WASTE NOT -
This is the second in a four-part series on geomimicry by renowned author and George Mason University professor Dr. Gregory C. Unruh. Read part one here.
PRESS RELEASE -
Now in its second year, the 2018 Africa Innovation Challenge is open to innovators and entrepreneurs from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria & Ghana among other African countries.
The challenge focuses on identifying scalable and sustainable solutions to six major health and environmental problems for Africa’s population.
Winning Africa-based innovators and startups are eligible for mentorship and US$50,000 in financial support and resources to help bring their ideas to market
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the Americas’ largest resin producer and the world’s leading biopolymer producer, has defined a series of global initiatives to boost the Circular Economy in the production chain of manufactured plastic goods.
“We are firmly committed to the goal of helping to transform the linear economy into a Circular Economy, effectively demonstrating our commitment to sustainable development,” said Fernando Musa, Braskem’s CEO. “By establishing a series of global initiatives, engaging in voluntary commitments and expressing publicly its global positioning for the Circular Economy, Braskem is inviting clients, its partners in the value chain, its Team Members and society in general to intensify their joint quest for innovative and sustainable solutions using plastic.”
WALKING THE TALK -
Arriving on the heels of Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Michael proved again that companies are making significant commitments to relief and recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters. Our round-up of Hurricane Florence corporate response efforts covered some innovative ways that companies are reacting to disasters. Unfortunately, we’re already revisiting the topic with a snapshot of how companies reacted to Michael, and why it’s increasingly critical for any company to have a disaster response strategy in place.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Jennifer Motles and her colleagues at Philip Morris International (PMI) are on a crusade to end smoking. They know many of us probably won’t believe them. And they are OK with that; they just want the chance to prove it.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Although developments in the field of artificial intelligence began around the 1950s, its capacities have significantly increased in the recent years. Owing to factors such as the development of faster computers, availability of open-source software and the access to vast amounts of computational data, AI has now branched into machine learning (ML), probabilistic predictions, chaos theory and evolutionary computation. Investing in artificial intelligence courses, therefore, prepares people to undertake not just one, but many AI applications.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Today at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Sustainable Development Impact Summit, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and WEF committed to help solve world hunger by 2030 through the innovative application of technology. HPE and WEF are calling on public and private organizations to join them in an open collaboration to find solutions that will eliminate food insecurity; and sustainably, nutritiously and inclusively feed a growing population.
PRESS RELEASE -
Novozymes, world leader in biological solutions, and DSM, world leader in animal nutrition, announce the launch of BalanciusTM, a new feed additive for broiler chickens.
“Balancius is the first and only feed additive that works by improving gut health for chickens. It allows broilers to better take up nutrients from feed, thus helping them to grow better and farmers to use less feed. No other technology works like this,” says Susanne Palsten Buchardt, Vice President at Novozymes.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Signatories of the Chemical Footprint Project — companies across a range of industries with $2.78 trillion in assets under management and over $700 billion in purchasing power — are asking their stakeholders: Where are you on your chemicals management journey? Are you participating in the CFP Survey? What are your CFP Survey answers?
“Leadership in chemical and material health is participating in the CFP Survey,” highlighted Dr. Mark S. Rossi, Executive Director of Clean Production Action and co-founder of CFP.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
VTT — the Technical Research Centre of Finland — is helping to solve the global plastic waste problem with a project called PlastBug, a mobile container unit that removes plastic waste from ocean areas and converts it into material for other uses.
"Our idea is to design a mobile container where microbes degrade plastic waste to valuable products like fuels or chemicals," says Kari Koivuranta, Principal Scientist at VTT.
PRESS RELEASE -
Philadelphia, PA & Boulder, CO – August 29, 2018 - Braskem (BM&FBOVESPA: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest thermoplastics polyolefins producer in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, and Only Natural Pet, America’s leading brand of natural pet supplies, together announced a new sustainable pet food packaging initiative utilizing Braskem’s sugarcane based I’m greenTM biopolymer. Only Natural Pet is integrating at least 30% bioplastic packaging material into every bag of its recently launched line of Mindful Meals dry dog food, directly supporting Only Natural Pet’s ongoing commitments to environmental sustainability and carbon reduction.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Health today released new data showing that the company's real-time benefits program, powered by its proprietary engine, Script Intelligence , can save CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) members between $120-$130 per prescription fill. The company found that, when provided with access to member-specific pharmacy benefit and formulary information at the point-of-prescribing, prescribers are often switching a member to a lower cost covered drug when available.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Over his more than 30 years in the business, Mike Saltzberg has seen firsthand how sustainability has grown to be of equal consideration with technical performance and cost in the development of new biomaterials.
Saltzberg is the Global Business Director for Biomaterials at DuPont Industrial Biosciences, the team that ideates and develops products derived from bio-based materials. Among their innovations is DuPont™ Sorona®, a partially plant-based fiber increasingly used in apparel and carpet.
PRESS RELEASE -
Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health and well-being companies, today released its 2016-2017 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. In the comprehensive report, Humana, for the first time, announces the company’s alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), becoming one of the first U.S. health insurers to commit to the international targets.
PRESS RELEASE -
Imagine lifting a bag of flour or a watermelon over your head up to 4,600 times a day as part of your job – that is similar to what some Ford employees do every day as they work to build vehicles around the world.
Repetitive motions like those can lead to fatigue and injury for workers, but now Ford is rolling out a new wearable technology globally called EksoVest that helps reduce injury risk in some plant workers after a successful trial in two U.S. plants.
PRESS RELEASE -
Newtrition®, BASF’s human nutrition brand invites innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide to participate in the first-ever Newtrition Health Innovation Challenge.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The rise of natural health products and cosmetics has set off a flurry of research and development to discover the next great breakthrough for skin care or for specialized foods that provide an energy boost when you need it most. From shampoos and natural medicines to herbal teas and healthy spreadable fats, Earth’s biodiversity is providing the inspiration for a growing number of consumer goods. What began as luxury products for high-end shoppers have now gone more mainstream, as ingredient-savvy consumers look to natural alternatives in our chemically saturated stores.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The U.S. healthcare sector is the second most intensive commercial user of energy. Hospitals are one of the largest energy users, contributing 8 percent of the U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the purchase of healthcare goods and services, and produce more than 4.67 million tons of waste each year. Realizing the significance of these impacts, NewGen Surgical was started in 2012 with a vision to make single-use medical devices more sustainable through their redesign and material inputs.
PRESS RELEASE -
Unique biotechnological procedure for using gaseous waste as a source for raw materials
Technology with potential for applications in the chemical industry
BASF Venture Capital GmbH is to invest in LanzaTech, a biotech company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Using special microbes, LanzaTech has developed a technology for gas fermentation that first enables ethanol to be produced from residual gases containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. By re-using waste streams instead of incinerating them, industrial companies can reduce carbon dioxide emissions.