SUPPLY CHAIN -
As an issue putting nearly a trillion dollars at risk, deforestation has quickly become a front-of-mind concern for businesses dependent on forest-risk commodities, such as timber, palm oil and cocoa. However, new data released by the Forest 500 shows that the 250 companies with the greatest influence over forests are failing to adequately address deforestation risks, and will not meet 2020 goals to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
2017 was a big year for the circular economy, with innovative new products, initiatives and tech tools popping up almost daily, and making it easier than every for corporates and consumers alike to engage in circularity.
An initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, The Circulars are awarded to individuals, companies (from startups to multinationals) and public and social organizations in recognition for their contributions to the circular economy. This year, 43 innovators have been nominated for pushing the circular agenda forward and paving the way for others in their field.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The cocoa industry is undoubtedly changing for the better, but the road to a sustainable sector is a long one. According to industry experts, long-term, sustainable change can’t be made without paying farmers a premium.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Furthering its mission to create a kinder, healthier world — one snack at a time — KIND has launched a new video campaign that explores the courage it takes to be kind towards strangers in an effort to kindle a conversation about what it will take to overcome the issues currently dividing the US.
The video release, in conjunction with a nationwide contest, is part of KIND’s effort to explore the differences between being “nice” and being “kind” — an oft overlooked distinction that has tangible implications on how we act towards one another.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
An estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic waste are in the ocean today and every year around eight million metric tons more are being added. Earlier this year, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warned that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans if a more effective system for global plastics is not put into place.
PRESS RELEASE -
by: Danielle Azoulay, AVP of CSR & Sustainability for L’Oréal USA
I was 12 years old when Hurricane Andrew blew the roof off my Miami house. Huddled under mattresses, my family and I scuttled around our living room looking for somewhere to hide, while debris was falling overhead. Now living in New York City, I naively thought that I had traded tropical hurricanes for winter snowstorms, but when tropical storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy hit, that notion proved untrue.
PRESS RELEASE -
Crédit Agricole, Danone, Firmenich, Hermès, Michelin, SAP, Schneider Electric & Voyageurs du Monde accelerate their actions for climate & the most vulnerable populations
This new impact investment fund, with a target of 100 million euros, aims at improving the lives of 2 million people and avoiding the emissions of up to 25 million tons of CO2 over a 20-year span.
PRESS RELEASE -
“Drive Sustainability”, a partnership between ten leading automotive companies (BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Scania CV AB, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group), will set up a Raw Materials Observatory to identify and address ethical, environmental and labour rights issues in the sourcing of raw materials.
PRESS RELEASE -
VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, has joined the Fur Free Retailer program by partnering with the Fur Free Alliance, an international coalition of 43 animal protection organizations.
As a Fur Free Retailer, VF is reinforcing its commitment to fur free products and communicating its no fur policy, which covers its more than 20 brands, including Vans®, The North Face®, Timberland®, Wrangler®, Lee® and Napapijri®. VF released its first-ever Animal Derived Materials Policy earlier this year and announced that its brands would no longer use fur, angora or exotic leather.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Electric vehicles and alternative fuels are key components of the auto industry’s vision for the future, but technology isn’t the only thing driving sustainable mobility.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
For the last 5 years, my firm has tracked the sustainability goals of the world’s largest companies. These thousands of targets commit multinationals to do many important things, such as slashing carbon emissions in half (or to zero) or bringing the percentage of women in management up dramatically. The project, managed in part by my colleague Jeff Gowdy, keeps the public and free website www.pivotgoals.com humming.
PRESS RELEASE -
Aiming to enrich the lives of 5.5 million youth in the United States by 2021, LG Electronics USA is launching a unique new corporate social responsibility initiative called “Life’s Good: Experience Happiness.” The science-based platform is designed to engage non-profit partners who help equip American youth with the skills for sustainable happiness.
Experts define happiness in a number of ways, including the ability to consistently recognize that life’s good – even if it’s hard sometimes.[1] Seventy years of research shows happy people are healthier, live longer, and do better in school and life. Yet, in the United States today, two out of three youth are stressed. [2]
PRESS RELEASE -
University of Phoenix® and PepsiCo today announced cooperation on a mentorship program designed to encourage more women to enter the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and finance workforces to help women bridge the gender gap and fill the growing number of open positions in STEM fields.
COLLABORATION -
As part of its ongoing regionalization strategy, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has created a Japan Sustainability Local Group. Chaired by Koji Inoue of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., the Local Group will help local and multinational CGF members in Japan share knowledge and best practices on sustainability challenges facing the consumer goods industry and strategies for working towards the CFG’s global Environmental and Social Sustainability Resolutions.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Packaging remains a considerable challenge for businesses looking to reduce their impacts, but innovators such as food-service supplier Eco-Products and Finnish startup Sulapac are helping to accelerate the transition to lower-impact models through cross-industry partnerships and sustainable packaging solutions.
PRESS RELEASE -
Taking place directly after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday encourages small acts of kindness once the frenzy of post-Thanksgiving shopping sales is over. Since its inaugural year in 2012, Giving Tuesday has brought people together to celebrate and support philanthropy.
Over the past year, HEINEKEN USA has worked with a range of partners to make cities greener, promote better decision-making, and foster more inclusive communities.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem is again included in BM&FBovespa Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE), a portfolio of listed companies that adopt the best social and environmental practices. Since the creation of the list, in 2005, the petrochemical company has been in its composition.
CLEANTECH -
Carlsberg Group is now one step closer to achieving its Together Towards Zero goals — the company’s brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden is now 100 percent powered by biogas and clean electricity, thereby reducing its CO2 emissions to zero.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In an era where brands are becoming increasingly socially conscious to keep up with societal trends, Marc Skid is no exception. The recently launched online underwear retailer is using the finest, sustainably grown materials to provide its customers both a high-quality product and an opportunity to donate to feed, cure and save the world.
WALKING THE TALK -
With the launch of its #OptOutside campaign in 2015, REI set a new precedent in retail, shuttering its stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, giving its employees a paid day off and – on a day that has come to represent consumerism at its most extreme – encouraging staff and consumers alike to forgo the shopping frenzy in favor of the great outdoors. The move epitomized the company’s ethos and kickstarted a movement to drive positive behavior change and impacts.