PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In an era where brands are becoming increasingly socially conscious to keep up with societal trends, Marc Skid is no exception. The recently launched online underwear retailer is using the finest, sustainably grown materials to provide its customers both a high-quality product and an opportunity to donate to feed, cure and save the world.
WALKING THE TALK -
With the launch of its #OptOutside campaign in 2015, REI set a new precedent in retail, shuttering its stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, giving its employees a paid day off and – on a day that has come to represent consumerism at its most extreme – encouraging staff and consumers alike to forgo the shopping frenzy in favor of the great outdoors. The move epitomized the company’s ethos and kickstarted a movement to drive positive behavior change and impacts.
NEW METRICS -
Live Well San Diego: A visionary partnership to define and measure 10 quality-of-life metrics
By Anna Shugoll
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Shifting an entire product portfolio to align with an ambitious sustainability strategy is no small feat. Even those considered leaders in corporate sustainability are still refining their approach. This session on day two of SB'17 Copenhagen explored how sustainability scorecards have been developed and used to support product innovation processes for sustainability at several major brands.
In introducing the session, Eric Mugnier of EY France set the scene: Companies are increasingly expected to bring sustainable solutions to market through innovating and preferentially investing in products that are good for life.
PRESS RELEASE -
“To sustain their business, companies need to better understand the costs and opportunities of effective water resource management”, stresses Quantis water expert Jean-Baptiste Bayart. Ahead of the AWS Global Water Stewardship Forum, Quantis shares its experience working with major industrial players over the last 10 years, laying out key hurdles and potential solutions for companies to adopt water stewardship.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT -
John Viera, Global Director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental Matters at Ford Motor Company, recently shared his experience as one of the first sustainability business professionals in the corporate world.
Read on to learn how he applies his engineering background to his sustainability work, his unique “talents” that make him especially equipped to lead a sustainability organization, and why he’s passionate about delivering innovation to communities that need it most.
PRESS RELEASE -
SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) today announce the signing of a joint declaration to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and monitor its implementation, in particular in the area of inclusive and sustainable industrialization, by utilizing innovative technologies including analytics, reporting, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain and others.
PRESS RELEASE -
After the arrival in space of I’m greenTM plastic for the 3D printing of tools, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) now may start using, by 2018, a recycler of plastic objects and packaging that would improve the autonomy and sustainability of future missions beyond our planet.
The initiative represents an expansion of the “Printing the Future” project, a partnership between Braskem and Made In Space, the U.S. based leading developer of 3D printers for operation in zero gravity and a supplier to NASA. This will be the first commercial plastic recycling operation in the history of space missions.
CLEANTECH -
Nearly three weeks after Puerto Rico was pummeled by Hurricane Maria, the island is still feeling the storm’s disastrous effects. The destruction of transmission lines across the island has left much of Puerto Rico’s population in darkness and without access to information technologies. The problem is critical, but Elon Musk believes Tesla technology may hold the key to rebuilding the US territory’s antiquated grid.
NEW METRICS -
The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) and the Cool Farm Alliance (CFA) — a nonprofit industry platform and creator of the Cool Farm Tool sustainable agriculture calculator — have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve alignment and reporting of farm-level metrics data. Through the partnership, TSC aims to make the process of reporting on farm-level metrics easier for farmers and food manufacturers.
CLEANTECH -
Earlier this week, the Larta Institute, an accelerator for small businesses and startups in science-based innovation, announced that its subsidiary, Larta Inc. has been awarded an exclusive contract by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to manage its national Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) for as many as 450 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and II awardees per year beginning in September 2017. The DOE granted over $224 million to SBIR recipients in 2016.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, UNICEF USA and UPS announced an impactful partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort to support the people of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Providing relief to those in need of clean water and other basic supplies, UNICEF USA, in close cooperation with the Governor’s teams and nonprofit partners, will leverage the vast UPS logistics network to deliver supplies from various points around the world, including from the company’s Worldport global air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. One plane will carry more than 60 pallets of water from Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort, departing on Tuesday morning.
PRESS RELEASE -
We all say we want to do more “good” these days. And our consumers have a proven desire to support campaigns that do so. Heineken®, the beer that’s enjoyed in the most cities globally, is again supporting innovative local projects around the nation through our “Cities” program – which aims to make a positive and lasting impact on some of the best cities in America. (Last year’s campaign to save Miami Marine Stadium successfully led to the City of Miami approving a $45 million restoration budget!) This year we’ve found the perfect partnership with the Bruno Mars 24K Magic World Tour – which will offer fans sold-out concert tickets for supporting resourceful local projects.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is working to debut America’s first sustainable urban agrihood – a neighborhood growth model with agriculture at the center of a mixed-use development.
PRESS RELEASE -
PepsiCo has joined the New Plastics Economy initiative as a Core Partner, signaling the global food and beverage company's continued commitment to reduce packaging waste.
Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the New Plastics Economy is bringing together industry, government, NGOs, scientists, students and citizens to build a more sustainable global plastics value chain.
PRESS RELEASE -
World-leading chemical company, BASF today announced its membership of the Circular Economy 100 (CE100). As the latest corporate member of the programme, BASF embarks on a three-year partnership to bring about opportunities for a circular economy within new business models and new solutions.
BASF 'creates chemistry for a viable future'. In combining economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, it enables its customers and its entire value chain to meet the current and future needs of society. Through science and innovation, BASF investigates techniques for decreasing material use while keeping function and durability at its highest utility.
PRESS RELEASE -
PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) today announced that it has signed an agreement with Partnership for a Healthier America ("PHA") to independently report and verify the company's progress against previously outlined goals designed to transform its product portfolio and offer healthier options.
PepsiCo's goals, which were announced last October and informed by World Health Organization and other authorities' guidelines, include a focus on reducing added sugars, saturated fat and sodium levels. In addition, the company is focused on offering more positive nutrition such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, dairy, protein and hydration, as well as greater access to nutritious foods and beverages in underserved communities.
PRESS RELEASE -
The cost of natural disasters worldwide could reach $314 billion annually by 2030, up
from around $250 billion now, according to a 2016 report by the World Bank, which cites
rising climate change as a key threat to cities around the globe.
Natural disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, and wildfires can quickly cut off access to
basic, everyday needs. The biggest of these, and the most urgent, is access to clean,
safe drinking water. Damage to infrastructure, as well as flooding, can contaminate drinking water supplies, not only inhibiting people’s ability to hydrate, but can also lead
to sanitation issues and the spread of waterborne diseases.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Dow Chemical Company, now in its 35th year of supporting Atlanta-based nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, recently announced that Colombia will be the site of one of the builds that the two organizations collaborate on this year.
The project in Tenjo, just outside of the capital of Bogotá, is unique in that it will be a pilot project for 2017 that uses the company’s polyurethane materials in PVC panels that will form the structure’s walls.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ten companies and organizations, two partnerships, and three individuals today will receive 2017 Climate Leadership Awards for their accomplishments in reducing greenhouses gas emissions and addressing climate change.
The awards, now in their sixth year, are a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry. The awards are being presented this evening at the 2017 Climate Leadership Conference in Chicago.
This year’s awardees represent a wide array of industries including finance, consumer products, retail, aviation, and technology, plus federal and local government.