TODAY, May 2, 1pm ET - How Business Leaders Drive Change- Leading the Way on ‘Circularity’ from Within 
How do companies make the case for circularity to key internal stakeholders and align the full range of teams – finance, product, sustainability, marketing, operations, etc – to achieve sustainability, waste and business goals? Is it best to “go all in” or “take baby steps”? We’ll explore change from within using examples from the furniture and consumer products industries to illustrate strategies applicable across many sectors.

Join Jennifer Gootman (Vice President, Sustainability: Social & Environmental Impact of Williams-Sonoma, Inc), Danielle Jezienicki (Senior Director, Sustainability of Grove Collaborative), and Suzanne Vetillart (CEO of Boma Jewelry) in conversation with Tensie Whelan (Director, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business). These experienced leaders will unpack various approaches to driving circularity, sharing lessons learned on their companies’ journeys to a more sustainable future.

Wednesday, May 4, 1pm ET - Public Policy & ‘Circularity’ - Business Can Move the Needle 

How can companies support and inform critical public policy to advance the transition to a circular economy? Using examples from the furniture and home-cleaning products industries, we’ll explore opportunities for involvement by companies of all sectors, sizes and levels of policy engagement. Join us to learn more about circular economy policy in the US and how businesses can play an essential role in policymaking and advocacy for circularity. With momentum building on key policies – including extended producer responsibility, plastics bans, toxics legislation, and right to repair, along with new federal climate and infrastructure investment – this is an important time for the business sector to lead the change.

Panelists include Gat Caperton, President/CEO of Gat Creek; Jeffrey Hollender, CEO & Co-Founder of ASBN and Co-Founder & former CEO of Seventh Generation; and Stephanie Erwin, Director of Circular Economy Policy, ASBN. Moderated by Susan Inglis, Resident Expert and Educator in Chief at the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

Thursday, May 5, 12pm ET - Circularity and the Future of Furniture Design 

Join us to discuss holistic and realistic steps and strategies to implement the circular economy, new approaches to regenerative systems, and the challenges and opportunities of retooling a risk-averse manufacturing industry. With a special focus on the challenges of the furniture sector and real-life case studies, we’ll walk you through cradle-to-cradle best practices like life cycle audits, Design for Disassembly, reclaiming technical and biological nutrients and many other techniques.

This virtual workshop will feature thought-and action-leaders in furniture and circularity: Paula Luu, Senior Project Director at the Center for the Circular Economy, Closed Loop Partners; Emily McGarvey, Director of Sustainability, Room & Board; and Phantila Phataraprasit, Co-Founder/CEO, Sabai; and moderated by sustainability designer Sarah Templin.

Tuesday, May 3, 1pm ET - Impact Investing and the DEI Social Enterprise Ecosystem | Partner Event 

Impact Makers Founder and CEO Michael Pirron is sitting down with Elisa Miller-Out, Managing Partner of Chloe Capital, a seed stage investment fund focused on women-led tech companies, to discuss how she became involved in the social enterprise and B-Corp space. They’ll cover her current programs and initiatives, as well as why diversity and inclusion remain integral parts of Chloe Capital’s mission

Wednesday, May 4, 3pm ET - Business for Democracy | Working Group (Contact Devika Rao to participate)

The Business for Democracy working group believes that the support of businesses, big and small, is increasingly pertinent to an inclusive democracy. ASBN has long championed inclusivity and equity as enduring principles on which a healthy economy is  founded. And a functioning free and fair democracy is an incomparable tool to achieve such a landscape. We are committed to pioneering these necessary reforms in order to ensure the  survival of democracy by convening interested businesses with a shared commitment to  democracy. We will be discussing our advocacy and progress on the state races as well as our path moving forward.

Thursday, May 5, 3:30pm ET - Solidarity Now:
A Social Economy response to the crisis
Solutions for the integration of refugees
A vision to re-build Ukraine | Strasbourg, France | The Social Economy: the Future of Europe Conference

War has a huge socio-economic impact in the EU economy that demonstrates the need to transform our economies, accelerate the transitions and strengthen Europe’s resilience strategic autonomy. The social economy - cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, and social enterprises - have been at the forefront in providing an urgent response to the refugee crisis and can put forward a long term plan for the work integration of refugees and for re-building Ukraine strengthening its social economy.

Beyond sharing urgent social economy responses to the crisis, the workshop aims at debating possible additional concrete actions to reply to the crisis and invest in re-building Ukraine by boosting social economy entrepreneurship. Speakers: Paweł Klimek (West Pomeranian Network of Social Economy Support Centers), Przemysław Piechocki (Association for Social Coopératives – Social Economy Support Centre), Viktorija Braziunaite (Lithuanian Social Business Association), and Michael Alden Peck (American Sustainable Business Network).

Tuesday, May 10, 6-8:30pm ET - DC Regional Gathering | ASBN Member Meet-Up

We're excited to be holding an in-person meet-up for members in the DC area. Mingle with ASBN staff and members while enjoying a light dinner and drinks on a rooftop. Please email [email protected] to receive an invitation.

Wednesday, May 11, 1pm ET - Investing in the Next Seven Generations: A Case Study and Framework | ASBN Live

Join us for Investing in the Next Seven Generations: A Case Study and Framework. The Wolakota Buffalo Range is home to the largest Indigenous-managed bison herd in the world; just two years ago, however, the project was barely underway and desperately in need of funding. Join us to hear from project leaders about the partnerships and approach that have allowed this project to exceed expectations and become a model for investing in Indian Country.

Clay Colombe (CEO, Rosebud Sioux Economy Development Corporation) and Kim Pate (Managing Director, NDN Fund) will share lessons learned from the launch of Wolakota and introduce their 7Gen Investing Framework, a relationship-centered set of principles that can be replicated to accelerate socioeconomic transformation, equity, and sovereignty for Indigenous nations and beyond.

May 16-17 - Total Impact Summit 2022

In-person, Philadelphia, PA | PARTNER EVENT

Wednesday, May 18, 1pm ET - Sustainable & Non-Toxic Business Roundtable | ASBN Live

American Sustainable Business Network invites you to join us Wednesday, May 18th at 1pm ET for a Sustainable & Non-Toxic Business Roundtable. Most consumer goods are made with toxic chemicals which can negatively impact health. Through public policy, we can change the system for the better. Hear from leaders at non-toxic companies, Barry A Cik (Naturepedic Organic Mattresses), Marcia Frieze (Case Medical Inc.), Martin Wolf (Seventh Generation), and Kari Block (EarthKind).

Wednesday, May 25, 1pm ET - Investing in Communities through Crowdfunding | ASBN Live

Join us for this panel discussion to learn about opportunities to raise funds and invest in companies and projects that support community building. Panelists include representatives from crowdfunding platforms SmallChange.co (real estate projects), Crowdfund Mainstreet (local investing), and Raise Green (clean energy and environment).

Wednesday, June 1, 1pm ET - Searching for the Soul of Businesses- A Conversation with Alan Murray & Jeffrey Hollender | ASBN Live

Join the American Sustainable Business Network co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Hollender for a 1-on-1 conversation with Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media and author of the forthcoming book Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business. Tomorrow’s Capitalist is a report from the front lines on how corporate CEOs—the ultimate pragmatists—realize that they could lose their “operating license” unless they tackle the fundamental issues of our time: climate; diversity and inclusion; and inequality and workforce opportunity. Responding to their employees and customers who are demanding corporate change, they have taken the lead in establishing some bold new principles promoting “stakeholder” capitalism, ensuring that for the first time in more than a half a century, it’s not just shareholders who have a say in how corporations are run.

Wednesday, June 8, 1pm ET - Blockchain, NFTs, & Metaverse For Good | ASBN Live
Hear how our orgs and community can understand these new technologies and utilize them for good! This will be an exciting and informative interactive webinar with SVC former co-chair Gagan J Levy, our resident blockchain enthusiast, CEO of the creative agency Guru and CoFounder of Bamboo Asset Management dba Pink Panda.

He will be joined by an incredible group of leaders hailing from traditional finance that have jumped into this exciting space: Adam Carlton, expat senior traditional finance consultant and now CoFounder and CEO of Pink Panda; Rose Penelope Yee, chair of the social good advisory board for Pink Panda and CEO of Green Retirement, and Gene Truono, head of compliance for Pink Panda and former Chief Compliance Officer for Paypal amongst other compliance positions at JP Morgan Chase and American Express.

Wednesday, June 15, 1pm ET - Federal Contracting 101 | ASBN Live
The Federal Government buys more goods and services than any other organization on the planet. But being a government contractor isn't for the faint of heart. Fortunately, purpose-driven companies - B corps, PBCs and the like - are used to some of the complexities of doing good for the world while also making a profit. At this session, the leaders of three government contractors that are also certified B corporations (Fors Marsh, Rescue Agency, TCG) will walk you through the pluses and minuses of government work and will try to answer all your questions. If you've ever wanted to do business with the government, this is a good place to start.

Episode 18 - Joel Bakan & Rebecca Henderson on Creating an Economic System That Works for All

Today's episode features a conversation on Creating an Economic System That Works for All featuring Joel Bakan (Professor of Law, Univ of British Columbia; author and filmmaker, The New Corporation) and Rebecca Henderson (John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University) in conversation with ASBN's Co-Founder & CEO, Jeffrey Hollender.

ASBN's Just & Sustainable Economy Podcast is proudly sponsored by Hanson Bridgett