The Crowd Blog The top six read articles 2016

2016 has been an exciting and challenging year for all of us. If there was one adjective that could describe it, I'd have voted for "uncertain". The world has lived in stormy times. We've seen the Western political establishments being shaken up with the rise of populism. Worldwide inequality levels were steadily increasing and many blame globalisation as its cause. Despite the political turbulence business remained true to its promise and the world has seen ratification of the Paris Agreement. Ranging from blockchain and modern slavery to food security and responsible tax, we've compiled a list of our top six read articles in 2016. We hope it will help our corporate sustainability community to navigate through uncertainty while preparing for 2017. GLOBAL GOALS - TELL EVERYONE: CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS AND FAMILY!"The Global Goals represent probably the biggest set of BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) that the world has seen before", argues Joe Franses of Coca-Cola European Partners. He shares his key take aways on how to break this down and run a successful Global Goals' workshop. COULD THE BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTIONISE SUSTAINABILITY?The Internet is missing one thing and the blockchain has it - trust. Jessi Baker, co-founder of Provenance, describes how a new technology called a blockchain might change how we trust companies, information, and how it empower us as smarter citizens. CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP US TO FEED THE WORLD?In the next 50 years as diets become richer, experts estimate that to feed a population of 9bn people, more food should be produced than has been during the past 10,000 years in total. Vincent Doumeizel of Lloyd's Register explores how to work together to produce safe and sustainable food. ARE WE ENTERING THE RESPONSIBLE TAX ERA?Corporate tax avoidance has been a primary ethical concern for the British public since 2013, and businesses must increase transparency to regain public trust. Is it an ethics issue or a result of legal loopholes? Michael Solomon of Responsible 100 asks how far are we from a responsible tax society? WHAT EU REFERENDUM COULD MEAN TO THE UK ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY? What would Brexit mean for the UK's environmental policy? In this exclusive blog, David Baldock, executive director at the Institute for European Environmental Policy, argues that the EU has made progress on environmental issues, and outlines the two main scenarios if the UK should vote to leave the EU. MODERN SLAVERY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BUSINESSForced labour and child exploitation have been guilty secrets lurking in international supply chains for centuries. With the voice of business carrying greater weight than that of conscience, business has a key role to play in addressing modern slavery, says Aidan McQuade of AntiSlavery International.Slavery, Global Goals, SDGs, Brexit, blockchain, food, responsible taxElina Yumasheva