PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
From early-stage startups to college students to grade-school prodigies, 3M, the Biomimicry Institute and Unilever continue to mine the latest, greatest minds for the next sustainability innovations.
CLEANTECH -
Consumer-facing companies get a lot of the attention for their sustainability efforts through great ads and campaigns. But there is a huge role for B2B companies to benefit from sustainability solutions, as well. Flex is one of these.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
SEKISUI SDGs Academy encourages users to think in an enjoyable way about the connections between themselves and the SDGs, through activities such as card games, which involve information about the company’s own products.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Continuing its mission to “undo food” and recently named to Fast Company’s prestigious World’s Most Innovative Companies List for 2019, Back to the Roots today launched The Organic Hemp Starter Grow Kit, the first-ever hemp grow-at-home kit.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
adidas, Diageo and HP launch new films and campaigns, while PepsiCo tackles gender equality in agriculture for International Women’s Day.
COMMUNITY UPDATE -
Today, on Valentine’s Day, people celebrate their sweethearts. We don’t always think about it, but a company can have a heart, too.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Industries, companies and governments are retooling for the future, driven by the sustainability imperatives of climate change; resource, food and water scarcity; social polarization and rising income inequality.
Universities and colleges are no exception. The future will be won by organizations that were proactive, not those that defended the status quo. As with other industries, the post-secondary sector is undergoing a transition as it explores its reason for existence. Does it equip students and professionals for future roles? Yes. Does it also equip its administrators to contribute their expertise, resources, assets and investments to contribute to societal outcomes? Slowly, but surely.
LEADERSHIP -
Atlanta may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of sustainability — but perhaps, it should be.
PRESS RELEASE -
Castlepark Primary School in North Ayrshire will unveil its very own playground made from recycled plastic after winning a national competition to receive a sustainable play area for children.
The playground unveil will happen at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 27th November 2018 at Castlepark Primary School, Irvine, North Ayrshire, with children, parents and representatives from Febreze, Fairy, TerraCycle, Tesco and North Ayrshire Council attending.
Over the summer, Febreze and Fairy partnered with TerraCycle and Tesco to give schools in the UK a chance to win a playground made from recycled plastic. Community members were encouraged to get involved and help their local schools win by voting for them in the competition.
PRESS RELEASE -
IT-company SAP counts on gamification to make employees, customers and partners more familiar with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its new “Wheel of Purpose”. Gamification means applying game-typical elements to a context that has little to do with games to raise motivation and joy for educational content.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
On Friday, Montreal’s McGill University announced the opening of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) — a hub for students, researchers and practitioners to work collaboratively towards bringing retailers into the 21st century. An interdisciplinary, forward-looking school dedicated to all facets of the retail industry, its research and programming will focus on fostering sustainable consumption and healthy societies.
PRESS RELEASE -
Millions of young people around the world know Bear Grylls as a Global adventurer, TV host and best-selling author with a passion for Scouting. Now, as the new Chief Ambassador for the entire global Scout Movement, Bear is getting behind an unprecedented mobilisation of 50 million Scouts to improve the sustainability of our planet.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors’ CAMI Assembly Plant in Canada has received the Wildlife Habitat Council’s highest recognition for overall excellence in corporate conservation, the Gold Program Award. General Motors continues to lead the industry with the most WHC Conservation Certification sites — 75 — and is at nearly 85 percent of its goal to achieve certification at all its manufacturing sites by 2020.
PRESS RELEASE -
Colgate’s support of The Recycling Partnership is part of the All In On Recycling challenge, which kicked off with a $10 million investment from the PepsiCo Foundation this summer. The goal of this largest industry-wide challenge is to raise $25 million in total donations from leading businesses, companies, and organizations to deliver recycling support to more than 2,800 communities nationwide over the next five years.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
SAMBAZON — the first company to bring organic açaí to the U.S. — and The Ecology Center, a non-profit eco-educational center, have launched their second annual Greenhouse Initiative.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, Nestlé Waters North America announced the installation and operation commencement of a third wind turbine at its water bottling facility in Cabazon, California.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
This week, circular economy experts from over 20 countries convened in Scotland as Glasgow hosted the third annual Circular Economy Hotspot. Glasgow used the occasion to announce its intention to become Scotland’s first circular city — this will involve Glasgow City Council publishing the country’s first circular economy route map with a key target to power 15 percent of the city’s homes with renewable energy by 2030.
WASTE NOT -
Working with customers of all sizes, B Corporation Rubicon Global is advancing its mission to end waste worldwide through delivering comprehensive waste reduction and recycling programs for its partners. The movement towards a zero-waste environment is growing in industries like restaurants, retail, education, grocery stores, and small and large corporations alike, and Rubicon is situated to help businesses achieve their goals in this area.
PRESS RELEASE -
Nestlé Waters North America announced today that its Allentown, Pennsylvania factories received certification under the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. Created and supported by prominent environmental conservation groups, development organizations, and industry leaders, the AWS Standard is the first comprehensive global benchmark for responsible water stewardship across social, environmental, and economic criteria. This achievement was confirmed through audits conducted by SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading international third-party certification body, and sole certifier to the AWS standard in North America.