When Nike came under scrutiny for the labor practices in its contract factories in the late 1990s, the company was both unprepared and defensive. “We became the poster child for all things having to do with poor working conditions,” said Hannah Jones, Nike’s vice president of corporate responsibility.

Critical media attention spurred the firm’s corporate responsibility efforts––initially from the “risk management” perspective. Today, however, Jones told the Stanford audience at the Socially and Environmentally Responsible Supply Chains conference that Nike is beginning to look at corporate social responsibility as another engine of innovation for the company. “We’re blurring the edges of what corporate social responsibility is, and we’re looking at business models as a force for massive social change.”

From a focus on manufacturing codes of conduct, Nike is now considering how the company can positively influence mega-trends facing society. “We’re having significant conversations around how our business model might intersect with issues such as people’s access to food, water, and energy, as well as questions of climate change and poverty,” Jones said.

Listen as Jones makes the business case for socially responsible and environmentally sustainable business strategies and looks at the future of corporate responsibility.