All stories by Nick Masercola

The JUST Report: Is War Reshaping How We Think About ESG?

What does it mean for companies to support countries committed to democracy? What is the role of corporations in upholding the core tenets of a healthy free market society and the rule of law?

SEC Chair Gary Gensler has made it clear that the commission is prioritizing ESG with an immediate focus on the “E”. As he wrote in a Twitter thread earlier this week, “Why is the SEC looking at climate risk disclosure? Simple: Because investors need it.”

February being Black History Month, it’s a great time for business leaders to take stock of their progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments.

Film producer and JUST board member Abigail Disney’s new documentary, “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” spotlights the struggle of low-wage Disneyland workers to make ends meet and in doing so, establishes a narrative about workers all around the country.

“It is capitalism, driven by mutually beneficial relationships between you and the employees, customers, suppliers, and communities your company relies on to prosper.”

Each year’s rankings has its own unique context, and right now my sense is that trust and accountability are the watchwords.

How does inflation impact corporate justness? With inflationary pressures set to continue well into next year, it’s a key question. 

The headline that we shared on CNBC’s Power Lunch yesterday is that Americans are united in wanting good jobs and accountability from the country’s largest companies. “Pays a fair, living wage” was (once again) the public’s top priority.

We’re thrilled to announce our new expansive media partnership with CNBC. You’ll soon be seeing more of our data and insights across its broadcast, digital, and event platforms. Learn more inside.

The stakeholder lens for corporate risk and value creation is vital to addressing climate and other systemic societal challenges, but can companies get the job done?

Yesterday we released our sixth annual Americans’ Views on Business Survey, and it is clear that confidence is waning.

​​As COP26 draws to a close, it’s becoming clear how much the conversation has shifted to incorporate the financial and corporate worlds.

What is fundamentally different from the COP of two decades ago, however, is that much of the activist rhetoric is now embraced by corporate leaders and investors.

This week, close to 15,000 workers at companies like John Deere, Kellogg, and Kaiser Permanente are on strike right now to demand better wages and benefits.

As the U.S. looks toward economic recovery, hear from private and public sector leaders on how equity and opportunity for all workers can inform these efforts.

Individual stories of women rising to the top of organizations (GM CEO Mary Barra was just named the next chair of the Business Roundtable) can mask not only the lack of representation on a larger scale, but the significant gap in internal development across corporate America.

This year’s Climate Week comes one month after the IPCC reported unequivocally that climate change is “rapid, widespread, and intensifying,” and that human influence is the key driver.

In a new survey of 500 business leaders and 1,000 other members of the U.S. public, PwC found that in their roles as consumers and employees, respondents trust business more now than before the pandemic.

We are in a critical moment for considering what it means to be a working parent, especially a working mom, in this country.

This coming Monday marks Labor Day in the U.S. – an occasion to celebrate workers and honor their contributions. Ahead of the holiday, we took a look at the 32 companies that top their industries on worker issues in our 2021 Rankings of America’s Most JUST Companies.

Some companies have been used to “checking the box” of DEI with philanthropic donations and community investment, but that isn’t where real change happens.

Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of the Business Roundtable’s embrace of a stakeholder approach in its revised Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. The question everyone is wondering is – has it just been for show?

This week we and our partner The Harris Poll fielded an update to the question on vaccine mandates in the private sector that we first asked Americans back in mid-June – here are the results.

An economy that works for all Americans means that no worker should be struggling to get by. At JUST, we’re committed to helping make that a reality. And, with your support, we can go even further.