C-More, a strategy consultancy firm founded by Carolina Almeida Cruz and Carina Abreu, intends to double the number of clients to 100 by the end of this year. ESG and IBM were the two abbreviations that automatically sounded like a business opportunity for the Portuguese entrepreneurs Carolina Almeida Cruz and Carina Abreu. Co-founders of the consultancy firm C-More ("Seeing beyond the obvious"), both are responsible for developing a mathematical plan that measures the degree of sustainable environmental, social and governance maturity of companies, regardless of their size, sector of activity or regulatory requirements. Starting with 497 metrics in an Excel, the duo and the US tech giant turned them into technology and arranged the statistical information in a dashboard that tells business owners if and how they are meeting green, social responsibility and corporate organisation metrics.

Ready to innovate? We are pleased to announce that today from 17h00 (GMT+1), our CEO Carolina Almeida Cruz will be moderating the launch event for the Innovation Portfolio INNOVATE® OEIRAS at Auditório do Taguspark, in Porto Salvo, with the presence of the Mayor, Isaltino Morais, and the CEO of Global Village World editing company, Sven Boermeester. Don't miss today's event that launches a unique and pioneering portfolio in Portugal, that celebrates over 100 success stories of the council of Oeiras. Join us in becoming part of largest innovation ecosystem in the country.

Companies listed on the stock exchange usually publish, every year, long and heavy sustainability reports in which, generally, the data in which these organisations stand out positively stand out. However, in the multitude of pages of information, data are not always presented in a clear way that allows comparison with companies in the same sector. And that makes it difficult to separate entities that are really committed to following the sustainability path from those that use this information only as marketing props aimed at investors, suppliers and customers. Data is the best tool to compare who is or is not committed to the mission of making the world more sustainable. But there is still a long way to go, according to experts who participated in the conference “Advancing Sustainability through the Power of Data” organised by C-MORE, in partnership with Exame Portugal, and which is part of the agenda of local events promoted by the UN World Data Forum 2021, which will take place between October 3rd and 6th in Bern, Switzerland, in a hybrid format.

C-MORE, in partnership with EXAME, is delighted to present our local event for the UN World Data Forum 2021, whose theme is "Advancing Sustainability through the Power of Data". Moderated by Margarida Vaqueiro Mendes, a journalist at EXAME / Visão, this event will bring together key experts from different backgrounds to discuss the importance of data to support more responsible business and towards a more sustainable economy and society. Attendees will be welcomed to ask questions and participate as much as possible.

If predictable environmental effects are already being felt and climate anxiety is a reality, the social effects are not yet truly understood by all. As an example, the crisis caused by the civil war in Syria has thrown around one million refugees into Europe. The United Nations estimates that in 2050 there will be around 200 million climate refugees, from Asia, Africa, Latin America and other places where rising sea levels, temperatures and extreme climatic phenomena have a devastating effect on the most fragile populations, with fewer possibilities for adaptation and survival. Let's focus on the figures presented by Bill Gates as the most relevant to the fate of the planet in his book How to avoid a climate disaster. The first is 51 billion, relating to the total tons of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere every year. The second is 0 (zero), relating to the number of emissions that we will have to achieve. Many are the factors that will dictate the success or failure of this undertaking over the next ten years. Courage and determination of governments and business leaders, the genius and capacity for innovation of the scientific and academic community, the commitment and changing habits and attitudes of each one of us, among many others that combined will dictate our fate. All of them have something in common: they depend on the human factor.

The global market economy is not governed by principles of sustainability if its operation depletes our environmental resources and exploits our human resources. Without a significant change in the mindset and behavior of companies, investors, the public sector and consumers, we are building a future of great scarcity, where there will not only be shortage of tequila.

We can discuss Afghanistan's political situation, the inability of a state in life support for two centuries unable to deal with internal and external threats, the failed democratic experiment that caused a protracted military conflict that killed thousands of people and cost the US $822 billion. We can even discuss the misguided strategy in containing Taliban forces in the region. Some people want to point fingers, find culprits - in the US, in Russia - but the truth is that it doesn't matter who did wrong in Afghanistan: we all did wrong if we ignore one of the biggest humanitarian crises in our time. Because, regardless of our view on this issue, let us not forget the most important thing: we are all human beings and we can recognize the humanity in the other, even if their reality is different from ours, and the duty to help our neighbor. In this specific case, to help the refugees from Afghanistan. No one should have to go through what these people are going through. All those who, legally, should have access to the asylum application system and be recognized as beneficiaries of refugee and survivor status in a context of emergency and international protection.

You see, if before companies could ignore (although they shouldn't!) the negative impacts of ignoring human rights in their operations and/or value chain, today mitigating and preventing human rights and slave labor risks are not a moral or fashion issue: they are a matter of survival for the company itself. It is estimated that, in the value chains of large corporations alone, there are 16 million victims of slave labor. We are all connected through suppliers, through varied levels of production and services, accomplices of violations that happen in complex value chains, with little visibility and transparency in all sectors of the global economy - energy, technology, textiles, coffee, and wood. Because we believe that concern for human rights must be grounded, focusing on risk prevention and mitigation, rejecting marketing ploys that only deceive the consumer and themselves - so-called social or greenwashing - we have created a corporate toolkit to help companies navigate the complex world in which we live and work. This toolkit presents itself as a first step towards greater literacy for social and human sustainability in mitigating human rights violations and slave labor and recommends a set of actions that each company can start implementing immediately to begin its journey in this brave new world.

Fortunately, many of us want to become increasingly aware and smarter as consumers, businesses, suppliers, without mortgaging the planet or people. Making sustained and informed decisions may seem an impossible task - after all, other parts of the world are so far away! - especially when big brands fail to be transparent about their value chain and information on the subject is dispersed and conveniently hidden. In our view, the greatest danger is not ignorance, but the one who wants to remain ignorant. So, to those who have the courage to ask, "how can we do better?", we answer: get informed, question, criticize, be curious, reflect when you are in a supermarket, clothing shop or shopping online. Who made this product? Where does it come from? Does it have a sustainable label such as B-Corp or Fairtrade, which verifies that its production did not have a negative impact on the planet and on the workers involved? Take a look at the platform we have developed for you, where you can find answers to at least some of your questions and give us feedback: the C-MORE Business and Human Rights Toolkit, which can be accessed from the menu.

At C-MORE, we believe in business with purpose where no human should be harmed in the production of goods and provision of services within global supply chains. Our aim is to contribute to eradicate modern slavery and all its forms such as forced labour and sexual exploitation, which affect 16 million people in the private sector’s supply chains, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal target 8.7. Our work supports organisations in identifying and remediating modern slavery risks, while exploring opportunities to turn sustainability into profit where both People & Planet are respected. We adopt a human-to-human approach, where every voice and experience matters. We join The Mekong Club in their #HumansforHumans campaign and in calling others to commit to ending modern slavery. Whether you are an organisation or an individual, your choice matters. By buying and/or sourcing from organisations that address, remediate, and prevent modern slavery in their business, you are making a world of difference.

The Portuguese Women in Tech Awards are a moment of celebration for the Portuguese tech community and the work done in the past few years. It is, at its core, an initiative by the community and for the community. The voting phase of the awards in 2021 closed last week with more than 11.000 votes. We are thrilled to announce that our co-Founder Carolina Almeida Cruz won the Female Activist focus on sustainability and/or climate emergency Award! Congratulations also to the other finalists, Madalena Rugeroni and Laura Lorenzo for their impressive work. Visit the awards website to discover more incredible women in tech.

We are proud to announce that our project Humanity is a semi-finalist in this year’s European Social Innovation Competition, chosen amongst over 560 entries from all over Europe. Our project will help Europe develop ‘Skills for Tomorrow’! This project is the result of a collaboration between Sapana, C-MORE and Born Ethical, with an amazing team behind it: Carina Abreu, Carolina Almeida Cruz, Ricardo António and Francisca Sassetti. Humanity is an innovative project that uses empathy as a powerful tool to raise corporate awareness through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI+B) social simulation games, and contributes to generate meaningful and lasting social impact while breaking socioeconomic barriers and creating employment opportunities for the most marginalised and vulnerable.

While most of the 40.3 million cases of modern slavery in the world affect people from disadvantaged backgrounds, at risk of poverty, and in developing countries, there are also cases of modern slavery among people who are privileged, wealthy, and from Western countries. This is the case of Britney Spears - which may seem absurd. Carolina Cruz and Francisca Sassetti, researchers, and PhD students in the area of business, sustainability and human rights, reflect on this and other situations. (...) One in every 130 women and girls live in modern slavery, representing 71% of all victims. (...) We must challenge the social norms of the societies in which we live so that being a woman is no longer a factor in abuse and exploitation and so that more women's and girls' lives are not mortgaged by our ignorance, double standards, and selfishness.

One in five cotton garments in the global clothing market are the product of slave labour of the Uighur population. The brands that promote conscious and empowering fashion collections for Western women are the same ones that fund the attack on the sexual and reproductive rights of Uighur women. One of the greatest discoveries of any woman consumer with the ability to see beyond the obvious understands that the only difference between us, the authors, the witness and the reader is the country of our origin. Race is the same, context is not. Or let's call it luck. We cannot continue to leave to chance the choice between buying piece x or y, understand where it comes from and question the label.

The traditional fashion industry relies on an inherently extractive business model. It is focused on producing great volumes which results in more waste.(...) An increasing number of companies are now committed to showing that companies do not need to choose between great design and social and environmental responsibility – VEJA is one of them. (...) As a proud holder of the B stamp, the way VEJA [a Brazilian B-corp] makes its sneakers greatly differs from more traditional brands. It uses organic, agroecological and fair-trade cotton to create the sneakers’ canvas, wild rubber from the Amazonian Forest in its soles, and innovative materials such as recycled plastic bottles to create its B-mesh. The production of B-Mesh represents a real-life example of the upcycling concept, which means using waste as a starting material and taking it to a whole other level. From plastic bottles and the cotton recycled from textile industry cuttings to recycled polyester, VEJA’s materials show that circular fashion is the right way to go.

Portugal has made great progress in terms of environmental sustainability by investing in renewable energies. Initiatives such as the Solar Photovoltaic Plant of Amareleja contributed so that, between January and July 2020, renewable energy production will supply 60% of the Portuguese energy needs. Further west, in Odemira, the discussions on environmental sustainability continue, this time focused on intensive agricultural greenhouses. However, it's time to realize that sustainability is not just an environmental issue - and, talking specifically about greenhouses, it's also important who works in them. A sustainable economy cannot depend on human exploitation if the work is precarious, dangerous and humiliating. Human capital is that which works on the projects that take Portugal's ambition to become a leader in environmental sustainability and 100% dependent on renewable energy, reaching the goal of zero carbon dioxide emissions. But if we sacrifice one at the expense of the other, we are back to square one.

Modern slavery comes in many forms and forced labour is just one that happens to trap 24.9 million people – a reality that is frequently connected to the chocolate industry. The majority of cocoa comes from some of the poorest nations on Earth, while cravings in industrialized countries call for cheap chocolate. The rising demand pushes farmers who harvest cocoa to extremely poor conditions and, even if some companies refuse to admit it, children are still picking cocoa today, working in slave-like conditions as this is the last resort to keep prices low. (...) Tony’s Chocolonely’s vision, for example, is 100% slave-free chocolate worldwide. Over the last years, this B Corp has been working on Sourcing Principles for slave-free cocoa and aiming for everybody in the supply chain to be happy, from the farmers to the consumers. It is a B Corp proud to lead by example as a commercially successful company, proving that it is possible to make chocolate in an ethical way.

B Certification is becoming a way to distinguish traditional firms from those that are committed to a broader set of values, ensuring that this commitment is authentic without the need for combing through every word companies write. The growth of the B Corporation movement is a turning point in the ruthless run for profit that for many years was mistaken for success. Together, purpose-driven companies are rewriting the building blocks of corporate governance, creating benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders, stepping forward to fill the gaps in the communities in which they operate, hire and create impact. When core values are clear, it becomes easier to focus on what matters and secure structural integrity.

Join more than two dozen professionals from different fields, to reflect the importance of sustainability into concrete results and help companies stop thinking on this issue as something that has to be added to the DNA business: Closer is one of the companies already on that path and Ricardo António, Head of Born Ethical, underlines the engagement of society around this movement. These and other C-More challenges, in the most recent edition of Revista Exame. The biggest experience that we have is to make it happen.