PRESS RELEASE -
BASF has recently entered a strategic collaboration with HP Indigo, the world’s leading manufacturer of digital printing presses. Both companies will collaborate to develop water-based adhesive solutions for flexible packaging that are specially tailored for the requirements of the HP Indigo ElectroInk process, a highly flexible and fast digital printing process.
PRESS RELEASE -
Water-based Joncryl® and Epotal® offer less environmental impact at similar costs and performance compared to solvent-based technologies- Eco-Efficiency Analysis (EEA) proves a reduced carbon footprint for water-based inks and adhesives of about 15%
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Royal Philips (Philips), a leader in health technology, has announced an agreement with a consortium of sixteen banks for a new €1 billion Revolving Credit Facility with an interest rate that will be dependent on the company’s year-on-year sustainability performance improvement.
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.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
CVS Health announced this week it is harnessing the power of design to activate its purpose. The national drugstore chain is rolling out a new store renovation project that builds on its mission to help people on their path to better health.
PRESS RELEASE -
On April 6, Amway joined the world in recognizing Global Health Day. Established in 1950 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations World Health Organization, Global Health Day raises awareness and mobilizes partners to address key global health issues.
The intent of this important day closely aligns with Amway’s Corporate Social Responsibility belief – by using the best of our business and the passion of our people we can solve global challenges and improve individual communities all over the world.
COLLABORATION -
Following the launch of Applied DNA Sciences’s CertainT platform that utilizes molecular tags to certify authenticity and origins of products, AkzoNobel, Advanced Biochemical Thailand Co. and EY have introduced a new online tool that allows businesses, for the first time, to use e-certification to track bio-based content along the chemical value chain.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Obesity, mental health problems, air and noise pollution, heat stress and social exclusion — these are just a few of the health and social challenges Europeans face today. But according to a new report released by Friends of the Earth in conjunction with the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), increased exposure to nature and green space could help improve both physical and mental health.
PRESS RELEASE -
This year, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Habitat for Humanity enter their 35th year of partnership and will add new technologies to help make communities healthier and homes more sustainable for families in need of decent and affordable housing.
In 2017, Dow will support 42 Habitat projects in 19 countries through employee volunteerism, product donations and financial support. Dow has committed more than $1.4 million to support these projects and more than 2,000 employees are anticipated to volunteer building homes alongside future homeowners.
PRESS RELEASE -
Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. and Braskem, the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, announced today a 3-year partnership in which Solegear will utilize Braskem's I'm greenTM Polyethylene to produce and distribute a series of household recycling containers under its good naturedTMbrand.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
At the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, Johnson & Johnson revealed the winners of its first Africa Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to drive innovative and sustainable health solutions that will benefit African communities. The Challenge is part of the company’s comprehensive approach to collaborate with and support Africa’s vibrant innovation, education and health systems institutions.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Over the last few years, we’ve seen consumer demand accelerate the push for corporate responsibility in business. Consumers today aren’t just paying lip service to good causes; more are choosing to ‘vote with their dollars,’ seeking out and purchasing products from companies that align with their values.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Policymakers must limit chemicals entering the material cycle and adapt existing legislation in order to protect human health and the environment from toxic substances in a circular economy, say ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) in a new report.
The NGOs indicate that the current legal framework has failed to ensure information about dangerous chemicals is diffused throughout the whole material cycle and potential subsequent lifecycles.
PRESS RELEASE -
Biotechnology leader Danimer Scientific and global food and beverage company PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) have announced an agreement that includes development of Danimer Scientifics’ biodegradable film resins to meet the sustainable flexible packaging requirements of PepsiCo’s global food and beverage business.
The agreement builds on a long-standing relationship that has included the development of bio-based compostable packaging for PepsiCo’s snack brands, and will facilitate the expansion of Danimer Scientifics’ NodaxTM PHA plant.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Surf equipment manufacturer Futures Fins is introducing a new fin for stand-up paddleboards (SUP) created from biocomposites. The RWC (reclaimed wood composite) Keel is an environmentally friendly biocomposite-based fin that meets, and in some aspects exceeds, traditional performance demands.
LEADERSHIP -
Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks, has launched an independent organization that seeks to improve public health by making truth, transparency and integrity the foremost values in today’s food system.
COLLABORATION -
Last week, during the inaugural Healthy10 Awards, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation honored 10 partnerships for their efforts to connect businesses and communities promote good health.
The Healthy10 Awards concluded the Health Means Business National Summit, an extension of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Health Means Business campaign and an opportunity for business, government and non-profit leaders to discuss the business community’s role in improving community wellness.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), the nation's largest pharmacy innovation company, announced a major commitment in support of women’s heart health. As a new national sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women® movement, CVS Health has pledged to raise a minimum of $10 million over the next three years to support life-saving cardiovascular research and education. Helena Foulkes, President of CVS Pharmacy, has also been named as the inaugural National Chair for Go Red For Women, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke as the number one killer of women and to empower women to take charge of their heart health.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Mother Nature knows best: Even more companies across industries are harnessing biomimicry principles to drive forward renewable energy and develop strong, durable materials that provide protection and promise higher performance.
Tyer Wind, a startup based in Tunisia, has developed a new wind turbine technology based on the flapping of hummingbird wings. Instead of converting linear motion into a circular motion, the turbines mimic the mechanical action of hummingbird wings — a figure-eight pattern — which generates energy on both the upstroke and downstroke.
PRESS RELEASE -
Cisco has launched a targeted investment program called Digital Acceleration Netherlands (DAN), aimed at helping to boost the digitization of the Dutch economy and society. Over the next three years, Cisco will be working closely with the Dutch government, industry and education, through the DAN program and its strategic activities. This program is designed to run in parallel to, and help accelerate the “Digital Agenda for the Netherlands” (which was published by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in July, 2016). By accelerating the national digitization agenda the Netherlands can grow its GDP, create new jobs and provide innovation and education across public and private sectors.