John Friedman

John Friedman is an award-winning communications professional and recognized sustainability expert with more than 20 years of experience as both an external and internal sustainability leader, helping companies live their values and engage in authentic conversations by integrating their environmental, social, and economic aspirations into their cultures and business practices. He’s the author of Managing Sustainability: First Steps to First Class.

John Friedman is Managing Director, ESG & Sustainability Services for Grant Thornton, LLP.

On digital media, Friedman is recognized as a thought leader; on TriplePundit’s List of the Top 30 Sustainability Bloggers on Twitter, #3 on GreenBiz list of most influential ‘Twitterati’, #14 on Guardian Business’ 30 most influential sustainability voices in America, was voted #4 of the “100 leading voices in CSR” by Global CEO Magazine readers, and has regularly been included among the top voices in CSR by Forbes.

Stories from John Friedman

Those So-Called Intangible Assets Matter More than Ever. Here’s Why.

We've all heard that measuring what matters is how successful businesses are run - and that is true for what have long been called intangible assets.

Corporate Responsibility

Beyond the Pandemic: Lessons from a Very Difficult Year

The first most obvious challenge in 2020 has been managing personally and professionally during a massive global pandemic. But what are the lessons?

December 8, 2020

Corporate Responsibility

Business Lessons from 2020: COVID-19 is Only the Start

It shouldn't take a crystal ball to identify economic opportunities in the COVID-19 era, as today's crises offer countless lessons to business leaders.

September 14, 2020

Community Development

After COVID-19, We Can Go Back to Normal, or Move Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic will long be a defining event for younger generations - and it will have a huge impact on how we approach daily work and life.

Leave or Stay, We’ll Always Have the Paris Agreement

Leaving the Paris Agreement would be a mistake because bottom line, walking away from discussions is never a strategy for gaining better terms.

November 12, 2019

Voices for Change

Wayfair Reminds Us Corporate Responsibility Doesn’t Always Come from the Top

The controversy surrounding Wayfair this week should remind us why thoughtful listening to employees absolutely matters.

We need to move the discussion about renewably-generated electricity and start talking more about energy storage

Bright Ideas Will Usher in Our Clean Energy Future

We need to shift the discussion about renewably-generated electricity and start talking more about energy storage, says this guest author.

5 Key Sustainability Developments in 2018

As someone who has developed sustainability targets, adopted ESG (environmental, social and governance) best practices and evaluates various corporate responsibility […]

December 27, 2018

Blockchain – When We Are All Responsible

I have to thank Dr. Wayne Visser* for once again inspiring an article. In this case, it was this graphic […]

November 21, 2018

Corporate Responsibility

Is Costa Rican “Pura Vida” Sustainability Realistic?

News stories that praise Costa Rica’s use of “100 percent renewable energy” for a growing number of days on end focus on […]

August 20, 2018