more women joining 麻豆原创 and the 鈥� the largest employee-driven network globally,鈥� shares McNamara.

As for AMI, McNamara and her fellow 麻豆原创 volunteers pooled their skills to support the company in developing a franchise model to deliver training to African managers and leaders, ranging from small business owners to CEOs and CFOs. Together, they developed a handbook to help the company scale and recommended various processes and procedures that could be implemented to achieve this. Now, the program is more accessible to more people, particularly women.

With AMI being co-founded by a woman, McNamara says that there is a need for greater investment in women鈥檚 entrepreneurial ideas, emotionally and financially. 鈥淢en naturally create their own networks and sponsor each other. As women, we help each other emotionally. We need to open our networks and be more focused about doing so.鈥�

She concludes by saying, 鈥淢y 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical experience enabled me to reflect on what more I could do beyond being a finance leader and, for me, that was to help other women and drive diversity and inclusion to make 麻豆原创 an even better place for everybody.鈥�

For more information about the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical program, go to .

Hemang Desai is global program director of 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility.

And just when we think we have figured out a , a path forward to “solve the solvable” issues like education through the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a global pandemic wipes out educational gains made over the last 20 years.

Today we are confronted with both the harsh reality of life and an opportunity for a better tomorrow. COVID-19 has willed the world to prioritize and focus efforts on what matters most.

On January 24, 麻豆原创 joins organizations across the world in recognition of . We reflect upon the important role education plays for a sustainable future and efforts to power equitable access to education and workforce readiness initiatives.

After a decade of bringing our best to the world to accelerate social business, join us in celebrating the impact achieved in this area through the award-winning initiative.

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For the past 50 years, 麻豆原创 has guided organizations to become intelligent, sustainable enterprises. 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical has embraced this approach. By connecting employees and their skills to social sector organizations through pro bono consulting, we expedite world-changing solutions.

The portfolio of programs, executed in partnership with , offers unique triple impact and delivers long-term sustainable benefits to client organizations, 麻豆原创 participants, and the company. Our celebration honors this community, which includes 1,371 麻豆原创 employees who have worked alongside 453 nonprofit and social enterprise clients spanning 52 countries. Collectively, we have positively impacted more than 6 million people worldwide since 2012.

is a nonprofit organization based in Hyderabad, India. The organization creates education and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities that in turn delivers sustainable change for their families. In February 2019, Youth4Jobs hosted 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical participants, and challenged them to improve the organization鈥檚 business development strategy.

Founder and CEO Meera Shenoy shared, 鈥淭he three 麻豆原创 consultants adopted our passion for inclusion quickly and became part of the larger Youth4Jobs family, understanding our challenges and our transformational work. They also gave us a peek into the amazing processes of 麻豆原创 in every area, be it recruitment, marketing, or customer cycle.鈥� Shenoy believes that beyond the direct outcome of the project, her team was able to embrace these critical skills which continue to serve the organization and accelerate their incredible work.

Recently, 麻豆原创 CSR partnered with , an end-to-end impact measurement company, to conduct a study on the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical. Eight-six percent of clients affirmed that participation in the program had a positive long-term impact on the beneficiaries they serve. One program director in Romania shared, 鈥淭he work that we did together allowed us to build a scaled system to train teachers we serve for free and better prepare them for online teaching during the pandemic and afterwards. Significantly more teachers are now enrolled with our courses and activities than before.鈥�

Our Journey Ahead

The last decade has demonstrated that pro bono consulting delivers truly transformative and lasting change. Throughout 2022, we are thrilled to bring you additional learnings from our decade of impact study with 60 Decibels to showcase the benefits realized by social sector clients, employees who participate, and 麻豆原创 overall.

The strategy for 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical, initiated in 2012 as part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 response to the education crisis, is now evolving to also address the company鈥檚 pursuits around zero emissions and zero waste, while continuing to focus on zero inequality. We look forward to sharing more inspiration, innovation, and real solutions from our journey — past, present, and, most importantly, our future.

For more information, please visit .

Jennifer Beason is global program director of Social Entrepreneurship at 麻豆原创.
Hemang Desai is global program director of the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical portfolio at 麻豆原创.

Data Science for Everyone found that 90% of the world’s data was created in the last two years. However, only 11% of high school students take a statistics course. Data science jobs have seen a 650% growth since 2012 and reports show that seven of 10 careers with the fastest growth are data-centric. In order to prepare students for the future, a change needs to be made with their relationship with data.

Data Science聽for聽Everyone is a聽 among students, comprised of a coalition of more than 160 educators, policymakers, and industry leaders. Earlier this year, Data Science for Everyone submitted a letter to the Biden administration urging to make data literacy a national priority. They have created actionable steps and gathered resources for educators to implement into their curriculum.

To date, states including California, Oregon, and Ohio are working to update their current curriculum to meet the growing demand. Additionally, UCLA鈥檚 Introduction to Data Science course is taught in 26 school districts nationwide. This is still not enough; additional advocacy is needed to help ensure that the issue of data literacy remains part of the conversation surrounding education.

Last month, Data Science for Everyone held a virtual Commitments Campaign event to bring together all stakeholders who are working to make a change in data literacy. The event garnered 272 commitments from companies, education leaders, and policymakers that impact more than 3 million students, 25,000 teachers, and 500 school districts.

Dr. Karina Edmonds, senior vice president and head of Academies and for 麻豆原创, spoke to how data science education strengthens our communities and workforce: 鈥淲e absolutely have to get everyone at the table as the growth of data science jobs continues to skyrocket. We can鈥檛 afford to leave a great part of our society behind.鈥�

The for K-12 students over the next year. 麻豆原创 and the 49ers Foundation plan to launch a new data science course by next year that will include data modules focused on using football data to make data science more relevant to students. The two phased program will be comprised of virtual lessons for middle school students, along with a high school curriculum and field trips for grades 9-12.

We can each play a role with bringing this movement to life. Individuals can make their own personal commitment to help ensure that students have access to data literacy skills. Simple things like the following:

• Parents and adults must encourage children鈥檚 curiosity around data science and math. Projecting negative past experiences with math and science can influence children鈥檚 relationship with data science in the future. Remove negative self-talk — things like 鈥淚 hate math鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 not good with numbers鈥� — that are only hurting the curiosity we want youth to have.
• Contact decision-makers and initiate conversations in your community to find support for modern standards that reflect the data-centric world. This can include contacting the Department of Education, state legislators, or the local school board and district superintendent. These policymakers influence curriculum, course offerings, and teachers’ professional development, so engaging these leaders and getting them excited about data science can unlock the potential of new courses and better trained teachers.
• Get personally involved as a volunteer. Not all programs rely on volunteer support, but there is great importance in students hearing from experts in the topic being discussed. The 麻豆原创 Corporate Social Responsibility team has partners across North America that can host employees for speaking opportunities. Check out organizations like 听补苍诲听.

Every purchase has an economic, environmental, and/or social impact — whether intended or not. Social procurement is the practice of bringing together buyers with suppliers that not only have a quality good or service, but one that delivers on the promise of social and/or environmental impact. Often, these intentional positive contributions are reinvested into the local economy and add to the economic equity and vibrancy of the community. Social enterprises are business that practice social procurement as part of their mission to culturally and operationally change the world. They are founded and governed based on a clear social or environmental mission and they reinvest most of their profit back into this mission.

麻豆原创 understands the importance of prioritizing social procurement. As Garaba noted: 鈥淪eventy-seven percent of the world鈥檚 transactions run through an 麻豆原创 system. It puts us in a unique place to have the opportunity, and also the responsibility, to drive positive changes. 麻豆原创鈥檚 social purchasing strategy began more than a decade ago with the inclusion of social enterprises in our Canadian supply chain. Today, our global ecosystem of partners focused on scaling social procurement, in addition to those inspiring new ideas and accelerating social ventures, collectively impact more than 1 billion beneficiaries across the globe.鈥�

The commitment of 麻豆原创鈥檚 social procurement implementation is a two-pronged approach. The first relies on an initial top-down mandate, with executives and the Board supporting it, including putting resources behind it. The other aspect is, as Garaba explains, 鈥渁 bit of a grassroots approach. We have established a ‘Procurement with Purpose’ ambassador network; these are people both within the procurement organization and others who are also making strategic buying decisions. They are the multipliers and they are the ones who help the organization identify opportunities for positive change.鈥�

Sustainable procurement has been a central part of the public sector agenda for some time, which is game changing since Canadian governments alone spend $200 billion on procurement. It is also gaining traction in the private sector, as businesses recognize that integrating social value into purchasing and supply chain decisions makes them more competitive and sustainable. 麻豆原创 has a demonstrated commitment to scaling the sector through social procurement. Notably, 麻豆原创 launched a 5 & 5 by 鈥�25 initiative, aiming to spend five percent of addressable spend with diverse enterprises, which are defined as businesses that are at least 51% owned and operated by an individual or group that is traditionally underrepresented, and social enterprises by 2025, and encouraging organizations across industries to join the pledge.

麻豆原创 and Buy Social Canada

麻豆原创 co-innovates and co-develops programs with corporate social responsibility (CSR) partners, accelerating change and driving sustainable impact. Beyond internal commitments and Procurement with Purpose ambassadors, 麻豆原创 fosters social procurement in partnership with social enterprise and social procurement intermediary , supporting the development of social procurement across the country by working to connect buyers to certified social enterprise business sellers, unleashing the biggest untapped potential to create sustainable impact in our communities and for the planet.

Buy Social Canada and 麻豆原创 are working together to advance the social enterprise sector in Canada by collaborating on initiatives, like the , that deliver better access to markets and buyers, as well as creating opportunities for employees to engage in growing the capacity of local social enterprises. One of the barriers preventing large-scale social enterprise investment is that social enterprises are often small businesses, thus lacking the capacity to be providers for large, multi-national companies like 麻豆原创. 麻豆原创 has implemented a pro bono volunteering program to help build capacity for social enterprises, understanding that they need to grow to become true procurement partners.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 start small, there is no way to build capacity. Small steps but consistent steps will lead much further than trying to do really big leaps,鈥� Garaba notes.

Working with MovingWorlds, 麻豆原创 launched the (S-GRID) program. The program recently acknowledged as an , helps social enterprises build revenue partnerships with the corporate sector to become more integrated into global value chains.

Looking Ahead

Within the 麻豆原创 existing procurement spend and purchasing power, the potential for change is massive. With increasing focus on consumerism, it is important to buy and sell responsibly. Where can doing good coincide with doing good business? With time, the hope is that by buying goods and services from organizations with a purpose-driven mission the cycle of good is perpetuated.

Although there is a growing interest from corporations like 麻豆原创 to “buy social,” the current supply is not strong enough to meet the global demand. As a result, we work with organizations like Buy Social Canada and invest in programs such as MovingWorld鈥檚 S-GRID to help ensure that more enterprises around the world are procurement-ready and can sustainably grow their revenue streams.

This is not an overnight process. 麻豆原创 has spent more than a decade accelerating and scaling the work of social entrepreneurs and it is only the beginning. 麻豆原创 will continue to diligently invest in this for the foreseeable future; in 2021 specifically through partnerships and collaborative work with a continued focus on capacity-building ventures within the sector and expanding access to markets and buyers.

Corporations make a considerable amount of investment to grow and shape their potential talent into the company’s future leaders. Global spend in 2019 on leadership training is estimated to be at , with North America contributing $169.4 billion.

Traditional case studies and methods of leadership development showcase success stories from the corporate sector; we rarely see examples of transformative leadership success stories from the social sector. This gives the impression that the ideal place to learn about and grow in leadership development is within the private sector. However, much can be learned from the social and non-profit sectors about leadership development.

The social sector is frequently under-resourced, with operational costs are fluctuating and leaders persistently working with constant changes. Mike Cieri, vice president of North America Sales Learning at 麻豆原创, experienced this dynamic firsthand as a pro bono volunteer consultant with 聽 (CCF), a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that provides academic support, mentoring, and scholarships to disadvantaged youth to supprt them in getting into college.

During my conversations with Cieri, who now serves as a Board member at CCF, I learned about his journey with the organization and how it has impacted his leadership perspectives both within and outside of 麻豆原创.

In 2016, Cieri was working in Customer Strategy and Sales Operations at 麻豆原创 when he first learned about CCF through , a portfolio of pro bono volunteering programs designed to utilize and develop 麻豆原创 talent while helping non-profit organizations and social enterprises that focus on digital inclusion to run at their best.

Cieri and three other 麻豆原创 colleagues were tasked to work with CCF for an on-site assignment as part of the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical for local engagement. CCF students experienced a high drop-out rate in their first year in college. The root problem was that many of the students were first-generation college students and needed additional support to get acclimated to the college environment.

Cieri and his team created the 鈥淪teps 4 Success Bootcamp,鈥� an intensive training to teach students financial literary, self-advocacy, and other life skills to help them get acclimated to life on a college campus. In recent years, the bootcamp continues to be held on 麻豆原创鈥檚 campus in Newtown Square, Pa., and brings in 麻豆原创 employees to participate and work with CCF’s students. This year, the first virtual bootcamp was held on Zoom.

As Cieri continues to engage with CCF, I spoke with him about his biggest takeaways from his journey as an 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical pro bono volunteer as well as a CCF Board member. “It allowed me to reflect and think about how there are so many things we can do if we take a step back, go back to the basics, and utilize everything we have in front of us to the fullest,鈥� Cieri said. 鈥淭hat is how I’m managing my team today. That’s one of the key things I learned.鈥�

Another thing Cieri experienced working with CCF is how a small nonprofit can fully maximize its resources. With a lean staff of 10 employees, CCF serves its constituents efficiently while also supporting the leadership growth of employees through stretch assignments. Coming from the private sector, Cieri observed that despite having plenty of resources, projects still get stuck and convoluted. While working for CCF, he saw how they could do so much with limited resources. Utilizing what is already available and making it better was a consistent approach to solving challenges.

The second insight Cieri shared was the importance of simplicity. He noticed that CCF always finds a way to keep projects simple. The team manages their priorities efficiently, they always think about what they can tackle successfully now versus what they can do later.

“At CCF, it’s easy for a team member to field in for another team member,鈥� Cieri explained. 鈥淓veryone is so connected and aware of what the other person is working on. I now do this with my team, and I ensure that all of my teammates understand what the other members are doing. So if somebody does go out on a vacation, there is at least a foundation knowledge in place, so we don’t miss a beat. When you are looking at the non-profit world with limited resources, they do this well. Keeping things simple is probably the biggest thing I learned from my time with Chester County Futures.”

In the years since his 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical experience, Cieri continued to remain engaged with CCF and was asked to join the organization as its youngest Board member. For him, it was a natural progression. CCF needed someone who could provide insights into how the organization can be more engaged in the 21st-century digital world. He brings a technical lens to the challenges the organization is facing and can provide different perspectives. Furthermore, Cieri fell in love with the mission of CCF and understands how critical the organization is in supporting low-income students to fulfill their dreams of getting into college and beyond.

Summarizing his journey, he shared: “Whether you are working for a non-profit, for-profit, or a big company, leadership doesn’t change. You still must lead by example, and the people you are leading and working with must feel comfortable around you. As a leader, as long as you are helping your team grow and making them better, you are doing your job.”

Cieri’s participation as a Board member continues to help grow and nurture his humble leadership style within and outside of 麻豆原创.

Kotheid Nicoue is program manager and nonprofit-in-residence at for the global 麻豆原创 CSR team.

This visionary program commissions public artwork that explores themes of purpose and seeks to inspire people through the power of emotion in order to bring about change in their actions and behaviors. So far, the program has addressed issues of gender equity, education, hunger and food waste, and the role of technology.

As an installation housed in a physical space, the gallery presents a new medium to experience the complementary powers of technology and art to elicit emotion and drive action. Artists who have created the pieces are recognized masters in their fields and use a range of expressive media to connect with their audiences at a personal level. Mixed digital media, visual arts, food, and textiles are just a part of their creative palette for telling the wider story about the role of technology in inspiring purposeful change in the world.

Each work of art distinctively reflects 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment to its mission to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives, in support of the (SDGs). The art pieces are inspired by stories of purpose-driven initiatives from the 麻豆原创 network of customers, partners, employees, and not-for-profit organizations.

As the聽聽and as聽Germany鈥檚 most valuable brand, 麻豆原创 is uniquely positioned to connect people with information about global challenges that demand action. The company focuses its efforts mainly on the circular economy, climate action, creating a skilled and inclusive workforce, equality for all, social and inclusive entrepreneurship, and mental health and well-being.

Global Month of Service at 麻豆原创

Gallery curators hope that the artworks 鈥� as well as the customer stories behind them 鈥� will inspire 麻豆原创 employees to take action during the Global Month of Service 2020.

Throughout October, 麻豆原创 employees are encouraged to participate in purpose-focused activities and online sessions, as well as volunteer their time and talents 鈥� in a virtual capacity this year 鈥� to not-for-profits or social enterprises around the world. Each week is dedicated to a different topic area: Supporting Equality for All; Building a Digitally Inclusive Workforce; Cultivating Climate Action; and Promoting Inclusive, Diverse, and Social Entrepreneurship. These topics are matched to pivotal works of art in the gallery, as described in the videos below.

麻豆原创 Gallery of Purpose Highlights

麻豆原创 Gallery of Purpose artwork is on display to the public at Hudson Yards, co-located with the 麻豆原创 offices in New York City, until the end of the year. Although the COVID-19 crisis has minimized foot traffic through Hudson Yards, you can still engage with the individual artworks and learn about the perspectives and inspiration of the artists online at the .

PowHERful | Artist: Markus Sebastiano

鈥淧owHERful鈥� celebrates gender equality by showing how when both men and women lift women up, the world moves forward. Drawing inspiration from an , the artist says that he wants people to feel inspired and hopeful that gender equality is moving in the right direction and 麻豆原创 is doing its part to advance the cause through its initiatives, which supports Gender Equality (SDG # 5).

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Respect, Reuse, Reclaim | Artist: Cara Marie Piazza

Created in collaboration with Goodr, 鈥淩espect, Reuse, Reclaim鈥� seeks to draw attention to the fight to end world hunger and bring about more in support of climate action. Made of repurposed food waste and textiles, the art exemplifies the circular economy as it commemorates marginalized people and those who go hungry. It is inspired by an about the fight to end world hunger by 2030, in support of Zero Hunger (SDG #2).

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The Great Equalizer | Artist: Liam Alexander

Through inspiring curiosity and empathy, 鈥溾�� affirms the importance of quality education in providing opportunity for people everywhere and building a digitally inclusive workforce. 麻豆原创鈥檚 shares this belief through its commitment to lifelong learning initiatives that create a in support of Quality Education (SDG 4) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8)

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Sustaining Mother Earth | Artist: Markus Sebastiano

鈥淪ustaining Mother Earth鈥� calls awareness to the theme of responsible consumption and production, with the intent to inspire a transition to more resource efficient and sustainable economies. Working with repurposed materials, the artist took inspiration for this artwork from an about responsible procurement. 麻豆原创 is committed to cultivating climate action (SDG # 13) through the transition to more resource-efficient and sustainable economies to help turn the tide and reduce environmental harm.

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Find your creative inspiration to take action for sustainable change.

Visit the 麻豆原创 Gallery of Purpose online at

The little things 鈥� like enjoying a “staycation” with my family that reminded me of my childhood and virtual happy hours and birthday parties 鈥� have really made all the difference in cultivating resiliency and keeping perspective. It really does come down to the people around you, whose random acts of selflessness and kindness are true forces of good.

The 麻豆原创 community has always been a powerful source of inspiration for me. There are so many remarkable individuals that make 麻豆原创 such a special place to work and are taking personal initiative to make an outsized impact. I wanted to shine a light on these stories and share the inspiration they give me, which is why I am excited to present this new series: Passion for Purpose.

Passion for Purpose is a virtual conversation series where I鈥檒l speak with 麻豆原创 employees from across the globe who have gone above and beyond in their communities to make a difference for others. These are heroes that work among us, dedicating their time, resources, and expertise to give back when the world needs it most. In these conversations, you鈥檒l hear about their journeys, how they are living their purpose, and the lessons they have learned along the way. They are a beautiful reminder that goodness will always prevail.

I invite you to join me for a weekly dose of positivity and inspiration, brought to you from the “Super Awesome People” that make up 麻豆原创. Episodes will be posted weekly on Wednesdays, so follow along at or follow me on Twitter: .

Check out our first episode, featuring Dmitry Melnik, who not only serves as a global vice president on the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA team, but also spends his holidays and weekends working as a registered nurse. Visit .

Alicia Tillman is global chief marketing officer of 麻豆原创.

It was an honor and listen as he shared his three greatest ambitions for the world:聽zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions.

Professor Yunus has dedicated his life鈥檚 work to championing microcredit financing for the poor. By loaning small amounts of money to impoverished individuals, Professor Yunus posited that they would make good on the loans and become self-employed or grow small businesses. And they did. But today such programs are in jeopardy and their , leaving millions hanging in the balance.

It is hard to imagine anyone predicting 鈥� let alone preparing for 鈥� the global coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has dramatically affected every aspect of our lives, with stay-at-home orders effectively shutting down economies and supply chain disruption limiting the delivery of both critical and basic goods and services. COVID-19 is actively challenging Professor Yunus鈥� goals.

COVID-19 Conundrum

Underemployment, unemployment, and poverty rates are increasing rapidly, especially among minority groups. The World Bank鈥檚 shows that when compared with pre-crisis forecasts, COVID-19 could push 71 to 100 million people into extreme poverty in 2020, representing the first increase in global extreme poverty since 1998, and effectively wiping out progress made since 2017.

Net carbon emissions are down and projected to be seven percent less in 2020 than in 2019, but this is only due to the coronavirus pandemic halting trade and travel. To date, no global initiatives or governmental interventions have resulted in even this modest level of decline.

We should not expect this trend to continue nor to set us on the recommended path of from 2010 levels by 2030. , carbon emissions following global crises tend to rise quickly upon economic recovery.

Shareholder Versus Stakeholder Value

The Business Roundtable, members of which are CEOs of major U.S. companies, in 2019, 鈥渁 strong and sustainable economy, innovation, a healthy environment, and economic opportunity for all.鈥� However, , too few of the organization鈥檚 members have adopted policies and procedures that would benefit the marginalized of society.

Whether businesses like it or not, the public is holding them to a higher standard, and demanding their participation in the collective good. Corporations hold tremendous power to drive real change.

Knowing that Professor Yunus鈥� goals cannot be achieved in a vacuum, nor in only prosperous times, how can we ensure that we fall on the right side of history as we personally and professionally aim to come out stronger as a global community?

Getting to Zero

All of us 鈥� who are global citizens first, and then corporate citizens 鈥� should challenge our employers and those whom we give our business to address the very real challenges surrounding global poverty, unemployment, and carbon emissions. Action, not words, is needed to advance a true purpose agenda at the world鈥檚 largest companies.

As a service provider and partner, 麻豆原创, like so many other corporations, should be held to the highest standards. And to the company鈥榮 credit, we have launched several programs and engaged in many discussions with customers to during this difficult time.

However, I encourage customers, partners, and employees to challenge us, ask us how we are measuring up against our promises, and demand that we do more. We need to look beyond the corporate social responsibility pages of our website and truly understand our carbon footprint, our global giving, and our focus on the environment to be able to develop economically sustainable products and services.

Corporations should also engage employees in a conversation about causes they care about, empowering them to build ideas into the corporate policy and driving real change at the board level.

Finally, where appropriate, businesses can support the launch of social enterprises through partnership with local communities and advocacy groups, helping to identify problems and collaborating to build innovative solutions.

Professor Yunus is an inspiration because he took a stand and saw it through. He has effected meaningful change. What I remember most from our interview is how he talked about having the courage to achieve his goals, even when everyone said he would fail.聽It is about time the corporate world did the same.

Baber Farooq is senior vice president of Product Strategy for 麻豆原创 Procurement Solutions at 麻豆原创.

Today, most youth are already digital natives who know their way around smartphones, social media, and the like. The Digital Youngsters Workshop was therefore designed to reinforce their routine use of these tools with knowledge of how digital content is created in the first place.

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One Team, One Goal

The team behind the workshop comprises dedicated employees of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, representatives from the digitally minded non-governmental organization (NGO) Junge T眉ftler, the 麻豆原创 Global Sponsorships team, and 麻豆原创 volunteers who were brought on board through the company鈥檚 corporate social responsibility (CSR) team. In putting the Digital Youngsters Workshop together, they combined their particular skills to come up with something truly new.

One thing that made sense was working with soccer metaphors. The jargon of the sport would be like a second language to TSG鈥檚 young players and a real advantage in teaching subjects that are largely technical in nature.

The event itself was geared toward ages nine to 16, with members of the TSG Hoffi fan club and the TSG Youngsters team. In keeping with an old German saying, it was going to take 11 friends 鈥� or three teams with that many players each, which was the limit for this edition of the workshop.

A Hat Trick of Learning Modules

Attendees had the chance to work on three learning modules based around terms taken straight from the soccer field.

The Teamwork module focused on cooperation and primarily involved coding together, particularly in the context of apps. By the end of the module, the players had put together a ready-to-use survey app. The second module, Tactics, was about using the workshop鈥檚 core topic 鈥� digital skills 鈥� as a key strategic instrument. Through coding, virtual reality, and the creation of 3D models, the participants then had opportunities to discuss the key subjects in this area. This was meant as a prelude to dreaming up and designing the 鈥渟tadium of the future.鈥� It also laid a visual foundation for the third module, Fun & Games. Here, the players used coding, Calliope mini microcontrollers, and ultrasonic sensors to create something entirely new: a wastebasket that let out a hearty cheer when someone made a shot with a piece of garbage.

麻豆原创 volunteers attended two training sessions at the beginning of August, then the three-day workshop took place on August 31 and September 2 and 4. It proved to be time well spent in terms of both learning and having fun for all those who attended, and the materials, technology, and tools used were big reasons why. The open-source software BigBlueButton, for example, presented the learning material in visually appealing ways while providing the necessary webcam support. It also made it possible to communicate with several virtual rooms at once, so event organizers did not have to worry about lulls in the action 鈥� every phase was sure to be dynamic.

A special highlight included two surprise guests: On day one, attendees were joined by Hoffenheim midfielder Franziska Harsch, then goalkeeper Philipp Pentke joined the closing festivities to answer their burning questions.

Match-Ready Thanks to a Jam-Packed Box

Several weeks before the workshop itself, training camp started for the participants. Each was sent a Digital Youngsters Workshop Box containing microcontrollers, other electronic components, corresponding arts and crafts materials, and even the right outfit for the event, a Digital Youngsters shirt.

According to the 麻豆原创 employees involved, things could hardly have gone better. They were very excited as the workshop grew nearer, especially for the 鈥渟tadium of the future鈥� component, and hoped to learn something along the way themselves. One volunteer had previously worked as a teacher and thus had a fairly good idea of what to expect.

Video Conferencing and One-on-One Coaching Over Chat

During the workshop, the young participants were open-minded and eager to learn. They were also happy to take advantage of the support offered by the mentors. Along with the main video conference, one-on-one chat assistance was available to make sure no one was left warming the bench. 鈥淎n attentive and engaged atmosphere, solid ideas, and very good results鈥�: As this summary indicates, the 麻豆原创 coaches were quite satisfied with the proceedings.

The coaches also emphasized just how well the children were already coping with the demands of the digitalized world, especially after attending the workshop. The initiators succeeded in achieving exactly what they had set out to do: show young people that instead of merely consuming content, they can create and shape it themselves using certain fundamental skills. Whether in the digital realm or out on the field, being part of the action isn鈥檛 just more fun; it plays an essential role in leading the life you want in an ever-changing world.

Fit for the Future

鈥淧articularly when it comes to getting ready for what鈥檚 ahead, innovative projects like this are highly relevant to society,鈥� pointed out Denni Strich, managing director of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, responsible for communication and media, sales and marketing, and digital performance at the club. 鈥淭he goal is to take a committed and systematic approach to encouraging young people and introducing them to this kind of material in fun ways. This extraordinary project was very ambitious from the start. Looking back, it really was extremely successful.鈥�

鈥淭he Digital Youngsters Workshop gave us the chance to get a glimpse of the future together,鈥� Pia Regine, in charge of programs for children, teenagers, and schools at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, added. 鈥淲e all want to prepare our kids for the world of tomorrow as best we can, of course, and I鈥檓 glad we succeeded in this very special endeavor. All the members of each squad had a lot of fun and learned plenty of new things in the process. We hope we can put something similar together for next year.鈥�

The Digital Youngsters Workshop demonstrated one thing in particular: Like a neat one-two from Kramari膰 to Baumgartner, Hoffenheim and 麻豆原创 managed to connect soccer to digital skills in a creative way that really resonated with all those involved. With that, it is safe to say that everyone would be up for a rematch next season!

Under these grim circumstances, business as usual is still a long way off in most economic sectors. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the interconnectedness of society, business, and the environment. Just as communities must band together in times of crisis, business leaders must accelerate the shift from shareholder primacy, , to .

Today, while lives are at risk, all stakeholders 鈥� customers, partners, employees, and investors 鈥� want assurance that the companies they associate with are committed to doing the right thing. They advocate that the extends beyond just achieving shareholder value, and insist that both purpose and profit must co-exist.

Your Stakeholders Are Watching You

In quieter times, companies may have deferred to their marketing departments for headline-generating initiatives around 鈥渄oing good.鈥� 聽But then, some companies went off and did something completely different, lacking in social consciousness or environmental awareness.

Recent headlines are loaded with during the coronavirus pandemic 鈥� accepting undeserved government subsidies, putting employees at risk in unsafe work environments, hoarding user data for dubious ends, and polluting the environment. The difference now is that stakeholders are in no mood to tolerate the double-speak and bad behavior. These same stakeholders are spending more time at home, interacting on social media platforms, and are spending fewer dollars on indiscriminate frivolities. In the wake of the pandemic and protests, for brands authentically seeking to make a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives.

In the published by socially responsible marketing group The Good Must Grow, 76 percent of respondents said that how a brand treated employees, customers, and communities during the pandemic would factor into their decision to support that brand after the pandemic.

According to , 75 percent of consumers have tried a new shopping behavior during the crisis, with 36 percent of those readily switching to a new brand. Leading the way are larger, trusted brands that ensure good availability of essentials. Slipping in the rankings are brands that have treated stakeholders with casual disregard, used 鈥減urpose washing鈥� as a fig leaf, and have left people hanging due to broken promises.

Life may be fragile, but trust is even more so.

Leading with Purpose to Integrate Social, Strategic, and Environmental Goals

How do best-run companies integrate purpose into their business objectives with action and accountability? A newly released , based on the responses of 3,000 executives, revealed a connection between holistic management practices, examining how each part of the business can contribute to the overall corporate goals,聽 and business outcomes.

Purpose-driven companies see the entire web of relationships within and beyond the organizational firewall as a unified entity 鈥� a network of sorts 鈥� that operates smoothly, dynamically, and as part of a cohesive strategy. Companies that are managed holistically, working with customers and employees to better society, tend to outperform their industry peers in areas such as innovation, employee retention, and profitability growth.

The leaders of these companies, who make up just six percent of the overall respondents, overwhelmingly say they have integrated communication and data-sharing processes across the business, increased transparency into operations, broken down organizational silos, and invested in collaborative technologies. They also report they have created 鈥� and taken 鈥� meaningful action to enact a clear and consistent purpose-driven message.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Commitment to Purpose-Driven Business

For decades, 麻豆原创 has been leading with purpose on a quest to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. With a commitment to serve as both an exemplar and enabler of purpose, 麻豆原创 is making a meaningful impact in the following areas: circular economy, climate action, skilled and inclusive workforce, equality for all, social and inclusive entrepreneurship, and mental health and well-being.

But no company can do it alone. 麻豆原创 is committed to helping every customer become a best-run business, equipped to achieve meaningful business outcomes that combine both profit and purpose. As the and as Germany鈥檚 most valuable brand, 麻豆原创 is in a strong position to connect people and information around pressing issues that affect all of us, on a global scale.

Learn more about how 麻豆原创 is working in collaboration with its entire purpose network of customers, partners, employees, shareholders, thought leaders, academics, non-profits, government agencies, consumers, and influencers to bring about change. Visit

The dire, existential urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a long shadow over our once open and seemingly prosperous society. We have had to close borders and shut down businesses, schools, and social centers 鈥� separating people physically, economically, and socially.

Within a matter of days, predictable customer demand evaporated, global supply chains designed for up-to-the-minute efficiencies floundered, remote work became the new model for employment (for those fortunate enough to still be employed), and a vast ecosystem of once-thriving large and small businesses struggled to stay viable or simply maintain continuity.

While the world was transfixed on the pandemic and its aftereffects, long-standing inequities in our societies were inflamed by recent events in the U.S., culminating in global public demonstrations against systemic racial injustice and hate, and opening the door for deeper and much-needed action on diversity and inclusion.

Separately, the climate crisis has drawn the attention of in light of new evidence that we are not doing nearly enough to rescue our planet. In May, scientists recorded the in the atmosphere over the last 3 million years, despite reduced emissions from travel and commerce during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Meanwhile, as the world鈥檚 population continues to grow at a blistering pace and digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) disrupt major industries, over half of employers say they still cannot find the talent they are looking for 鈥� .

At first glance, the historic events of 2020 may seem random and disparate, or an unfortunate confluence of circumstances beyond our control. But if you subscribe to the theory of the and look more closely, you might begin to see some of the ways that the sources of the climate crisis, inequality, and health are interconnected.

The Circular Economy and Climate Change

COVID-19 exposed the lack of resiliency in our supply chains. More than聽 and add to the fragility and enormous waste generated through overconsumption. to fix these system-wide issues.

The circular economy addresses many of these imbalances by incorporating the reusability of products flowing through the supply chain to reduce problems of waste and pollution. This revolutionary approach to integrating sustainability from the beginning of product development has built around participating nodes of the chain.

Implementing these sustainable solutions has the potential to unlock in economic growth while promoting聽, reducing carbon emissions by , and reducing waste by 90 percent 鈥� all of which ultimately help address聽: climate change.

Innovators Rise in Times of Crisis

The United Nations (UN) recently announced a toward achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), igniting an accelerated push to find solutions to the world鈥檚 biggest challenges by 2030. While some skeptics might argue that economic progress has papered over many of these deep fault lines, . In order to help rescue the planet and create a more peaceful, inclusive society, leading with purpose has never been more important and necessary than it is today.

However, because these problems are complex, interconnected, and transnational, no single entity can solve these problems alone. It takes a network of engaged communities coming together to co-innovate sustainable solutions to these social, economic, and environmental challenges. This is where 麻豆原创 can help.

麻豆原创 is committed to its purpose to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. As a company, we are uniquely positioned to lead in co-innovating new technology solutions to these global issues with our 450,000 customers, partners, social enterprises, governments, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders within the 麻豆原创 Purpose Network program. With 77 percent of financial transactions touching an 麻豆原创 system, we represent the heartbeat of business.

In addition to our to COVID-19, we are proud to share the , who have led in of our time 鈥� whether helping procure ventilators, fostering remote employee well-being, sourcing hospital beds, pivoting production lines, or supporting local communities. Through it all, they have shown that the core of what 麻豆原创 delivers 鈥� running the world鈥檚 most critical business processes to help build an intelligent enterprise 鈥� has never been more essential.

麻豆原创PHIRE NOW Converge: Purpose and Sustainability

During , premiere broadcasts on will start June 15, as experts are profiled on their views about these global challenges.

Cristianne Close, the global market practice leader at the (WWF) will focus on sustainable development and market access strategies with leading global businesses to develop inclusive value chains that support sustainable supply and demand. In a special 麻豆原创 broadcast, she will shine a light on the intersection of business, technology, and sustainability to explore new ways businesses can respond to climate change, sustainable land use, and the COVID-19 crisis. This topic is too big for any one company to take on alone, she says. Find out how you can be part of the solution during this premiere. .

A second digital broadcast will explore the untapped potential of the circular economy. Today only into the economy, a percentage that is actually decreasing each year. Experts Susanne Stormer, chief sustainability advisor and vice president at Novo Nordisk, and Daniel Schmid, chief sustainability officer at 麻豆原创, will discuss how businesses can take a holistic approach to balancing the environment, society, and economic sustainability to create business value for both people and the planet. .

Stay informed on how these mission-critical topics impact business and society on the new platform. Join this global community of purpose-driven leaders and social changemakers to engage in a collaborative movement aimed at the challenges and opportunities that create positive economic, environmental, and social impact. Curated on-demand sessions provide inspiring examples of how organizations innovate with purpose to improve people鈥檚 lives by using 麻豆原创 software and services.

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Vivek Bapat is senior vice president and head of Purpose and Brand Experience at 麻豆原创.

Employees and teams across the company have engaged in purposeful ways to respond to the current crisis and show how living the purpose goes beyond revenue and profit. Focusing on mental health, well-being, skilled workforces, and promotion of social and inclusive entrepreneurship, our purpose does not only meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), but also allows for taking care of the people we care for most.

Among others, 麻豆原创 employees in the Nordics and the UK have developed various ideas on how to support each other during the pandemic 鈥� as colleagues, customers, partners, or volunteers for people in need. Whether for internal, local, or international use, their help as well as their creativity knew no boundaries.

Driven by the urge to strengthen his local community Ottershaw, 麻豆原创 employee Mark French drew from his experience and technical know-how and set up a website that connects people in need with supporting neighbors and volunteers. Thanks to , every resident can either sign up easily for help or participate by collecting prescriptions, do essential shopping, or providing telephone support and information.

Another example of limitless dedication has been arranged by another 麻豆原创 colleague who supported the idea of his long-time friend and graffiti artist Keith Hopewell (). SP:zero wanted to create a collaboration piece in form of illustrations with artists all over the world, demonstrating the growth of the virus under its title 鈥淪pread art, not the 鈥楻rona.鈥� Soon they realized that financial help could be drawn out of this collaboration too.

鈥淚 came up with the idea to sell the prints and donate them to the UK hospitals that have been supporting us,鈥� Jago Livingstone explains. Under the name 鈥淣o Toys Allowed,鈥� he designed an to provide easy access to their charity donations. The results have been astounding: more and more artists became involved, having its peak at 163 participating artists from 21 countries across all continents.

麻豆原创 employees in the Nordics and Baltics have used their creativity to promote health, well-being, and inseparability despite social distance. Twenty-two 麻豆原创 colleagues from a Presales team delivered a themed video as contribution from the Nordic Customer Solution Advisory to an upcoming event on the topic 鈥淲e Rise Up.鈥� The video reveals a personal story on how they handle the current situation and on how each and every individual 鈥渞ises up鈥� together for colleagues, customers, and partners.

鈥淏ecause that is what we do in challenging times, that is in our DNA,鈥� Gitte Winther Bruhn says, summarizing the essence of their idea and showing once again that everyone can act purposeful even with the simplest actions.

Last month, sixth and seventh graders in Denmark were given the opportunity to participate in virtual coding classes through a collaboration among the The Danish ITC Industry Association, some of its members, and or 鈥渢he couch school.鈥�

They are offering daily free virtual live tutorials for primary school pupils amid COVID-19, on YouTube and on the national television channel TV2. Sofaskolen reached out to The Danish ITC Industry Association to create a virtual .

麻豆原创 Denmark is a founding member of the Coding Class concept and since 2016 has been supporting the project to help close the digital skills gap. This is the first time that the Coding Class has been offered virtually.

Together with NNIT, a founding member of the Coding Class concept, and Netcompany, a supporter of the concept,challenged the children鈥檚 creativity on three themes in the virtual class:

• Code for the Climate: 麻豆原创 asked students to develop a solution that makes聽us better at looking after the climate, such as through an app or game that supports recycling or helps avoid food waste. To prepare the children, they had been introduced to basic design thinking and Scratch coding the day before.
• Code for the Body: NNIT wanted students to come up with a solution聽 because too many sit down too much and move too little. This solution could, for example, be an app or game that brings exercise to work or movement into a school day in a fun way.
• Code for Love: Netcompany focused on the fact that聽. They asked students to come up with solutions that bring people into contact with each other, for example, through a solution that allows grandparents and grandchildren to get to know each other better, or that allows neighbors to discover that they have common interests.

For three days, the students worked in small virtual groups on one of the above issues. At the end of the course, the to the companies that provided them with feedback on their creative solutions, similar to the television show 鈥淒ragons Den.鈥�

Louise Ferslev, CEO of聽聽and known from the television show 鈥淟酶vens Hule,鈥� the Danish version of 鈥淒ragons Den,鈥� coached the children on how to pitch their ideas to the companies.

Although the teaching took place in a virtual environment on聽, a free COVID-19 online education initiative from Alinea, there was plenty of interaction during the week and the organizers were impressed by the variety of ideas and the quality of the pitches and video techniques the pupils came up with.

A brave new tech-savvy and environmentally aware generation is on its way.

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Unlike many other disruptions we have weathered through in the past, this is an existential threat to the way we work, live, and play. Every well-crafted business strategy playbook has been temporarily paused as leaders respond to the urgency of the moment, which is to take care of the health and well-being of their people.

As the world pivots quickly to the new normal, a completely different culture of work is evolving. Social distancing is the new anti-viral, requiring each one of us to do our part in preventing further spread. And with social distancing, remote work is the new norm.

As people come to terms with this new reality in their work and life environments, we are likely to drive an accelerated adoption of entirely new behaviors and technologies, many of which will be here to stay post-crisis.

Not too long ago, in 2018, The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated , while the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) estimated . Enterprises that may have emphasized employee co-location as a driver of success in the past are now left to quickly figure out how to manage business continuity, employee engagement and health, and customer success. Despite basic productivity tools such as Slack and Teams or video collaboration tools such as Zoom, enterprises worldwide are still struggling in how to navigate the 鈥渘ew normal.鈥�

At 麻豆原创, our purpose is to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. Now more than ever before, we know we need to find solutions together, as part of a global purpose network, an ecosystem of customers, partners, influencers, non-profits, government institutions, and agencies.

The worst of times calls for the best in all of us. In that spirit, we are incredibly privileged to collaborate with an ecosystem of business-to-business (B2B) startup partners through the 麻豆原创.iO program. By virtue of being digitally native, managing a distributed workforce has always been their de-facto way of conducting business.

Here, we share some of their best practices, solutions, and thought leadership 鈥� ranging from daily execution to employee engagement to customer management and success. This list is by no means exhaustive and will continue to grow over the coming weeks as more startups demonstrate their distinctive solutions that can help businesses survive the downturn, but also set them up to thrive during the upturn.

provides visibility to internal employee capacity, supporting short-term secondments for companies with multiple locations within a geographical boundary 鈥� for example, Paris. Customers like hotel chains and convenience store chains have been actively using Andjaro to re-allocate employees, such as store clerks, so customers鈥� needs can be met even in cities undergoing lockdowns.

The platform connects employees to on-demand professional coaching in the key moments that define the employee experience. Bravely has leveraged its experience in the current environment.

enables shippers more accurate delivery forecasts and exception management, at a SKU level, in multi-modal container-based transport. Brands trust the platform to drive efficiency and help eliminate waste in global logistics and international freight transportation. Clearmetal has been active in publishing thought leadership to help companies through the crisis.

facilitates growth in-management capability and organizational health through passive data acquisition and analysis of employee feedback. Cultivate recently published research on important manager behaviors for . In addition, the company is allowing new customers to pilot Cultivate for free for the rest of 2020 with no user limits, and is also bearing the associated costs of installation, setup, and training to accelerate customer onboarding.

enables employees to recognize and commend each other where “work lives” in manners aligned to company values, subsequently analyzing and building increased employee engagement.

provides a mobile microlearning platform that facilitates creation and delivery of the right amount of content at the right time in order to maximize learning and retention. Gnowbe is currently helping enterprises create a seamless digital learning journey as employees continue to build skills and learn, including free, immediately relevant multi-language courses in and .

is a startup tackling hunger by connecting sources of surplus food with those in need, such as food banks. To help communities in need at this time, Goodr has introduced , including an emergency one-time pick-up request option for businesses looking to donate surplus food to a local non-profit, as well as opportunities to sponsor deliveries to those who are less fortunate.

The well-being and performance platform leverages behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence (AI) to support and improve employee health and wellness. The company鈥檚 provides curated resources for individuals, managers, teams, and senior leaders.

聽offers a psychometric-based talent acquisition and management platform approach to providing organizations with the data they need to acquire and manage talent. Plum enables organizations to prepare for the future of work by helping ensure the right talent are in the right roles, in a bias-free manner.

is a leading platform for real-time on-demand digital incentives, payouts, and rewards due to eGift cards. In the current environment, companies such as retailers and brands are using WeGift to reward their customers and consumers and to keep and maintain their loyalties and relationships.

curates virtual teams of contingent creative and marketing experts on the fly to deliver quality marketing content on time and at scale, in a cost-effective manner. From day 1one Wethos has operated in a virtual manner 鈥� the company has no offices 鈥� and is sharing its best practices on remote work, including , , , and .

During a crisis, communication is king. Companies that choose to embrace innovative ways of working, communicating, and engaging their employees, customers, and partners can quickly create distinctive advantages that will sustain for years to come.

We鈥檒l profile many of the 麻豆原创.iO startups on 麻豆原创 Purpose Network Live, a virtual event platform that brings together our global purpose network to unlock the power of co-innovation at scale. The events will feature sharing of thought leadership, bold new approaches, and inspiring stories on how both startups and the rest of the 麻豆原创 ecosystem are activating products, programs, partnerships, and global communities to support relief efforts for COVID-19 and accelerate solutions to urgent world challenges.

Ram Jambunathan is senior vice president and head of Corporate Strategy at 麻豆原创 and managing director of 麻豆原创.iO.
Vivek Bapat is senior vice president of Purpose and Brand Experience at 麻豆原创.

麻豆原创 is one of seven global companies that already have 1.5掳C-aligned reduction targets, and the first in Germany.

The company has responded to a call to action issued by a broad coalition of business, civil society, and United Nations (UN) leaders to make the critical and necessary contribution to keeping global temperature increase within 1.5掳C above pre-industrial levels.

鈥淲hile much of 麻豆原创鈥檚 ability to create a sustainable future lies in how we enable customers to create positive economic, social, and environmental impact through our product portfolio, 麻豆原创鈥檚 ambition has always been to lead by example and be a credible role model,鈥� said 麻豆原创 Chief Sustainability Officer Daniel Schmid. 鈥淭o contribute to the UN Sustainable Development , we aim to become carbon neutral in 麻豆原创鈥檚 own operations by 2025. But our responsibility goes beyond that. In line with our vision and purpose to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives, we are committed to join the global movement of leading companies and align our businesses with the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement to prevent global warming exceeding 1.5掳C. Our strong cloud strategy will be a key driver based on efficiency gains in our data centers and a significant increase of our cloud customers.鈥�

Setting Ambitious Emissions Reduction Targets

In June, global leaders 鈥� including Her Excellency Mar铆a Fernanda Espinosa Garc茅s, president of the UN General Assembly; Lise Kingo, CEO and executive director of the UN Global Compact; Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce; and SDG Advocate Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever 鈥� collectively issued an .

The letter challenges chief executive officers to set ambitious targets for their companies in line with last October鈥檚 , which made the case for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5掳C above pre-industrial levels.

Companies are asked to set verifiable science-based targets through the , which independently assesses corporate emissions reduction targets against scientific best practice.

Building a prosperous, net-zero carbon economy by 2050 requires a transformation of unprecedented pace and scale, with decisive business leadership and investment in climate solutions supported by ambitious government policies. By setting ambitious policies and targets in line with a 1.5掳C trajectory, governments give business the clarity and confidence to invest decisively in the zero-carbon economies of the future.

鈥淲e need concrete, realistic plans by 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent over the next decade, and to net zero by 2050,鈥� said Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, UN Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Action Summit, and one of the key advocates for the campaign. 鈥淐limate change requires an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society, and business leadership demonstrated by setting science-based targets at 1.5掳C will send strong market signals as we look to identify the scalable and replicable solutions needed to secure a world where no one is left behind.鈥�

鈥淲e have less than 11 years to fundamentally change our economies or we will face catastrophic consequences,鈥� said Lise Kingo, CEO and executive director of the UN Global Compact, an SBTi partner. 鈥淔or the first time, we are seeing business and climate leaders coalesce around a common call to action, sending a powerful signal that science-based target setting presents a significant opportunity for businesses to step up when it comes to tackling climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5掳C.鈥�

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, an SBTi partner, said, 鈥淭he science is clear: In order to limit the catastrophic impacts of climate change, we must ensure warming does not exceed 1.5掳C. The ambition is high, but it鈥檚 achievable, and science-based targets give companies a roadmap for getting there. Corporations worldwide have an unprecedented opportunity to be at the very forefront of the transition to a net-zero economy 鈥� and there is no time to lose.鈥�

To join the movement and take action,
visit: .