PRESS RELEASE -
As part of its ongoing commitment to use real, simple sustainably-sourced ingredients, Hellmann's, a Unilever company, today announced that all Hellmann's Mayonnaise and Mayonnaise Dressings are now made exclusively from Cage-Free Eggs across the U.S. consumer portfolio.
In 2010, America's favorite mayonnaise brand set the goal to use 100% Cage-Free Eggs by 2020, becoming one of the first brands to do so at a time when only 2% of egg-laying hens in the U.S. were Cage-Free. Through a deep commitment to sustainable sourcing, and strong partnerships with suppliers and animal-welfare organizations, Hellmann's was able to achieve the goal three years early in the U.S.
PRESS RELEASE -
The rooftop garden next to General Motors’ Renaissance Center world headquarters wrapped up another productive growing season. Now in its third year, the garden – thriving from the landfill-free facility’s compost – resulted in 815 pounds of fresh produce, 150 jars of honey, and $3,546.00 in donations to a community shelter located across the street.
Andiamo Detroit, an Italian restaurant inside the headquarters, made eggplant parmesan, spicy salsa and bruschetta for customers using the garden’s vegetables and herbs. In turn, the restaurant owner made a donation equal to the food’s value to the nearby warming center.
LEADERSHIP -
According to the USDA, demand for organic foods and products have grown significantly every year since the 1990s. But despite increasing popularity, organic acreage hasn’t been able to keep up. Only one percent of US farmland is currently dedicated to organic farming, and those looking to make the transition to organic face real barriers.
CLEANTECH -
Every 15 years, the United Nations gets together to determine its next steps in bettering the earth and the people on it. In late 2015, this took the form of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The SDGs focus on climate action, decreasing poverty, increasing access to health, reducing inequality, and increasing sustainable development, in both rural and developed areas, over the next 15 years. Although the goals appear broad and ambitious, the UN aims to further the advancement of people while protecting and fostering the health and wellbeing of the planet.
NEW METRICS -
For the past year, climate change has returned to the top of the international agenda. While I was attending COP22 in Marrakech last month, the news broke that Trump had been elected President of the United States, with widespread possible implications not just for the U.S. but for the COP21 climate deal reached after such hard bargaining last year in Paris.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Purpose-driven US outdoor clothing giant Patagonia is calling for business leaders to back regenerative organic agriculture, claiming that certain textile standards are “not going far enough.”
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The 2016 results from the Global Canopy Programme’s (GCP’s) ‘Forest 500’ have been released, and they don't bring good news. The deforestation policy analysis of the world's most influential powerbrokers, including companies, financial institutions, and countries, reveals that targets for 2020 and 2030 are unlikely to be met at the current rate of progress.
COLLABORATION -
Sustainable food initiatives aimed at tackling food waste and climate change are sweeping through Europe and the UK, and the latest example comes in the form of a partnership between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK and global catering and facilities firm Sodexo.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted unanimously to update U.S. organic standards to exclude ingredients derived from next-generation genetic engineering and gene editing.
PRESS RELEASE -
Watch the Video Here.
SAN FRANCISCO, November 30, 2016 - Sustainable Brands® joins forces with the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) and BASF to debut a mixed-use urban agriculture development project today. A new Community Resource Center in Detroit’s lower North End is the result of business leaders in the Sustainable Brands community collaborating to redefine growth and development models in urban communities.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) is debuting America’s first sustainable urban agrihood, an alternative neighborhood growth model in Detroit’s lower North End that positions agriculture as the centerpiece of a mixed-use urban development.
Totaling about three acres and nestled in a neighborhood among vacant land, occupied and abandoned homes, MUFI’s urban agrihood features a bustling two-acre urban garden, a 200-tree fruit orchard, a children’s sensory garden, and more. Annually, the urban garden provides fresh, free produce to about 2,000 households within two square miles of the farm.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
B2B chocolate giant Barry Callebaut has pledged to lead the charge to 100 percent cocoa and chocolate sustainability by 2025. This week, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products launched “Forever Chocolate,”a comprehensive sustainability strategy with four main goals that address the key sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain, namely to:
WASTE NOT -
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy have recognized 15 U.S. businesses and organizations pledging concrete steps to reduce food loss and waste in their operations 50 percent by 2030, as recommended by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A new feasibility study entitled Cotton: Export Market Potential for Smallholder Farmers in Haiti makes a case for reintroducing a crop that was once the country’s fourth-largest agricultural export, but which collapsed nearly 30 years ago through a combination of politics and policies.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
After a year of intensive work, the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Convergence Working Group announced in Bangkok today that they have reached agreement on a single, coherent set of rules for implementation of companies’ commitments to “no deforestation” in their palm oil operations and supply chains.
NEW METRICS -
As the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicks off in Marrakech, Morocco – one year on from the historic climate agreement in Paris, and 22 years after the first conference in Berlin – it marks the latest attempt to ensure we live within our planetary boundaries for climate change.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Today, research groups released what they are calling the most comprehensive and detailed look at private sector progress on forest commitments. The report analyzes 600 companies engaged in the production of the “big four” globally traded commodities responsible for 40 percent of deforestation — palm oil, wood, cattle and soy. While forest protection commitments have surged, the report details mixed progress on their implementation.
NEW METRICS -
During this brief but extremely informative breakfast session on the final morning of SB’16 Copenhagen, representatives from Quantis International revealed how they have leveraged their expertise in extracting environmental data to activate metrics for solid sustainability strategy, engagement and communications.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Nestlé and Unilever are helping set the standard for sustainable agriculture, according to a survey of over 150 global sustainability heads conducted by Pure Strategies. The responses identified these firms as the leaders and revealed that farm-level engagement is a top priority across industries such as apparel, home and personal care, and life sciences.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
As climate change, population growth and water pollution increase pressure on freshwater resources, seven global food and beverage companies today announced commitments to work with the thousands of growers in their global supply chains to reduce water use and pollution impacts.