ECONOMY

Alternative Economies

Zimbabwean Communities Shut Out by Banks Are Building Their Own Loan Programs

In thousands of communities across Zimbabwe, people pool their savings together and loan it out to help their neighbors build homes and start businesses.

Farai Shawn Matiashe

August 18

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

With Roots in Tar Sands Oil, Alberta’s Separatist Movement Linked to Cross-Border Privacy Breach

Government investigators say Alberta’s controversial separatist movement is behind a major voter privacy breach, with roots that stretch across the border to influential U.S. Republicans.

Tina Casey

June 5

Alternative Economies

Money Trees: Paraguay’s Carbon Market Strategy Comes into Focus

The global compliance carbon market is opening a big financial opportunity, and Paraguay is prepared to make the most of it. 

Andrew Kaminsky

April 28

Corporate Responsibility

Undermining Progress: Human Rights and the Low-Carbon Transition

Panama’s Copper Crisis: What a $20B Lawsuit Says About Investor Power

A Canadian mining giant is using a $20 billion lawsuit to pressure Panama into reopening a controversial copper mine. The case exposes how international investment agreements can undermine democracy, and why experts are calling for fairer investment frameworks worldwide.

Andrew Kaminsky

April 13

Alternative Economies

African Women Make Economic Gains Through Global Gig Economy

Women make up about 27 percent of Africa’s online gig workforce. They're part of a generation redefining what work looks like across continent.

Adesewa Olofinko

April 10

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

The MAHA Movement Meets the Glyphosate Buzzsaw

The Trump administration’s support for the notorious herbicide glyphosate shocked voters attracted to Make America Healthy Again messaging during the 2024 election. That anger could ripple into midterms.

Tina Casey

April 9

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Target Answers Boycotts and DEI Criticism With…Cleaner Stores?

Last year Target became an unwilling poster child for the cost of compliance with the Donald Trump administration's stance on corporate diversity. Will the retailer's renewed focus on store experience actually win back customers, or come across as tone deaf?

Tina Casey

March 18

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

Iran War Casts a Shadow on U.S. Conservatives’ Push to Prop Up Coal

Attempts to defend an economically outdated and unwieldy source of power look even more misguided as war underscores the urgent need to invest in domestic energy resources that are buffered from global volatility. 

Tina Casey

March 11

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Warehouse Owners and Communities Are Blocking ICE Detention Centers

The U.S. federal government plans to spend more than $38 billion in taxpayer money to convert windowless warehouses into immigrant detention centers. Real estate developers, local lawmakers and communities across the country are pushing back.

Tina Casey

February 18

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Trump Policies Are Losing in the Court of Law, and the Court of Public Opinion

From violent immigration raids to rising energy prices, the public is increasingly unhappy with U.S. President Donald Trump. Some of the president's policies also cost companies a lot of money, and a growing number are taking the matter to court.

Tina Casey

February 11

Corporate Responsibility

This New AI Tool Helps Recruiters See Skilled Immigrant Talent and Fill Jobs Faster

Across the United States, skilled immigrants are driving Ubers and working service jobs while employers struggle to fill vacant positions. A new AI pilot aims to change that by matching foreign credentials to U.S. job requirements.

Abha Malpani Naismith

January 22

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Gradually and Then Suddenly: Gen Z Consumers Also Vote

U.S. President Donald Trump's falling approval rating with Gen Z could carry big implications for business.

Tina Casey

January 21

Alternative Economies

The Long View: 20 Years of Sustainability in Motion

We’re Halfway Through the Ocean Decade: What’s Next for the Blue Economy?

United Nations delegates first envisioned a sustainable "blue economy" over a decade ago. Will industries like bioprospecting and marine energy finally bring that future to life?

Elyse Hauser

January 13

Corporate Responsibility

Disability Inclusion is the Untapped Market Hiding in Plain Sight

The $23 trillion disability economy is reshaping global markets, but it's flying under companies' radars. Organizations that lead on accessibility in the new year will capture the loyalty of long-overlooked consumers and build the workforce of the future.

Marc Safman

December 23, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Americans Expect Stronger Corporate Leadership on Social Issues, Especially Mental Health

As Americans' concerns over mental health support, hunger, and other social issues rise, more than half say companies should step up to drive solutions.

Carol Cone

December 18, 2025

Alternative Economies

Brands Taking Stands

What Is “Crocodile Economics,” and What Does It Mean for Fossil Fuels?

The past 12 months have been harsh on climate advocates. But surveys show it's less about abandoning the work and more about changing how it's discussed. Enter "Crocodile Economics," a new term for an old concept that's taking hold around the world.

Tina Casey

December 17, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

New Analysis Provides More Evidence That Heat Standards Save Lives

As the Trump administration is expected to finalize a standard to prevent heat-related injury and illness for workers by early next year, a new study shows that clear, comprehensive rules save lives.

Liza Gross, Inside Climate News

December 15, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Virtual Power Plants Create New Pathways for Business Action on Climate Change

These software systems manage power supply from multiple sources and sell it to utilities as if it came from a single power plant. This takes serious strain off the grid, while creating financial incentive for homes and businesses to cut energy use during peak times.

Tina Casey

December 3, 2025

Finance

A Zero-Fee Mobile Banking Model is Redefining Financial Inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire

As Côte d'Ivoire’s banking system struggles to reach millions of residents, fintech startup Wave is redefining how people save and spend money across West Africa via a simple smartphone app with no transaction fees.

Abdullahi Jimoh

November 10, 2025

Finance

Americans Are More Money-Stressed Than Ever. Credit Unions Are Stepping Up to Help.

The mental toll of financial stress has serious impacts on people across the country. Credit unions are in the position to help in ways commercial banks can’t or won’t.

Gary E. Frank

October 23, 2025

Finance

Small Farmers Are More Squeezed Than Ever. A California Grant Program Offers a Lifeline.

A recent report shows that the state’s farm-to-school grant program has been effective at supporting economically disadvantaged farmers in the face of mounting federal cuts.

Frida Garza

October 20, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

When Sustainability Compliance Stalls, What Comes Next?

Businesses are struggling to keep pace with ever-changing sustainability regulations and rollbacks, leaving them checking boxes instead of driving progress. The answer isn’t less oversight — it’s smarter oversight, argues the co-founder and co-CEO of the sustainability rating platform EcoVadis.

Pierre-François Thaler

October 7, 2025

Finance

Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program Supports Climate Projects as Federal Funding Fades

Almost three years in, Washington State's cap-and-invest program has raised over $3 billion from major polluters. It's already funding projects like ferry electrification.

Mary Riddle

September 22, 2025

Finance

The Rise of Mega-Scale Forest Carbon Credit Programs

As deforestation rapidly erases habitats and emits carbon, fast action is needed to reverse it. Jurisdictional forest protection programs are expanding, but are they enough?

Andrew Kaminsky

September 8, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Closing the Gap Between Caring and Doing: The Clean Earth Model

Research shows that hands-on environmental activities not only increase ecological knowledge, but also help people see that change is possible. The Clean Earth Challenge offers a powerful example, rallying people to collect more than 10 million pieces of litter on their daily walks.

Kristian Darigan Merenda

August 29, 2025

Alternative Economies

Climate Change is Making the U.S. Affordable Housing Shortage Worse: Better Resilience Planning Can Help

Millions of Americans are caught in a collision between escalating climate hazards and the chronic shortage of housing that they can afford.

Jay Sholl & Joyce Coffee

August 21, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

Debunking the New Debanking Executive Order: It’s Complicated

Debanking is normally a straightforward matter of de-risking. In today’s hyper-partisan environment, its under fire as a politically-motivated practice.

Tina Casey

August 20, 2025

Finance

‘We Have To Insert Ourselves’: For Black Women, Seeds of Wealth Start With Homeownership

Baltimore-based nonprofit Black Women Build is helping women purchase homes by connecting them to funding, resources, DIY skills and community.

Eden Turner

August 14, 2025

Alternative Economies

The Community Land Trust Model Brings Affordable Housing to Milwaukee

Milwaukee Community Land Trust and Northwestern Mutual are making homeownership possible for more city residents by buying and transforming run-down properties.

Elyse Hauser

August 11, 2025

Finance

After Months of Delays, Los Angeles Communities Take on Big Insurance

“Delay, deny and underpay” is the calling card survivors and activists are using for the insurance industry after the Los Angeles wildfires.

Riya Anne Polcastro

August 7, 2025

Finance

Plastic Credits Have a Bad Rep, PCX Hopes to Change That

Every year, millions of tons of plastic leaks into the environment, with only 9 percent ever getting recycled. A new initiative funds plastic cleanup and recycling efforts, providing companies with a verified source of recycled plastic.

Andrew Kaminsky

August 1, 2025

Finance

The Cleveland Cooperative Turning Laundry Into Community Wealth-Building

The Evergreen Laundry Cooperative uses a unique operating model to ensure a reliable supply of business, allowing it to offer stable jobs that come with shared profits and equity to the community it operates in.

Rasha Rehman

July 29, 2025

Alternative Economies

Billions Worldwide Still Can't Access Safe Sanitation: Community Ownership Models Could Change That

Surge for Water is improving sanitation access and empowering women in Uganda, Haiti and Indonesia through soapmaking and educational programs. But the nonprofit doesn't take the lead in any of the projects it funds, instead passing the reins to community-led groups in rural villages and tribal areas.

Riya Anne Polcastro

July 17, 2025

Finance

Immigrant Entrepreneurs Lead 46% of the Fortune 500, and That's Not All

Nearly half of Fortune 500 companies were started by immigrants or their children. In her new book, Neri Karra Sillaman, who studies business longevity at Oxford University, unpacks what immigrant entrepreneurs do differently that makes their businesses successful and how they help drive the U.S. economy.

Riya Anne Polcastro

July 14, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Two Leading EV Makers, Two Sides of the Brand Reputation Story

From the killer of the electric car to an EV leader, General Motors is now the No. 2 seller of electric vehicles in the United States. The automaker's hard work building consumer trust positions it to capitalize on the widely-reported missteps of Tesla, or more specifically of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Tina Casey

July 9, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

LEED v5 and the Low Cost of Renewable Energy Create a New Momentum for Green Building

As renewables get cheaper, countries around the world are also seeing stronger momentum toward building electrification: replacing systems in buildings that rely on natural gas with electrically-powered alternatives. That could spell good news for the green building sector, which is already having a busy year. 

Tina Casey

July 2, 2025

Alternative Economies

Grand Canyon Conservancy Helps Fill the Gaps as Federal Cuts Threaten National Parks

United States national parks are heading into their busiest season seriously understaffed. The Grand Canyon Conservancy is finding ways to support Grand Canyon National Park and the park rangers carrying heavier workloads this summer.

Riya Anne Polcastro

June 27, 2025

Alternative Economies

This Ride-Hailing Platform is Built Different. What Does That Mean for Drivers?

Gig economy drivers say they're working more and earning less. Some are so fed up with the likes of Uber and Lyft that they're banding together to form worker-owned cooperatives to compete with them.

Riya Anne Polcastro

June 20, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Paul Polman Offers a Masterclass in Courageous Leadership

The visionary purpose-driven executive and co-author of "Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take" recently joined the Purpose 360 podcast to share crucial guidance for courageous leadership in tough times.

Carol Cone

June 16, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

EV Charging and the New Waffle House Index

Waffle House plans to install EV charging stations at dozens of restaurants. It's a bold step for the beloved Southern-style chain, offering a strong indication that vehicle electrification has broad appeal regardless of the politics of the moment.

Tina Casey

June 11, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

The Myth of the Silent Executive

The prevailing narrative in the media seems to be that business is mostly staying silent about how changing U.S. policies affect them for fear of legal action, government reprisal or social media backlash, but coalitions including the Leadership Now Project question how much that's really true. 

Mary Mazzoni

June 4, 2025

Alternative Economies

This Iowa County’s Experience Shows What Wind Farms Can Offer Rural Communities

Howard County, Iowa, earned over $2.7 million in tax revenue last year from its nearly 150 wind turbines thanks to thoughtful zoning regulations and a tax increment financing policy.

Gary E. Frank

May 23, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Should Companies Still Make Their Sustainability Goals Public?

In the latest episode of "What the...?," we asked Laura Gitman, chief impact officer of BSR, whether sustainability goals are still the right tool for driving corporate progress, if companies should make their goals public, or if it's time to rethink the model entirely. 

Mary Mazzoni

May 14, 2025

Finance

Will Tariffs Spur Investment in Canada’s Secondhand Clothing Industry?

Increased tariffs between the United States and Canada could have a significant impact on an unexpected industry: secondhand clothing. That should be a catalyst for industry innovation and government support, argues Irshad Alimohamed, director of the secondhand wholesale company Sinaitex.

Nicole Froio

May 12, 2025

Finance

New ASU Venture Studio Sets Student-Athletes Up for Entrepreneurship Off the Court

The time and effort student-athletes put into their sport can keep them from applying for internships, starting businesses or preparing for a career after college. With that in mind, a program launching this fall at Arizona State University is designed to support student-athletes on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Riya Anne Polcastro

May 1, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

With Federal Climate Finance in Limbo, the Power is in Our Pockets

Climate finance isn't only the work of bankers, politicians and white-collar folks. It's everyone's business, says Trenton Allen, CEO and founder of Sustainable Capital Advisors. "We're not voiceless," he said in our new video series. "We have agency."

Mary Mazzoni

April 30, 2025

Finance

New Opportunities for the U.S. Green Hydrogen Industry

To meet its decarbonization goals, the European Union needs to reset its domestic green hydrogen production goals and increase the amount it imports, according to a new report. That opens up export opportunities for several countries.

Tina Casey

April 28, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

In Uncertain Times, Smart Brands Use a Compass

The era of public sustainability storytelling hasn’t ended — it’s evolved. What used to be about volume is now about timing, nuance, and knowing when to speak — and when not to, says the CEO of TriplePundit's parent company 3BL.

Charlie Wilkie

April 25, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

The CSR Leader’s Dilemma: Stuck in the Fear Zone

The turbulent environment in the United States has left the once-bold world of corporate social responsibility afraid to take action. It's time for CSR leaders to lean into business-aligned, employee-driven and community-focused initiatives, argues MovingWorlds CEO Mark Horoszowski. Skills-based volunteering is one option.

Mark Horoszowski

April 24, 2025

Finance

The Narrative Holding Nonprofits Back: Social Current Aims to Address Misconceptions

Nonprofits in the United States are buckling under financial strain. Part of the sector's chronic underfunding problem comes down to public perception and misconceptions, argues Social Current CEO Jody Levison-Johnson. The organization's new initiative is bringing nonprofits together to change that.

Mary Riddle

April 8, 2025

Finance

To Continue Leading, The U.S. Solar Industry Needs Federal Support

The United States spent 20 years repositioning itself as a leader in solar manufacturing and innovation, but the industry is constantly reinventing itself. Federal support is still necessary for the U.S. to maintain its status and the benefits that come with domestic solar manufacturing.

Tina Casey

April 3, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

The Global Green Bond Market Already Shows Signs of Surviving U.S. Pullback

Shifting climate and energy policies in the United States led to shrinking green bond activity, but other nations are stepping up to fill the gap and help emerging markets meet their climate goals.

Tina Casey

April 2, 2025

Finance

The Solutions Effect

For Outer Banks Businesses, Retaining Workers Means Investing in Housing

North Carolina's Outer Banks is struggling to sustain the tourism boom it built off of its long-standing vacation rental home industry amid an affordable housing crisis and other unintended impacts. As the region looks for long-term solutions, local businesses are buying employee housing.

Taylor Haelterman

March 31, 2025

Finance

Credit Unions Have a Public Awareness Problem, And This Coalition Wants to Solve It

Credit unions put their communities first, but they haven't always done the best job sharing that story with the public. Made up of 12 credit unions from 10 U.S. states, the Backbone coalition aims to change that.

Gary E. Frank

March 27, 2025

Finance

Sustainable Retirement Investments Exist, And You Can Make the Switch

People say they want their retirement investments to align with their values, but a lack of education and options often limit adoption of sustainable funds. Employers and employees can take action to change that, says the corporate social responsibility nonprofit As You Sow.

Riya Anne Polcastro

March 24, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

The Time is (Still) Now for Fleet Electrification

Despite the abrupt change in federal electric vehicle policy under the new U.S. administration, the attraction of fleet electrification continues to grow, with an assist from innovators in the EV charging space.

Tina Casey

March 19, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

Goldman Sachs Makes $500 Million Appeal for Biodiversity Preservation

The new biodiversity bond fund created by Goldman Sachs Asset Management last week demonstrates how business leaders can continue to pursue global climate goals, regardless of federal social and environmental policy changes in the United States.

Tina Casey

March 5, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

From Sustainability to Sustainment: New Language for a New Era

Though conservative backlash against the ESG movement continues in the United States, anti-ESG legislation does not necessarily reflect public opinion. The principles of sustainment, a set of guidelines used by the U.S. military, offer inspiration for businesses looking for alternative language to describe their sustainability efforts in this environment.

Tina Casey

February 25, 2025

Alternative Economies

Undermining Progress: Human Rights and the Low-Carbon Transition

How Dark Matter and Hydropower Saved Mining Communities From Collapse

When a mine closes, people, towns and even countries lose a significant source of revenue. With an estimated 500,000 abandoned mines in the United States alone, repurposing mining sites helps support the surrounding community and mitigate negative impacts.

Andrew Kaminsky

February 24, 2025

Alternative Economies

To Slow the Climate Crisis, Decarbonize Billionaires Burning Through the Carbon Budget, Advocates Say

The world’s richest 1 percent blew through their annual carbon budget in just 10 days this year, with devastating implications for vulnerable people globally who bear the brunt of climate impacts while contributing least to the emissions that cause them, says the anti-poverty organization Oxfam.

Riya Anne Polcastro

February 21, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

The Rise of Climate Intuition: Financial Professionals Weigh the Cost of Risks Ahead

Financial institutions are turning investor attention to the impact of extreme weather events as they balance the cost of decarbonization with the risks of unchecked climate change.

Tina Casey

February 19, 2025

Finance

Beyond Federal Funding, What's Next for U.S. Climate Investments?

Federal funding freezes put the future of the largest climate investment in U.S. history into question, but leaders remain optimistic they can find additional funding flows to continue with their work.

Mary Mazzoni

February 13, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

Largest State-Based Green Bank in the US Invests $60 Million in EV Charging Stations

The largest state-based green bank in the United States just completed its first ever loan for public EV charging stations, providing the startup Revel with enough financing to triple the number of chargers it has installed to date.

Tina Casey

February 12, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

The Sustainability Wildfire: Why Businesses Must Lead or Be Left in the Ashes

As the Los Angeles fires spread, some of the first responders weren’t firefighters or government agencies — they were Latino immigrants, running toward the flames to protect neighborhoods that weren’t even their own. The lesson for businesses? Leadership doesn’t wait for permission. It doesn’t check the polls. It acts.

Charlie Wilkie

February 10, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Brands Taking Stands

Fewer Companies Made Sustainability Commitments at Davos. Maybe That's a Good Thing.

Ever since the World Economic Forum updated its Davos Manifesto calling for a “better kind of capitalism," the annual meeting served as a launching pad for big corporate statements and lofty commitments tied to environmental sustainability and social equity. But leaders were largely silent on that front this year. 

Mary Mazzoni

February 5, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

State-Based Solutions: The New Minnesota Green Bank

Minnesota's new green bank, the Climate Innovation Finance Authority, is ready to lend millions of dollars to support clean energy projects where private-sector financing is lagging behind need, opportunity or both.

Tina Casey

February 5, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Companies Risk Reputational Damage By Abandoning Core Values Due to ‘Politics of the Moment’

"It’s a mistake to over-index on the politics of the moment because, in an era of change elections, you are completely redoing your principles as a company or organization every two years and it feels like you have no core,” says former White House communications director Ben LaBolt. 

Dave Armon

February 4, 2025

Finance

Brands Taking Stands

Beyond California, the U.S. is on the Brink of an Insurance Crisis Tied to Climate Change

Thousands of Californians were dropped by their homeowner's insurers months before the recent wildfires burned their homes to the ground. Their stories are only part of an insidious and growing insurance crisis across the United States that experts say is tied to climate change.

Mary Mazzoni

January 29, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Experts Say ESG is Here to Stay

TriplePundit spoke with SAP Chief Sustainability and Commercial Officer Sophia Mendelsohn at the company’s Hudson Yards offices in New York City last month to gain some insight into what lies ahead for the corporate sustainability movement over the next four years.

Tina Casey

January 24, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Benefits Beyond Affordability: U.S. Universities Expand Free Tuition Programs

As freshman classes at colleges in the United States decline, a slew of schools are adding or expanding free tuition programs for the coming school year. Experts say the benefits of free tuition extend past making college more affordable.

Riya Anne Polcastro

January 24, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

Impact Professionals Share Their Predictions for Brand Purpose in 2025

Members of the Purpose Collaborative, a network of more than 40 social impact-focused firms, share their predictions for social impact, brand purpose and sustainability in 2025. While skepticism and political pushback present real hurdles, they identify key opportunities to connect with stakeholders.

Carol Cone and Kristin Kenney

January 16, 2025

Corporate Responsibility

DEI Has a Role to Play in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

There's tremendous need for manufacturing workers in the United States. Leaders like Karla Trotman, the CEO of Pennsylvania-based Electro Soft, say diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are essential to addressing that need and the future of the sector at large.

Gary E. Frank

January 16, 2025