Setting the Example

Dunkin' to move to 100% sustainable palm oil
Dunkin' Brands will set a timetable for ensuring all of its palm oil comes from sustainable sources or is offset by purchasing certificates, the company said. New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, in response, withdrew a shareholder resolution requesting that the company consider how palm-oil production affects society and the environment. The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (3/7)

Sweetbay will sell only sustainable seafood
Sweetbay Supermarket plans to sell only seafood that is certified as sustainable. The retailer is partnering with organizations including The Florida Aquarium, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Gulf Coast Fisheries to ensure sustainability. Sweetbay says shoppers will be able to go online to trace the source of their seafood. The Tampa Tribune (Fla.) (3/8)

Creating Accountability

How much good do companies do for their charity partners?
Underwear brand Pact markets its $22 boxer briefs with a message of charitable giving. The catch? The company never says how much it donates, spurring Tom Bartlett to ponder how much good such partnerships do and whether charities would be better off directly soliciting donations. Pacific Standard magazine (March-April 2013)

Report: Warming is recent, rapid
The planet has experienced about the same range of temperatures since the start of the Industrial Revolution as it saw over the previous 11,000 years, according to research from Oregon State University and Harvard University. The study analyzed 11,300 years of climate data from 73 sites around the globe. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Dot Earth blog (3/7)

Green Marketing

Sustainable products need to tell a "cool" story
Selling sustainable products to consumers means telling a story that strikes the right chord and resonates as "cool," experts say. Patagonia told a story that resonated with brand fans with its "Don't Buy This Jacket" Black Friday advertising, says founder Yvon Choinard. "Right now, the hottest thing for young people is to wear is their parents' old, old Patagonia stuff," Choinard says. TriplePundit.com (3/6)

The Responsible Leader

Why Costco's CEO wants to pay the least-paid more
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek has been vocal about increasing the federal minimum wage, a position that seems to square with the company's long history of social awareness and sustainability, Leon Kaye writes. Critics say the retailer sells goods that are higher-end than those of many of its rivals, so raising the minimum wage across the board would give Costco, which already pays higher wages, a leg up. Regardless, Kaye writes, "[t]aking responsibility for employees and treating them as assets, not liabilities, would be a huge step for social responsibility." TriplePundit.com (3/8)

Powering Tomorrow

Obama, execs discuss U.S. energy goals
President Barack Obama held discussions with the top executives from Anadarko Petroleum, NextEra, Sempra and FedEx about his plans for the country's growing energy industry, the White House said. The issues included the role of natural gas, renewable energy opportunities, and possible public-private partnerships to achieve climate and energy goals, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Reuters (3/8)

Most Clicked

Engage. Innovate. Discuss.

The power of treating people with respect
Leaders who focus more on "why people can't be trusted" than communicating openly risk turning off team members who can be trusted and care about doing a good job, Karin Hurt writes. "In fact, the more you treat others with deep respect, the more likely the team will work to reject any member acting inappropriately," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (3/8)

Editor's Note

SmartBrief's inside look at #SXSW
SmartBrief is attending the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, with tweeting @SmartBrief and blogging at SmartBlogs. Here's some of our coverage so far.

• Live at #SXSW: 6 innovation lessons from the world of standup comedy
• Live at #SXSW: How the WWE became the social champion of the sports world
• SXSWedu Snapshot: What's changing in education?

SmartQuote

[M]ultiple studies have shown that consumers consistently overestimate how much of the amount they spend on a product goes to charity." -- Tom Bartlett, writing in Pacific Standard magazine Share: