COLLABORATION -
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is on a mission to help consumers make healthier choices with the launch of a new pilot campaign in Hagerstown, Maryland.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), today announced the completion of a 50-megawatt biomass-fueled combined heat and power plant located at one of P&G’s largest U.S. facilities. Constellation owns and operates the plant, which supplies steam to P&G’s Albany, GA paper manufacturing facility and generates electricity for the local utility, Georgia Power.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
“Sell by,” “Use by,” “Display until” and “Best before” food labels intended to inform consumers about food quality and safety frequently come under fire for their lack of clarity and confusing terminology that contributes significantly to the colossal food waste problem — one that costs families up to $29 billion annually in the United States alone. However, little concrete action has been taken to address the problem.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
SC Johnson, a manufacturer of products such as Windex, Glade, Shout, Raid and Pledge, has signed an agreement to acquire Method and Ecover, two consumer brands from People Against Dirty, a B-Corp and pioneer in ‘planet-friendly’ home, fabric and personal care products. Method and Ecover are well known for their use of naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients and responsible packaging.
BUSINESS CASE -
Four in 10 telecomms and consumer goods companies reporting to CDP fail to capture or report any financial value from strong environmental performance, according to new research released Wednesday by Accenture, CDP Hermes Investment Management.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
As consumer demand for product transparency grows, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to disclose information about the ingredients that go into to their products. Following this call to action, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has unveiled plans to list all fragrance ingredients down to 0.01 percent for its entire product portfolio in the US and Canada by the end of 2019.
WASTE NOT -
Capturing littered plastic – whether in the oceans, on beaches or from city streets – and transforming it into new products has become something of a creative marketing drive, with brand owners investing in high-profile launches to demonstrate leadership in this space: P&G’s beach plastic shampoo bottle and the
WASTE NOT -
A partnership between global customs and logistics company UPS and TerraCycle has reached a major milestone — by transforming hard-to-recycle items such as toothpaste tubes and snack bags into new products, the two organizations have diverted 40 million pounds of waste from landfills since 2012.
CLEANTECH -
Have a look at the gadgets you have within reach right now.
Your cell, your laptop, your tablet, a backup power source – they all have one thing in common. They are powered using a lithium-ion battery, and for good reason.
These batteries offer high energy density and high voltage, meaning they can power increasingly sophisticated electronics. They last a long time. And they are relatively environmentally friendly, containing no polluting metals, such as cadmium, lead or mercury.
BUSINESS CASE -
In the weeks since the announcement that the U.S. would be pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, there has been much debate about the impact this may have on the country’s and entire world’s push toward a more sustainable future. One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation has been that cities, states and especially businesses remain committed to moving forward in the fight against climate change.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Eight million tons of plastic trash find their way into the world’s oceans every year. If this trend continues, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050 according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Considerable action is required to avoid this fate, but more and more organizations are beginning to step up to the plate. Creative campaigns that seek to engage consumers through multi-media and innovative products are proving to be an effective way to reach and educate wide audiences quickly, accelerating the uptake of behaviors and actions that could spur meaningful change.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has announced the winners of the 5th Cradle to Cradle Product Design Challenge, including MyEcoWall, a mobile acoustic wall made from Ecovative mushroom material and Scout, a children’s jacket that “grows” with the child. The Challenge is the fifth in an initial series of six circular design challenges that incentivize and inspire the design community to envision viable product design solutions for the circular economy using Cradle to Cradle product design principles.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Putting its Sustainability 2022 strategy into action, Kimberly-Clark has ramped up its relationship with environmental NGO World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with the launch of its new "♥ YOUR PLANET" ("HEART YOUR PLANET") campaign. Designed to encourage consumers to choose products made with fiber from responsibly managed forests, the campaign will display WWF’s logo on Kimberly-Clark paper towel, facial tissue and toilet paper products sold in North America.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
President Trump has threatened to pull the plug on U.S. involvement of the Paris Agreement ahead of the G7 Summit in Italy later this month, spurring major companies to speak out in support of continued climate change efforts.
WALKING THE TALK -
Following the announcement of its new store renovation initiative, CVS Pharmacy has revealed that it will be eliminating parabens, phthalates and the most prevalent formaldehyde donors in nearly 600 beauty and personal care products in its CVS Health, Beauty 360, Essence of Beauty and Blade lines. CVS Pharmacy will stop shipping store brand products that don’t meet these standards to distribution centers by the end of 2019.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Global fitness brand Reebok has launched its “Cotton + Corn” sustainable products initiative, which will bring plant-based footwear to the market later this year.
CLEANTECH -
This week, two more multinationals joined the ranks of companies energizing their sustainability agendas with bold commitments to power their entire operations with renewables.
COLLABORATION -
Sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions leader Tarkett is the latest brand to embrace transparency with the launch of a new product catalog that could help drive the use of sustainable building materials towards the mainstream for the construction industry.
PRESS RELEASE -
SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2017 – Sustainable Brands® recently opened submissions for its internationally recognized startup business competition Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO). Co-sponsored by Whirlpool, and judging platform YouNoodle, the competition will culminate at SB’17 Detroit, May 22-25, with venture finalists presenting their early operational plans to business leaders and investors in the Sustainable Brands community.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ten companies and organizations, two partnerships, and three individuals today will receive 2017 Climate Leadership Awards for their accomplishments in reducing greenhouses gas emissions and addressing climate change.
The awards, now in their sixth year, are a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry. The awards are being presented this evening at the 2017 Climate Leadership Conference in Chicago.
This year’s awardees represent a wide array of industries including finance, consumer products, retail, aviation, and technology, plus federal and local government.