Stories About Agriculture
Found 551 stories. Page 19 of 28.
How BASF, Henkel Are Supporting Smallholders to Secure Supply of Sustainable Palm Oil
SUPPLY CHAIN - In recent years, palm oil has arguably become one of the world’s most ubiquitous and contentious raw materials in the consumer goods industry. When conventionally produced palm oil and palm kernel oil are used, there are significant economic, environmental and social impacts along the entire supply chain – from field to shelf. Small farms produce roughly 40 percent of the world’s palm and palm kernel oil; an important question for the oil-producing countries is how to increase the yields from the land already under cultivation.
If You Build It, They Will Come: Behind the Scenes of Kashi's Certified Transitional Initiative
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - As communications partners, we at Edelman are often asked by clients to help them bring their sustainability stories to life. But despite decades of progress on environmental initiatives, many companies still face challenges building CSR programming that resonates across the organization.
RSPO Recertifies IOI Group, But NGOs Have Yet to See ‘Real Action on the Ground’
SUPPLY CHAIN - Less than five months after the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) suspended Malaysian palm oil producer IOI Group’s certification, that suspension has been lifted – much to the dismay of NGO campaigners. While the RSPO’s Complaints Panel has said it is “satisfied that IOI has met the conditions set out in its letter to IOI,” Greenpeace Indonesia and the Center for International Policy says they have yet to see any real action on the ground.
Wall-Mounted, Modular Gardening Innovation Wins Student Living Product Prize
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - A water- and space-efficient gardening system has been announced as the inaugural winner of the student Living Product Prize, a new initiative of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge. The AquaCity Garden is a modular hydroponic system designed to grow food and plants on indoor walls.
Dow and Rio 2016 Delivering an Unprecedented Carbon Legacy in Brazil
PRESS RELEASE - The Rio 2016 Olympic Games are making history by leaving a significant legacy of low-carbon technologies in Latin America while set to balance 2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO2e). The Rio 2016 Organizing Committee and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games and Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016, announced today that more than 2 million tonnes of third-party-verified greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions are projected to be delivered by all projects and actions implemented to fulfill the commitment of hosting a global event with minimal carbon impact. Through unique cross-sector collaboration, the Olympic Games act as a catalyst for the adoption of more sustainable solutions that are relevant to the economy and society.
Unilever's U CAN Initiative Helps Make Ice Cream and Sustainability a Delicious Combination
PRESS RELEASE - The next time you reach for your favorite ice cream bar, you could be making a choice to support sustainability efforts globally. Helping Canadians make a positive impact on the planet by actively choosing more sustainable brands and products is the idea behind U CAN, Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan in Canada. U CAN is a Canadian program, but it is part of a global sustainability initiative that touches brands and communities around the world. For example, enjoying a Magnum ice cream bar might not seem like a way of helping the environment, but when you do, you support a larger sustainability effort here in Canada and around the world:
ICT4Ag: How Tech Is Helping to Empower Smallholder Farmers
CLEANTECH - Sustainability is the new key driver to innovation these days and ICTs play quite a pivotal and influential role in enhancing and boosting productivity of agricultural value chains that are responsible to uplift the process, smallholder farms in particular. E-agriculture has fast gained popularity since the rise of e-commerce, e-fashion, and e-detailing; practically everything has been transformed to apply to the digital world.
Trending: Bayer, DuPont Back $15M Ag-Tech Fund; Ag-Tech Used by Walmart Raises $7M Series A
CLEANTECH - Information and communications technology (ICT) is expected to play an influential role in the future of agriculture. News this month provides some insight into just how significant it could be: Bayer and DuPont have joined what Reuters is calling an “ag-tech investment boom,” while the startup creating artificial intelligence-based solutions for farms that supply Walmart and other major retailers has completed a $7 million Series A funding round.
More, Better, Responsible Food: The Value of Sustainable Agriculture to Investors
SUPPLY CHAIN - The food industry widely recognizes a looming mountain it must climb: By 2050, the world population will grow by more than 2 billion, which will require upward of a 70 percent increase in food production. Along with this rise in demand, companies in the food supply chain face increasing scrutiny on the environmental and social impacts of farm operations. Here’s the fundamental challenge: increasing production while preempting regulations and minimizing environmental impact.
Are Your Retirement Funds Destroying Rainforests? This New Web Tool Can Tell You
CLEANTECH - For the eco-conscious American, it may seem counterintuitive to invest in companies notorious for deforestation. Unfortunately, they may be unknowingly supporting such corporations through their retirement funds. “When Americans put their hard-earned money in savings and retirement accounts, they believe they are preparing for a better future. But large asset managers undermine that very future, globally speaking, by putting this money into destructive agribusiness firms, generally through complex investment chains and failures in due diligence,” said Jeff Conant, the senior international forests program manager at Friends of the Earth.
Unilever and IFF Team Up with NGOs on Haiti Vetiver Project
PRESS RELEASE - International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and Unilever have announced a new partnership with leading non-governmental associations (NGOs) to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder vetiver farmers in Haiti. Goals set for Vetiver Together, as the project is known, include sustainably improving food security, increasing yields and diversifying income, as well as working to support women’s empowerment and environmental conservation. The project is supported by the Enhancing Livelihoods Fund – a partnership between Unilever, Oxfam Great Britain and the Ford Foundation, and will be implemented by Heifer International.
Innocent Drinks’ App Helps Farmers Cut Water Use by Up to 40%
SUPPLY CHAIN - In the south of Spain, unsustainable water use is threatening Doñana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Europe’s most important wetlands. Located southwest of Seville, the Park supports millions of migratory birds and is a stronghold of the endangered Iberian lynx.
IFF and Unilever Launch Partnership to Improve the Lives of Vetiver Farming Communities in Haiti
PRESS RELEASE - View full infographic here. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. and Unilever announced today a new partnership with leading non-governmental organizations to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder vetiver farmers in Haiti. The partnership, Vetiver Together, aims to sustainably improve food security, increase yields, and diversify income, while working to support women’s empowerment and environmental conservation.
Could Hemp Disrupt the Energy Industry?
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - In West Virginia, residents will soon be seeing a lot more green than they’re used to. And it may come in the form of dollar bills, too. Researchers from West Virginia University are teaming up with a new startup called Agri Carb Electric Corporation to investigate the farming infrastructure benefits of hemp. This will mark the first time West Virginia has allowed hemp cultivation in 70 years.
The Global Demand for Protein Will Require a Sustainable Shift to the Sea
THE NEXT ECONOMY - By 2050, global demand for protein on our dinner plates is expected to increase by 80 percent over current levels, due to population growth in African countries and increased wealth in Asia. How are we going to meet this demand? In 2011, 69 percent of the animal protein consumed globally came from land-based sources — and there are fewer and fewer options for expanding production on land. “Most of the land we think of as farmland is used to grow food for animals, not for people,” says Arlin Wasserman, keynote speaker at the 2015 SeaWeb Seafood Summit and founder of Changing Tastes, a consultancy focused on food sustainability planning.
A Busy Week for Palm Oil Sustainability: Indonesia Cops Out, Singapore Steps In
SUPPLY CHAIN - It was something of a ‘two steps forward, one step back’ kind of week in the ongoing quest for sustainable sourcing of palm oil — potentially the most prolific and embattled ingredient in the consumer goods industry. First, five multinationals active in Singapore — Unilever, Danone, Ayam Brand, IKEA and Wildlife Reserves Singapore — came together this week to drive an increase in the amount of sustainable palm oil sourced in the country, with the goal of delivering products that have not contributed to haze pollution or deforestation to consumers.
BASF Launches New Global Pigments Brand
PRESS RELEASE - BASF announced today the launch of its Colors & Effects brand, bundling BASF’s global pigments business. The new brand encompasses BASF’s distinct colorants and effect pigments portfolio, and serves customers across five key industries, including coatings, plastics, printing, cosmetics, and agriculture. “To continue to grow and develop their business, our customers need a diverse selection of pigments and global expertise,” said Alexander Haunschild, Senior Vice President, Global Pigments Business. “In this competitive marketplace, we created a brand focused entirely on pigments to provide our customers with products and solutions from one single source.”
ReGen Villages: Behind the Design of Self-Sustaining Eco-Communities
CLEANTECH - ReGen Villages is a tech-integrated and regenerative residential real estate development company. The Dutch holding company, in collaboration with Danish architecture firm EFFEKT, was founded by serial entrepreneur James Ehrlich, who describes his brand as “engineering and facilitating the development of off-grid, integrated and resilient neighbourhoods that power and feed self-reliant families around the world.”
Timberland to Restore and Create Green Spaces in 5 Cities Over Next 5 Years
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - This week, outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland announced a goal to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020 in an unexpected, unique way. Each year for the next five years, the brand will match its retail floor space with the creation or restoration of an equivalent amount of green space in a different city with a Timberland store, beginning with New York City. The next four cities will be revealed later this year, with projects ranging from walking trails to community gardens to city parks.
New Palm Oil Risk Tool Allows Companies to Better Identify Deforestation Risk
CLEANTECH - Global Forest Watch’s new PALM (Prioritizing Areas, Landscapes and Mills) Risk Tool, released by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and freely available through its open-source Global Forest Watch Commodities platform, includes information about over 800 palm oil mills in Southeast Asia, along with regularly updated satellite imagery and spatial data.
