Luxury brands and brands taking stands are topics not usually included in the same conversation. But in another sign of a world turned upside down, top tier fashion labels are now talking CSR and sustainability. From materials to packaging, from supply chain to environmental footprint, luxury consumer goods companies are updating their strategies to ensure long-term viability. 
 

Back in the day, corporate strategy meant defining a business mission and describing how those goals were to be reached through business practices. Today, setting a viable strategy means including many factors once considered outside the scope of traditional business planning. Brands are taking stands on multiple issues, from public, cultural questions (climate change, immigration, gun violence) to internal issues (diversity, ethics, harassment, gender pay gap). 

Consider the new rules:

The We Mean Business coalition was formed to organize a critical mass of the business world to make progress on climate change. With its no-nonsense brand name, formidable numbers, and world-class leadership, the coalition is poised to be a dominant player in directing businesses toward taking stands on strategies and practices that define climate change as a business opportunity, not just an environmental disaster.

In this episode of the Champions for Social Good podcast, Rachel Hutchisson, vice president of Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy at Blackbaud, speaks with Grant Garrison, managing director at GOOD Corps, about how brands can purposefully align themselves with causes and movements to advance social good. Grant explains how he views the role that brands play in movements, and how his team is helping companies, foundations and nonprofits develop breakthrough programs that engage many more people around their brands in authentic ways.