BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The Welsh Government and City to Sea, a group campaigning against single-use plastics, are collaborating on the development of campaigns to encourage refills and change residents’ behavior to make tap water their first choice for hydration.
While the campaigns will help people ‘see the value of water,’ the government has also announced an additional £15 million of capital funding to further improve Local Authority recycling collection systems and infrastructure, including for plastics.
PRESS RELEASE -
UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced that it is working with UK-based technology firm ARRIVAL to develop a state-of-the-art pilot fleet of 35 electric delivery vehicles (EVs) to be trialed in London and Paris. These zero tailpipe emission, lightweight composite vehicles have a battery range of more than 150 miles (240 kilometers), which is significantly higher than other EVs currently in service. The vehicles will also come equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that help to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue. These features, combined with a highly advanced vehicle display provide the driver with an intelligent and connected vehicle.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
As much hype as cryptocurrencies and digital tokens are getting these days, their real-world, practical uses remain few and far between. But one Vancouver-based organization, The Plastic Bank, is working to exchange plastic waste for digital currency in some of the world’s poorest places.
CLEANTECH -
UN Environment has awarded seed funding to twelve young people with business ideas on how to foster energy-efficient, low-waste and low-carbon lifestyles. Each of the winners of the Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge will receive US$10,000 and mentorship to help bring their ideas to fruition.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Closed Loop Fund (CLF) today unveiled an historic statewide, public-private partnership targeting a $5 million investment in recycling infrastructure in Connecticut in 2018. This statewide program follows Closed Loop Fund’s successful investment in Waterbury, CT in 2017.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
To usher cities towards a carbon-neutral future, local governments around the globe are hedging their bets on diesel and petrol vehicles bans. But eliminating fossil fueled mobility isn’t the only way to reduce emissions. Smart street furniture and innovative urban infrastructure are fast emerging as viable — and impactful — solutions to the CO2 problem.
WASTE NOT -
Discussion around the future of mobility is dominated by discourse around the shift away from fossil fuels, but this is only one small part of a more complex conversation. Even clean energy vehicles have impacts on environmental and human health. China’s industry ministry, General Motors and Goodyear are taking these often-overlooked impacts into account by focusing on waste recovery and prevention approaches that seek to establish closed-loop systems.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors is taking its composting program – one of its most successful examples of circular economy – to a whole new level at its global headquarters located in the Renaissance Center (GMRENCEN) in Detroit.
What started as a compost collection program with select restaurants at the RENCEN has now expanded to include participation from all floors and occupants of the complex. Through this expansion, the automaker hopes to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to the city’s revitalization.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Heineken has unveiled a new sustainability strategy that will see the brewer increase renewable energy production, set science-based targets across distribution, cooling and packaging, and pilot an internal carbon pricing scheme.
CLEANTECH -
Nissan is driving the future of mobility forward with a vehicle-to-grid (VG2) demonstrator project that could prove instrumental in helping the UK transition to low-carbon transportation and a smart energy system. The £9.8 million e4Futures project will allow drivers to feed energy back into the electricity grid during peak times.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The UN Climate Change secretariat is launching an online portal that invites countries, businesses, local government and civil society to contribute to the climate change conversation. The platform will support the Talanoa Dialogue, an international conversation mechanism launched during COP23 in Bonn, which will help track progress on current commitments and drive global climate action.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
A year after the launch of its Heathrow 2.0 sustainability leadership strategy, Heathrow Airport is encouraging UK businesses and organizations to apply for the first Sustainable Innovation Prize.
WASTE NOT -
The UK government has unveiled a national action plan to eradicate avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The announcement aims to quell concerns of critics regarding the potential negative impacts Brexit could have on the UK’s sustainability performance.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Though widely known for its consumer electronics products, Panasonic is using its tech expertise to focus on a new venture: creating smart, sustainable cities of the future. Building on the success of its Sustainable Smart Town in Fujisawa, Japan — a factory turned thriving community complete with EV charging stations, IoT-enabled homes and businesses, and a renewable energy system providing a five-day storage of off-grid power — the company is bringing its
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
New analysis from business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has revealed that the Latin American market is undergoing a rapid paradigm shift in regards to mobility, with greater emphasis being placed on the creation of an on-demand, integrated, multi-modal mobility network. The transition is being driven by changing demographics, preferences and technology.
CLEANTECH -
Norway is paving the way to a more energy-efficient, low-carbon future through new intelligent lighting technology and strong financial incentives.
CLEANTECH -
Back in 2015, we first learned about + POOL, a wildly ambitious idea by four enterprising New Yorkers to make the City’s notoriously polluted Hudson River swimmable with the help of a floating, water-filtering pool.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Between a growing global population — which is estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2050 — rapid urbanization and climate change, shifting agricultural to a more sustainable model is essential for safeguarding the future of our food system. Startups in the United States and Singapore are ready to rise to the challenge, championing food sustainability through new technologies and infrastructure solutions designed with urban environments in mind.
WASTE NOT -
In today’s digitally dependent world, e-waste management is a critical issue that requires urgent attention from both the public and private sector.