LEADERSHIP -
Brands that position themselves as purpose-driven activists dedicated to using profits to further their mission carve out a competitive advantage amongst today’s conscious consumers. Lyft is an excellent example of a company distinguishing itself by building a brand around values, as well as quality.
The rideshare company is the second-largest in the sector, controlling over one-third of US market share, with Uber driving the majority. While there is tough competition, Lyft stands out with its purpose, mission and activism, which recently lead the company to celebrate 1 billion rides.
PRESS RELEASE -
Colgate’s support of The Recycling Partnership is part of the All In On Recycling challenge, which kicked off with a $10 million investment from the PepsiCo Foundation this summer. The goal of this largest industry-wide challenge is to raise $25 million in total donations from leading businesses, companies, and organizations to deliver recycling support to more than 2,800 communities nationwide over the next five years.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
SAMBAZON — the first company to bring organic açaí to the U.S. — and The Ecology Center, a non-profit eco-educational center, have launched their second annual Greenhouse Initiative.
CLEANTECH -
sonnen, a global market leader in smart residential energy storage, has partnered with Pearl Homes — the US leader in LEED residential development — and Google Home to bring their vision of a 'Net-Zero-Plus and Climate-Positive' community to life in Manatee County, Florida.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
This article originally appeared on MeetingoftheMinds.org on October 22, 2018.
PRESS RELEASE -
As part of its sustainable plastics vision, PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo) today announced a new goal to strive to use 25 percent recycled content in its plastic packaging by 2025.
PepsiCo aims to achieve this goal by collaborating with suppliers and partners, helping to increase consumer education, fostering cross-industry and public-private partnerships, and advocating for improved recycling infrastructure and regulatory reform, all of which are required to realize our ambition. The goal includes an aim specific to PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles to achieve 33% recycled PET content by 2025.
PRESS RELEASE -
Known worldwide for its outdoor heritage and environmental responsibility, Timberland has a longstanding commitment to protect and restore the outdoors. Not only the great outdoors, but the city parks, community gardens and green spaces people explore every day.
In 2016, Timberland made a public commitment to create or restore green spaces in five U.S. cities over five years, equivalent to or greater than the brand’s retail footprint in those cities. With the completion of three urban greening events this fall, Timberland has met its commitment two years ahead of schedule – greening a total of 130,000 square feet of space, far beyond its retail footprint in those cities.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
This week, circular economy experts from over 20 countries convened in Scotland as Glasgow hosted the third annual Circular Economy Hotspot. Glasgow used the occasion to announce its intention to become Scotland’s first circular city — this will involve Glasgow City Council publishing the country’s first circular economy route map with a key target to power 15 percent of the city’s homes with renewable energy by 2030.
PRESS RELEASE -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this week presented UPS with a SmartWay Excellence award, which recognizes leading carriers who have made significant contributions to reducing the impact of freight transportation on air quality.
“UPS is committed to delivering goods to people in the most sustainable way possible,” said Tamara Barker, chief sustainability officer, vice president of environmental affairs and domestic plant engineering at UPS. “We are honored to be recognized by the EPA for our accomplishments and look forward to continuing our work to create smarter and cleaner communities.”
WASTE NOT -
Rubicon Global — a technology company providing waste, recycling and smart city solutions to businesses and governments worldwide — along with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) and surplus food donation-management platform Goodr, tonight announced the list of inaugural “Waste Fit Champions,” a program designed to recognize the best sustainability leaders that are cutting down on waste, improving rec
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The brand communications crisis is not an urban legend, albeit just as scary
Between 2001 and 2002, Brazil went through its largest energy crisis. The lack of infrastructure planning combined with economic growth forced the Government to ration the energy supply from its main urban centres, for intermittent periods of time. Back then, as a student living in São Paulo, I remember streets darkening as the sun went down. In one of those evenings, walking back home from university, two men driving a motorcycle stopped right in front of me. One of them jumped off the bike and before I knew it, he hit me on the head with the back of his gun and stole my backpack.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
A growing number of forward-thinking companies have set about redesigning urban mobility solutions to meet the needs of modern cities and their citizens — from Lyft committing to providing carbon-neutral ride-sharing nationwide; to the growing popularity of electric bikes and scooters for personal mobility; to Ford’s work on everything from autonomous and connected vehicles to roads, parking and public transit solutions to
PRESS RELEASE -
The Dow Chemical Company is again teaming up with na
PRESS RELEASE -
To kick off a one year partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS), S’well CEO and Founder Sarah Kauss hopes to lessen New York City’s plastic problem with the launch of S’well’s latest campaign: BRING IT - a city-led campaign in which 320,000 reusable S’well bottles, one for each High School student in every public and charter school in the city, will be donated and distributed so that students can “bring it” every day. The goal of this initiative is to displace 54 million single-use plastic bottles over a span of 12 months by limiting the consumption of single-use plastic.
PRESS RELEASE -
According to a recent survey, Wisconsin ranks third in terms of being supportive of recycling, with almost 80 percent of residents reporting that they recycle. However, not all residents know that food and beverage cartons, such as those that package milk, juice and broth, should also be recycled.
CLEANTECH -
In the past few years, Schneider Electric — a global specialist in energy management and automation — has partnered with its customers around the world in various capacities to co-create smart solutions for a more sustainable future. It focuses its energy on prioritizing resource productivity and management, promoting energy efficiency and rethinking energy consumption. It has also adopted science-based emissions targets and helped its clients set their own.
We spoke with Erik Mohn, Director of Americas Sustainability Services at Schneider Electric, to learn more about the company’s multi-pronged strategy to spread sustainability.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
“Tourists, go home.”
“Tourists: Your luxury trip, my daily misery.”
“Your tourism kills my neighborhood.”
These kinds of sentiments have likely been heard in travel destinations that have become victims of their own success and attractiveness. Indeed, for many residents living in popular landmarks, tourism can often be a nightmare rather than a dream.
While many cities have been overwhelmed by mass tourism and what is now called “overtourism,” Seoul has been striving to promote alternative forms of tourism that do not put pressure on destinations and offer quality experiences to citizens as well as visitors.
PRESS RELEASE -
Sustana partners with Alpine Waste & Recycling to recover items from trash
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
New research from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) finds that a transition to a circular economy in China’s cities could make goods and services more affordable for citizens while reducing the impacts normally associated with middle-class lifestyles. The findings are being presented today at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China.