Joseph Thavaraja

12 Feb 24

Pandemic, some brands landed on the chopping block. Why?

There is no doubt that to survive in today’s market conditions, brands have to subscribe to a purpose that serves the personal values of consumers and in some cases, their habits. Individual consumer values mostly center around the social, environmental or cultural aspects while at times, the customer’s personality too plays a critical role in […]

24 Jul 23

Target flies into an unlikely marketplace and crash- lands packing a $10B loss in ten days. What are the lessons?

As pride month looms around the corner in the US, it’s the predicament of the seventh largest retailer Target (officially Target Corporation) that has become the latest siren call in a series of Brand martyrs on the altar of inclusivity. Target, the widely known retailer, is also well known for fashionable clothing. In keeping up […]

22 Jun 23

The oil that sustainability cannot do without for a clean energy future – Part III

● Sri Lanka’s FDI propositions Stronger ESG numbers in a country help spur investors towards it as they sustain their confidence. The World Bank’s ESG Data Portal is an online data platform and provides “sovereign-level environmental, social and governance (ESG) data” – meaning it provides country-by-country macro data on the three pillars of ESG-Environment, Social and […]

15 Jun 23

The oil that sustainability cannot do without for a clean energy future – Part II

SolAbility’s Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) shows that in general, high GDP countries are ranked higher in their ESG, though this is not always the case. Many higher GDP countries in the Middle East perform poorly. Some low GDP countries (Eg: Peru, Laos), though poorer, rank higher in theIndex. When performance is viewed from a […]

08 Jun 23

The oil that sustainability cannot do without for a clean energy future

● A case of hit & miss – The bag of Sri Lanka’s ESG numbers Stronger ESG numbers in a country help spur investors towards it as they sustain their confidence. The World Bank’s ESG Data Portal is an online data platform and provides “sovereign-level environmental, social and governance (ESG) data” – meaning it provides country-by-country […]

01 Jun 23

From the relaxing Bud Light to a chaotic Bad Light…that miscalculated Mulvaney blend

Which beverage brand would ignore a market of US $1.1 trillion? Not Anheuser-Busch (AB), the brewer of Bud Light, the light beer that is fell in the throes of unwelcome controversy. “Bud Light” arrived in the market when AB changed its previous “Budweiser” beer to “Bud Light” in 1990. Bud Light poured itself into the […]

26 May 23

When a Bud Lighting moment is outdone by a gaslighting moment

The spectacle of well-known brands getting ensnared in the unsavory porridge of wokery/ LGBTQ comms is becoming the order of the day. As the comms sector saw the cooling off of the controversial run on the Bud Light-Mulvaney episode, no less than Adidas AG, the German brand which is a global sportswear phenomenon, picked up the […]

18 May 23

Greening the ESG greenbacks via the developing world’s rainforest

Was it the weak banking sector outlook alone spurring the investor sellout of ESG assets, causing the asset decline? Or did Credit Suisse particularly have a bigger play on ESG assets, unlike other banks? It did. Unlike other banks, Credit Suisse was a leading player in a (very) less known ESG asset class. This asset […]

08 May 23

How the Collapse of Credit Suisse Has Highlighted the Unsustainability of ESG, the Global Sustainability Figurehead

Recently, Switzerland’s second-largest bank, Credit Suisse, collapsed after more than 160 years of its historic existence. Credit Suisse’s unexpected demise sent shockwaves across the global banking structure and cast a dour shadow on the all-time renowned Swiss banking system as well. “Credit Suisse’s … willingness to engage with clients that some other banks avoided…lost billions […]

23 Feb 23

Sri Lanka and CO2

A good piece of news is that Sri Lanka’s annual share of global CO₂ emissions remains very low. In 2020, it was a mere 0.06%. Still, the sudden rise in this share beginning in 1995 (at 0.02%) is a cause for concern having remained at 0.02% from 1950. The 45-year trend reversed in 1995 and […]