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As Cobalt Declines, Demand-Growth Rises by 500%
5 years ago - Circular initiatives may be on the rise, but an impending commodity crisis for cobalt indicates that we still haven’t learned our lesson as far as resource depletion is concerned. The ferromagnetic metal is primarily used in the preparation of magnetic, wear-resistant and high-performance alloys and is a critical component of batteries designed for electric vehicles, laptops, smartphones and a host of other electronics. And we’re running out.
Sustainable Brands Hosts Influential Brand Leaders at SB’17 Detroit
5 years ago - SAN FRANCISO, May 22, 2017 – Sustainable Brands® kicks off its largest community gathering today with Sustainable Brands’17 Detroit at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. Over 2,000 business executives along with their teams from 35+ countries across the globe are attending the conference and Activation Hub. In addition, there is anticipated record breaking livestream viewership in collaboration with Detroit Public Television (DPTV).
Target Agrees to Engage Corporate Peers on Phase out of Polystyrene Foam Packaging in E-Commerce
5 years ago - As You Sow has withdrawn a shareholder proposal with Target Corp. that asks the company to phase out use of polystyrene foam packaging in its e-commerce operations, as a result of the company’s willingness to work with its value chain and industry peers to discuss replacing foam with less harmful alternatives.
Report Explores Myriad Circular Economy Benefits for Built Environment
5 years ago - Discussion surrounding circular business models (CBMs) is often focused on manufacturing, packaging and consumer goods, where significant change is already underway, yet closed-loop systems have the potential revolutionize the built environment.
As You Sow Urges Global Brands to Nix Polystyrene Foam Packaging
6 years ago - Environmental and corporate social responsibility non-profit As You Sow has called upon four major US companies — Amazon, McDonald’s, Target and Walmart — to ditch polystyrene foam packaging from their operations. And they’re not the only ones: A new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, endorsed by leaders of 15 global brands, has also called for globally replacing polystyrene.
Groundbreaking AI Tech Could Improve Quality of Life for Older Adults
6 years ago - This week, tech startup Intuition Robotics unveiled an artificial intelligence-based robot companion designed to improve the quality of life of the elderly populations. Until now, most AI companions, such as those created by Google and Amazon, have largely been focused on providing assistance. ElliQ, on the other hand, aims to enrich the lives of its users, keeping them active and engaged, thereby reducing loneliness.
In the Race to Build a Renewably Powered Internet, Amazon, Netflix Lag Behind
6 years ago - It takes a tremendous amount of energy to manufacture and power our devices, data centers and infrastructural needs. And with an energy footprint accounting for approximately 7 percent of global electricity, the IT industry has an important role to play in the transition towards clean energy.
Creating the Workplace of the Future Through Biophilic Design
6 years ago - The health and wellbeing of a company’s workforce is integral to building a sustainable brand and retaining top talent. Because of this, the millennial workforce has pushed companies to alter office spaces to better fit their needs. One-third of office workers said the design of an office would affect their decision to work for a company; given this, brands are choosing to renovate or move to new spaces in an effort to improve the way their employees work and attract new talent.
Experts Gather to Discuss Financial Benefits of Sustainability at New Metrics ‘16
6 years ago - SAN FRANCISCO, November 14, 2016 – Members of the Sustainable Brands® community gather in Boston, MA to kick off the 6th annual New Metrics conference. Nearly 300 global senior executives across diverse sectors are convening today through Nov 16th to unveil cutting-edge corporate practices that measure and quantify environmental and social impacts and tie them to financial and business value. Conversations are focusing on Corporate Strategy & Operations, Customer Insights & Engagement, Investor Trends & Relations, as well as Supply Chain Impact & Management.
#BusinessCase: Transition to Low-Carbon Economy Can Bring Big Returns, But Many Still Lag
6 years ago - According to new analysis by CDP, while global corporations have begun the transition to a low-carbon economy and some are already capitalizing on the opportunities this affords, a large number still risk being left behind through lack of long-term planning and inertia.
White House, Google, Amazon Launch Big Data Tool to Help with Climate Resilience Planning
6 years ago - Despite international efforts to curb climate change, communities and companies alike need to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. With this in mind, The White House has launched a new public-private collaboration to improve the availability and usability of data and information for climate resilience. Companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft and IBM’s The Weather Company are working alongside NGOs and four U.S. Federal agencies to execute the project.
Changing the Culture of Excess [Packaging]
![Changing the Culture of Excess [Packaging]](https://sustainablebrands.com/eddy/mag/story/keyart/2148/conversions/primaryimage-thumb.jpg)
6 years ago - Some time ago I was on a business trip, and an acquaintance presented me with a box of cookies as a welcome gift. It was beautifully presented, featuring a large and beautifully intricate bow. I thanked my companion and expressed that I would open it later. Later in my hotel room and hungry for a snack, I pulled at the bow to unravel a layer of ornamental wrapping swaddling a basket. The basket was cradling a box enveloped in paper, the box containing decorative packing confetti, which nested exactly three (3!) individually wrapped cookies encased in colored cellophane. The cookies were each a very small fraction of the overall size of the package — a handful of food product enveloped by layers upon layers of packaging with different material components.
The Bar for Corporate Leadership on Climate Has Been Raised
6 years ago - As the legal briefings pile up over the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), I’m inspired by the growing number of companies and business organizations standing up for the most significant step in U.S. history toward reducing climate pollution. The bar continues to rise for companies that want to lead on sustainability, and it’s great to see companies aligning their corporate sustainability strategy and policy advocacy. Today’s corporate-led amicus briefs in support of the Clean Power Plan and smart climate policy are the latest example.
Back to the Roots 'Ready to Grow' Thanks to $5M Seed Round
7 years ago - Back to the Roots®, an Oakland, California startup spearheading a movement to reconnect people with food, announced today that it has completed a $5 million strategic seed financing round, led by Tony Robbins’ and Peter Guber’s startup accelerator, Agency of Trillions, along with additional new angel investors. Previous investors — TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie, Annie’s founder John Foraker, and Clif Bar CEO Kevin Cleary — also joined the round.
Trending: GM, Ford Launch New Partnerships to Drive the Future of Mobility
7 years ago - With CES 2016 underway in Las Vegas this week, we are expecting to have announcements about exciting tech advancements coming out of our ears. Case in point: At The Ford Motor Company's press conference this morning, it announced a partnership with Amazon to integrate vehicles with Echo, the e-commerce company’s smarthome device.
Amazon, Panera Have Best CSR Reputations in the U.S.
7 years ago - Amazon, LEGO, BMW, Sanofi, Schneider Electric and Panera Bread have the best public perception for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the United States, according to a new report by the Reputation Institute. The U.S. CSR RepTrak highlights the companies that have the best reputations for CSR among the U.S. public based on a survey conducted in Q1 2015.
Trending: HP, Other Tech Giants Making Huge Investments in Wind Energy
7 years ago - Technology giants are making strides towards a sustainable cloud: in the past two weeks, HP, Facebook and Amazon announced significant investments in wind energy.HP’s first utility-scale renewable energy purchase involves a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunEdison for 112 megawatts (MW) of wind energy, which will power 100 percent of its Texas-based data center operations.
Greenpeace ‘Click Clean Scorecard’ Rates Top Websites on Renewable Energy Use, Transparency
7 years ago - If you’ve ever wondered about the energy powering your favorite websites, a new tool from Greenpeace is here to help. On Thursday, the advocacy group released a new browser extension tool that shows which of the most popular websites are moving most ambitiously towards renewable energy use. Users that download the extension (compatible with Google Chrome) can distinguish leaders from laggards by the color of a cloud icon that appears green, yellow, or red whenever they open a new site.
Amazon Announces Solar Deal in Virginia, Greenpeace Urges Further Transparency
7 years ago - Today Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a solar farm project in Virginia that will advance the company’s progress towards its recent commitment to powering its data centers with 100 percent renewable energy.
Tesla Energy Set to Revolutionize Solar Storage for Homes, Businesses, Utilities
7 years ago - Tesla Energy, the latest from Tesla Motors visionary Elon Musk, was introduced last night onstage at the company's design studio in Hawthorne, California, just south of LA. A statement from the company describes the new development as "a suite of batteries for homes, businesses, and utilities fostering a clean energy ecosystem and helping wean the world off fossil fuels."