Deadline July 16th.

Walpole is a not for profit organisation that furthers the interests of the British Luxury industry. Its membership comprises of over 130 of Britain’s most prestigious companies, including Asprey, Alfred Dunhill, Daks, Gleneagles, Jimmy Choo, Wedgwood, Burberry and cultural bodies such as the Sadler’s Wells, Somerset House, BAFTA and Victoria & Albert Museum.

Each year Walpole holds an award ceremony in London to celebrate the best of British luxury and culture. Luxury organisations from within the UK and internationally, put forth their nominations to win awards for various categories including; Best British Luxury Brand, Best Luxury Brand Online, International Luxury Brand, Best Luxury Brand Overseas, British Luxury Design Talent, Corporate Social Responsibility, Luxury Craftsmanship and more.
Through the awards Walpole aims to recognize and celebrate the most deserving businesses and individuals, who have achieved the pinnacle of excellence in their respective areas, and who have set a standard for business and industry within the UK. The awards truly bring together the most talented British luxury brands and most experienced British entrepreneurs and luxury industry figures. The 2009 judging panel included the likes of Stephen Fry, Lucy Yeomans, Dylan Jones, Anne Pitcher of Selfridges, Lucia van der Post, Gillian de Bono of How to Spend It, Brent Hoberman, and Richard Lambert of CBI.

Lifeworth’s CEO, Dr Jem Bendell, is a judge for the the Corporate Social Responsibility award. If you would like to be considered for an award, or propose another brand for consideration, please email one page on your case to jb@lifeworth.com and Kirstee.wilson@thewalpole.co.uk by July 16th 2010.

More on Walpole:

Walpole’s remit covers promotion of the luxury industry, the development and fostering of a community for the exchange of best practice ideas, shared experience and joint opportunities, to facilitate business development within the UK and internationally, representing members in Westminster and Brussels, to combine resources to improve issues such as IP and legislation affecting the industry alongside European counterparts, a developer of thought leadership for the industry and to promote and develop emerging brands and nurture the smaller crafts industries. The Walpole Awards this year will take place on Monday 15th November at the Banqueting House in Whitehall.

See www.thewalpole.co.uk for more information.

More on Luxury CSR Award Judge, Dr Jem Bendell

Associate Professor Jem Bendell is an advisor, educator, researcher and writer with fifteen years at the forefront of innovations in business responses to sustainable development.

With a PhD in international policy, over 100 publications (including four books and four United Nations reports), Dr Bendell is an award-winning international authority on business-society relations, lecturing in fifteen countries, and quoted in media such as The Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, El Pais, Tatler and on CNBC.

Since graduating from the University of Cambridge, Bendell has sought collaboration with people who seek to contribute to, and benefit from, the transformation of markets to promote global well-being.

Director of Lifeworth Consulting, coordinating a team of sixteen associates, Dr Bendell works with UN agencies, international charities, universities and luxury businesses, in over a dozen countries, having lived and worked in eight. He has helped create innovative initiatives, including: the Marine Stewardship Council, to endorse sustainable fisheries, The Financial Innovation Lab, to promote sustainable finance, founded and runs CSR Geneva, a network of over 700 professionals in Geneva, and the Authentic Luxury Network, for professionals promoting responsible luxury goods and services.

As an academic, Dr Bendell has lectured at business and design schools around the world, worked with the Dean of a business school in Australia to make it a leading sustainability school in the Asia Pacific, and been an academic convenor for three international conferences on this subject (in the UK, Switzerland and Australia).

Bendell’s current focus is the potential of luxury brands, international finance, management education and inter-organisational collaboration, to promote a movement towards global well-being. His “Deeper Luxury” report for WWF, on the responsibility of luxury brands, appeared in over 50 newspapers and magazines worldwide in the month of its release and continues to appear in fashion and business press today. Bendell’s fourth book, The Corporate Responsibility Movement, was published in 2009.

“Sustainable Fashion. The future of Luxury “

June 3, 2010, at midday.

Registration required: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2ohoocub7bd368f

Why listen to Jem? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/style/26iht-luxury08-bendell.18173199.html

What else do we do on this? http://www.lifeworth.com/consult

Want to read about the topic? http://www.deeperluxury.com

Want to work on this topic? http://www.authenticluxury.net

If you would like a seminar on this topic for your own organisation, email connect[at]lifeworth.com to arrange a time to discuss.

See Jem in a CNBC documentary on this topic:

Click here to view the embedded video.

More info on these CSR Thursday lunchtime talks is at www.corporateresponsibility.ch

One participant, Pamela del Canto, who is a leading light in the sustainable luxury scene in Paris, and works with Business for Social Responsibility, is organising an informal drinks in Paris on May 7th. We are in town because of the 1.618 sustainable luxury fare, where Lifeworth Consulting’s Ian Doyle will be speaking about consumers and sustainable luxury.

Come join us. No need to confirm.

7:00 – 9 pm on May 7th, 2010

La Gare
19, Chaussée de la Muette
75016 Paris
Metro: La Muette (9)

And don’t forget to check out the show, if you are in town. http://www.1618-paris.com/

A note from Pamela Del Canto to send to your French speaking colleagues and friends follows below.

*********************

Chers membres,

Vous êtes cordialement invités à un apéritif organisé par Jem Bendell, fondateur du réseau Authentic Luxury Network et auteur de l’étude du WWF ‘Deeper Luxury’.

Occasion:

Il s’agit d’un apéritif informel organisé par Jem Bendell pour rencontrer les membres du réseau basés à Paris. Jem se rend à Paris pour assister au salon 1.618 où son collègue de Lifeworth Consulting, Ian Doyle, est invité à parler sur la consommation et le luxe durable.

Quand:

De 19h à 21h, le 7 mai, 2010

Où:

La Gare

19, Chaussée de la Muette

75016 Paris

Metro: La Muette (9)

Qui: Membres du Authentic Luxury Network basés à Paris.

J’espère que vous serez nombreux !

Chaleureusement,

Pamela del Canto

“I have been supporting a Pakistani investment fund in becoming aware of and familiar with the United Nations Principles on Responsible Investment (UNPRI)[1]. The aim is to help this fund in becoming a signatory and actively support the network and agenda in the Pakistani context.

At the beginning of the process, a dialogue was initiated with:

a) The Chairman/Managing Director and;
b) The Head of Corporate Governance and Corporate Affairs

(Both these players were kept in the loop from the beginning to insure upper level championing as well as implementation support during the process of signing up if the initiative was to go ahead).

The initial meetings were carried out with both to gauge the level of interest/ awareness in the organization about their principles regarding responsible investment and the benefits of signing up to the UNPRI. The process was then continued in an informative fashion with briefs prepared covering:

* Influence on returns
* Influence on brand
* Costs of signing
o staff,
o financial and;
o implications for fiduciary duty
* Internal Procedure for signing up

The information was then collated and presented for consideration to the Board of Directors on the 20nd of January 2010. The issue was passed unanimously and the Board was pleased to allow the company to become a signatory to the UNPRI. The matter was resolved further in the decision taken by the Board to authorize the Managing Director to be able to approve all necessary steps, measures and actions necessary to comply with the formalities needed to join the signatories of the UNPRI.

I am pleased to mention at this point that the fund that I have been talking about is the National Investment Trust limited (NITL), Pakistan’s first open ended mutual fund established in 1962 with the objective of stabilizing and developing the equity markets in the country. Over the course of its existence it has evolved into the country’s largest Asset management company, operating a number if funds in the category of Equity, Bond and Income.

The fact that the NITL has taken the step to become the first signatory in the region to this voluntary initiative on responsible investment has various positives.

Positive implications:

For the fund:

Influence on returns: Implementing the Principles will lead to a more complete understanding of a range of material issues, and this should ultimately result in increased returns and lower risk. There is increasing evidence that ESG issues can be material to performance of portfolios, particularly over the long term[2] .

Performance: through signing on the UNPRI the fund will have access to the latest research and tools for assessment of ESG issues and frameworks.

Influence on brand: The NIT would be the first asset owner to sign up not only in Pakistan but all of South Asia, and hence has the opportunity to emerge as a leading voice on environmentally and socially responsible investment as well as serve as an example and a conduit for UNPRI and other potential signatories in the region.

Networking: Building networks at the PRI in Person Annual Event bringing together signatories.

For the investment environment of the country:

Increase the visibility of the principles and environmental, Social and governance issues in the country’s investment landscape:

* With investments in Equity of 430 companies and Directorships in 140 companies, the NITL can have influence in improving the ESG structure if a significant population of the country’s companies.
* Considered a leader in the Mutual fund industry of Pakistan the NITL can influence other investment management companies in the country to consider supporting responsible investment in the country

Increase the visibility of the Pakistani investment industry in the globalised context and the international responsible investment dialogue through having an opportunity to be part of a global forum on the issue.

Platform for advancing north-south dialogue: At the PRI in Person Annual Event signatories get the oppurtunity to unlfuence the dialogue on responsible investment through brainstorming on implementation strategies, network and partners.
For the Initiative/ partnership

Local platform for engagement: Through having this large mutual fund as a signatory the UNPRI has a platform in Pakistan for increasing its visibility as the NITL can

* have influence in increasing awareness of the initiative in its investees and directorships
* can use its influence with other investment management companies in supporting the UNPRI.

Next steps:

Following the approval of the board, a letter to intent signed by the Chairman/ MD has been sent to the Executive director of the UNPRI secretariat. The next steps under way at the NIT include internal research on the following themes (staff time and my consultation time has been allocated to formulate a report covering the following by 5th Feb 2010):

* Gauging level of gap in current practice towards implementing the 6 principles in NIT operations
* Understand the types of activities that are suggested in the Principles,
* Investigate how other investors have used them

This information will then be used to begin the implementation process of the principles in the NIT from the date of approval of PRI membership.

So summing up…

Pakistan is now ready to have its first ever organization to step up in the international arena and voluntarily commit to integrating the consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into its investment decision-making and ownership practices.

With more funds and management companies signing up, the country’s the investment environment could not only be able to project a responsible image globally but begin to shape what ESG means to themselves if enough interest is generated to be able to create country network. Ones present at the moment in Brazil, South Korea and South Africa are shaping the agenda by (in addition to promoting the principles in their regions etc) by committing to capture evolving best practice on how to factor ESG issues into investment processes and to implement the Principles[3] in their own contexts.

[1] www.unpri.org

[2] http://www.unpri.org/faqs/

[3] http://www.unpri.org/files/SA_network_final.pdf

Hanniah can be contacted via our contact form.

http://www.lifeworth.com/consult/connect/

In 2008 Lifeworth’s director Dr Jem Bendell had just finished giving a little talk on a cat walk, at an eco fashion show in Hong Kong run by EcoChic Fashions. Earlier that year, by Lac Leman, Louise Barber of the UNOG had told him that 2009 was to be the international year of natural fibres (yes, really, it was), and 2010 the international year of biodiversity. So, he thought, why not hold an eco fashion show at the UN, to promote these ideas, and encourage industry engagement. And, of course, have the fun of seeing a cat walk in the middle of the UN.

Its been a while in the pipeline but its now upon us, thanks to Eduardo Escobedo at UNCTAD, and Christina Dean at Green2Greener, and their dedicated colleagues… And.. you can attend! If you register. See below.

Redefining Sustainability in the International Agenda: Inspiring Greater Engagement in Biodiversity Issues

January 20–21, 2010

Room XIX – Palais des Nations, UN

Geneva, Switzerland

UNCTAD and Green2greener invite you  to come and join the more than 500 prominent figures from government, international organizations, and industry as they meet in Geneva on 20-21 January to call for action against the rapid loss of the world’s biodiversity.

This timely seminar will provide a collaborative platform to discuss the need to redefine sustainability. Through the viewpoint of the fashion and luxury industries, participants will gain a unique insight into the role that governments, businesses, and consumers can play in supporting biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Through interactive panel discussions and in-depth case studies, the 1.5 day seminar will cover issues such as

·         Redefining Sustainability: Why Biodiversity and Why Now?

·         How to Implement a Successful Sustainability Strategy

·         Educating and Engaging Consumers in Biodiversity Issues

·         The Rise of the Ethical Consumer and Eco-Fashion in the Mass Market

·         Luxury Brands as Sustainable Role Models

·         Environmental Traceability, Accountability and Certification

·         The Role of the Creative Industries in Developing Economies

·         The Role of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

·         Paving the road towards the CBD COP 10 and the revision of the International Biodiversity Targets.

Confirmed participants include representatives from business, international organizations, government, media and NGOs such as:

·            Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

·            Willen Wijnstekers, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)

·            Dermot Rowan, Managing Director, Orla Kiely

·            Burak Cakmak, Director CSR, Gucci Group

·            Giulia Di Tommaso, Director of Legal Policy and International Relations, Unilever

·            Jean-Fraçois Fournon, Global Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Simko

·            Hans Steisslinger, Head R&D Natural Cosmetics, Weleda Group AG

·            Peter Ingwersen, Founder, Noir

·            Tamsin Blanchard, Style Director, The Telegraph Magazine

·            Sarah Ratty, Founder and CEO, Ciel

·            Alphadi, President & Founder, Festival International de la Mode Africaine

·            Jean-Luc Ansel, Director General, Cosmetic Valley

·            Isabel Berz, Director Fashion School, Istituto Europea di Design Madrid

·            Kate Dillon, Model and M.P.A. in international development

·            Tamsin LeJeune, Founder, Ethical Fashion Forum

·            Erin O’Conner, Model

·            Summer Rayne Oaks, Model and Sustainability Strategist, SRO

and many others….

This must-attend event has been co-organised by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Hong Kong charity Green2greener as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

All activities will take place in Room XIX in the Palais des Nations (E-Building, third floor).

Pre-registration for the seminar is essential.

For further information, please contact Eduardo Escobedo at +41 22 917 5607 or by email eduardo.escobedo@unctad.org or visit www.unctad.org

We remain connected to many urban centres around the world, with Associates in Geneva, Manila, Singapore, Grenoble, London, Paris, Toronto, Rotterdam and Brisbane.

If you are in Tamil Nadu, drop by. Email connect at lifeworth.com

There are a three ways to navigate the site. First, you can select from the main menu. From here you can see an outline of “what” we do, including the services of strategy, creativity, communications, liaison and education:. In addition is takes you to information on the work programmes we have, including Authentic Luxury, Enterprise Trends and Engaging Change. Clicking on “with” will show you who we have been working with. If you want to see the 18 of us who are associated with Lifeworth Consulting, click on “who”. If you want to know the approach we take and the principles underlying our work, click on “how”. If you click on “Insight” you can access our latest “publications”, read our latest “news and views” or even watch us in “videos”.

Another way to navigate the site is to click on the tags in the *Jump To* box on the right hand column. The tags in this box will keep changing as the content evolves over time. A third way to delve into what we do is to click on news items, such as those in the *Where We Are* box, and then from there you can click on the category of the news item, to view related content.

We hope this will provide a way for you to get the information you need. If you like what we do, then click “connect” in the main menu to find out how to engage us, or sign up to our quarterly updates.

The site is driven by wordpress software. It again demonstrates the potential of open source software, after our new responsible enterprise careers portal, which is based on Drupal software. In the digital age, owning code is like owning the rights to using a pen and paper. I think it is in keeping with our transformative approach that we are now part of this open source movement.

Thanks to Sam Baja for working on the site for us, and thank you for visiting.

Dr. Jem Bendell
Founder/Director of Lifeworth and Lifeworth Consulting