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.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Earthshine, a consultancy and think tank focused on business and economic transformation, and remanufacturing company Norsk Ombruk have released a new business case white paper demonstrating how remanufacturing within a circular economy can deliver a wide range of benefits for society, environment and economy.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Good for your health, good for the environment, good for the future. These common themes have consumers embracing trends toward products that are responsibly sourced and manufactured.
As with many things, consumers hold the key. And for products derived from the forest, the reality is no different.
PRESS RELEASE -
It’s been nearly a year since Target announced its commitments around responsible sourcing and sustainable products, and since then, we’ve shared a closer look at our goals and progress in several areas, including forest products, chemicals, packaging, and eliminating forced labor.
COLLABORATION -
Isle of Wight-based ethical apparel startup Rapanui has come a long way since its conception in 2009, when brothers Rob and Mart Drake-Knight launched with a mere £200. Now, with almost a decade of experience under its belt, Rapanui is helping other UK businesses achieve their sustainability goals.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship – in an era when the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This is the 13th article in the series.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Rolland mill manufactures premium post-consumer recycled papers while recirculating each drop of water 30 times.
PRESS RELEASE -
Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) has reported advancements against its 2025 sustainability goals intended to transform the company and the industries it serves. The 2014-2016 sustainability report, All of Us, Every Day, highlights how the company is leveraging its size and scale to drive change across its operations, industry, and communities.
Key achievements include:
PRESS RELEASE -
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), today announced the completion of a 50-megawatt biomass-fueled combined heat and power plant located at one of P&G’s largest U.S. facilities. Constellation owns and operates the plant, which supplies steam to P&G’s Albany, GA paper manufacturing facility and generates electricity for the local utility, Georgia Power.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Flowing through south-central British Columbia is a crisp river, idyllically flanked by black cliffs.
But in the 1970s, the clear water of the Thompson River took on a brown hue and bubbled with foam. Rocks were covered with a thick slime. Area leaders grew concerned that a harmful algal bloom might be to blame, which had potential to harm ecology, area residents and the river’s 24 species of fish, including salmon and rainbow trout.
An investigation began into the effects of industrial and municipal discharge – particularly from the Domtar’s Kamloops pulp mill and the City of Kamloops.
PRESS RELEASE -
Kohler Co., the leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath plumbing products in the U.S., has released its first public sustainability and stewardship report.
The report reflects Kohler Co.'s sustainability strategy, introduced in 2008:
PRESS RELEASE -
Nestlé Waters North America announced today that its Ontario, California, factory received certification for meeting the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. Created and supported by prominent environmental conservation groups, development organizations, and industry leaders, the AWS Standard is the first comprehensive global benchmark for responsible water stewardship across social, environmental, and economic criteria.
Conformance with the AWS Standard was audited by SCS Global Services, an international third-party certification body.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF has now improved the process for manufacturing Lupranol® (polyether polyol) so that car components which are made of BASF polyurethane systems emit an average of 20 percent less aldehyde. This allows automotive suppliers, that manufacture e.g. acoustic parts, seats and steering wheels or back-foam instrument panels and doors, to meet the increasing requirements of car manufacturers and the law for lower emissions (VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds) in vehicle interiors. Following the process change at BASF’s Asian production sites at the beginning of 2017, the modification is now being made in Europe and will take place in the US plants during the course of this year. Alongside isocyanate, polyol is the starting product for polyurethane foam systems.
PRESS RELEASE -
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland announces an important milestone in its longstanding commitment to environmental responsibility – ten years since the launch of the Original Earthkeepers® 6-Inch Boot. To mark the anniversary and pay tribute to the product that fundamentally changed the company’s approach to product sustainability, Timberland today released a seasonal exclusive boot called the Eagle Bay.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today it has teamed up with national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful, to award two $50,000 grants for organizations to establish Hefty® EnergyBag™ programs in their communities. The program is an innovative approach to diverting traditionally non-recycled plastics – like chip bags and juice pouches – from landfills and converting the materials into valuable energy sources.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF further strengthens its operations network for certified palm products: Meanwhile the company manufactures certified ingredients at 20 locations around the world for the cosmetic, detergent and cleaning agent industries. This production network also includes the BASF factories at Gebze (Turkey) and Dahej (India): they have now received the Supply Chain Certificate of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as BASF announced on the occasion of the RSPO’s fifth annual European Roundtable in London.
Present in all key regions
PRESS RELEASE -
Here’s my prediction: in the not-too-distant future, circular economies – where the resources you use to create a product eventually return to the business to be reused or recycled – will be the norm. Businesses of tomorrow will look back at our sluggishness in making the switch and they will shake their heads in wonder.
But why has business been sluggish? After all, doing more with less, creating more value with fewer resources, has long been standard in business: you pursue profitable growth while also staying efficient with resources.
That’s just good business.
PRESS RELEASE -
Transforming the global rubber and tire supply chain to create lasting, environmentally sound sustainable rubber production requires a collaborative approach. Through an industry-first commitment to sourcing sustainable natural rubber in its tires, General Motors is helping drive the industry toward net-zero deforestation and uphold human and labor rights.
PRESS RELEASE -
Consumer goods giant Unilever has unveiled new technology that enables plastic sachets to be recycled.
The technology has been developed in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Germany.
The process, known as CreaSolv, was inspired by a method used to recycle old television sets, whereby brominated flame-retardants were separated from WEEE polymers. Through this method, plastic is recovered from the sachet and reused in the manufacture of new sachets.
Unilever says that it will make the technology open source so that other members of the industry can help to scale up its use.