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Disney is inspiring fans to think outside the toy box and help protect the planet in celebration of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana.” Inspired by the Disney Store’s new Classic Moana doll box, which can be turned into a boat inspired by the character’s journey, the non-profit Destination Imagination launched a photo challenge to encourage children and their parents to create inventions out of recycled materials found in their ho
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Part one of this two-part discussion on The Future of Certification was, in my opinion, the most interesting discussion I attended at SB’16 Copenhagen. This was in part due to the thought-provoking questions and comments coming from the audience, but also due to the openness and honesty of the panellists in the face of some rather critical queries.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Newly formed groups in Europe and Canada are working to deliver a circular economy for packaging materials: PlasticsEurope has created a Plastics Packaging Circular Economy Group to maximize resource efficiency across the plastics value chain; and Ontario’s Circular Economy Innovation Lab is hosting a series of workshops as part of a Printed Paper and Packaging Rapid Lab.
PRESS RELEASE -
DETROIT — The installation of 186,000 LED bulbs and fixtures is one of many steps helping General Motors save $73 million in energy costs in 2016. Global efforts to increase energy efficiency play a significant part in GM’s goal of meeting the electricity needs of its worldwide operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Marking the 25th anniversary of its industry-changing supplier code of conduct, called Terms of Engagement, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) announced a new commitment to expand the company’s pioneering Worker Wellbeing initiative – both within and outside the company. By 2025, the company aims to:
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Six European startups have been selected as finalists for the third Green Alley Award, a prize that rewards business models and products that can improve resource conservation. Waste-reducing apps, a food packaging system, and a CO2-absorbing urban “tree” are among those in the running.
WASTE NOT -
Ford is aiming to reduce its use of the world’s most precious resource – water – by nearly three-fourths as it takes its next step toward using zero potable (drinking) water for vehicle manufacturing.
By 2020, Ford aspires to have reduced its water usage per vehicle by 72 percent and will have saved more than 10 billion gallons of water since the turn of the millennium. In layman’s terms, that roughly means for every one gallon of water Ford used in manufacturing in 2000, it aims to use about one liter by 2020.
PRESS RELEASE -
KOHLER, Wis. – October 6, 2016 – Kohler Co. has earned its fourth Sustained Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kohler, the leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath plumbing products in the U.S., has long been dedicated to producing efficient, innovative products that are at the forefront of the industry. The company was recognized for its efforts in promoting the EPA’s WaterSense® program and encouraging consumers to use less water in their homes.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors China engaged eight of its parts suppliers in a yearlong “Green Supply Chain” initiative designed to reduce energy consumption. The suppliers implemented 64 projects that resulted in emissions and facility noise reductions, as well as optimized lighting and energy management system improvements.
Altogether, these suppliers realized savings of more than 9.3 million yuan ($1.3 million), and reduced carbon dioxide by more than 5,500 metric tons. This is the equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 142,000 trees grown in the U.S. for 10 years.
GM China supported the suppliers through training programs, energy audits and conservation projects.
PRESS RELEASE -
Lara Birkes, CSO at HPE, talks about HPE's bold new goals:
Thirty times more efficient in 10 years. That’s the ambitious goal Executive Vice President Antonio Neri announced at the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in New York this week. By 2025, Hewlett Packard Enterprise will increase the energy performance of our product portfolio by 30x from a 2015 baseline.
WASTE NOT -
Approximately 12 to 15 million vehicles are scrapped each year in the United States. The average lifespan of a vehicle is estimated to be about 11.5 years, and increasingly those vehicles are comprised of more and more plastics. Recovery of plastic components before shredding is largely driven by the resale market, but some recovery for mechanical recycling is also occurring.
PRESS RELEASE -
Interface, the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet and a leader in sustainable business, will debut a new third-party certification from GreenCircle Certified, LLC and spotlight its Climate Take Back™ mission at the 2016 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo taking place Oct. 5-6 in Los Angeles.
PRESS RELEASE -
Procter & Gamble global chief executive David Taylor met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to discuss the company's manufacturing initiatives in the country and partnership opportunities in education and the government's cleanliness drive.
In line with P&G's global sustainability goals, the company said it has offered to help the country's Clean India Initiative (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) by using technology to reduce waste to landfill that will up-cycle sanitary waste.
The maker of Ariel and Pampers appointed Taylor as its chief a year ago amid falling global sales and restructuring of its products portfolio. Internationally, Taylor has been reorganising P&G's brand portfolio, focusing on the core ones and selling dozens of unprofitable brands.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Product developers, designers and manufacturers looking to create more responsible, sustainable products now have the opportunity to participate in the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Catalyst program, free of charge. An online course, resources for implementing Cradle to Cradle design within an organization, and access to a community of fellow innovators are all part of the program.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition and The Recycling Partnership have teamed up to increase recovery of quality recyclables in the U.S. through a new initiative called ASTRX – Applying Systems Thinking to Recycling. The partners will work closely with a number of other industry groups to fully capture the perspective of the entire recycling landscape, in hopes of unlocking new insights to improving recovery.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
This morning, from the main stage at SB’16 Copenhagen, Carlsberg’s Sustainability Director, Simon Hoffmeyer Boas, unveiled the brewer’s latest design for its Green Fiber Bottle.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Collaborative consumption, also called the sharing economy, is expected to continue growing as a trend, particularly as digital technology makes sharing marketplaces more commonplace and accessible. This shift away from individual ownership of goods could really hurt manufacturers – or, as a recent study suggests, could deliver them profit-making benefits if they adjust their prices and product design.
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The Dow Chemical Company’s (NYSE: DOW) Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP) business opened its first Pack Studios focused on laminating adhesive in North America, which is the Company’s seventh Pack Studios location globally. This announcement follows the opening of Pack Studios Singapore in August. Pack Studios Ringwood is aimed at accelerating a range of plastics applications including laminating adhesives projects through a global network of laboratories, technical experts and testing equipment; Dow’s Pack Studios enable a collaborative innovation process that helps customers deliver faster and more efficient commercialization of new and improved products.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
We’re undergoing a transition to a new economy - one where business is not only focused on returns to shareholders, but also one that understands and prioritizes the complex ecosystem between business, the environment, employees, and the greater community. This new pivot to prioritizing all stakeholders not only creates a framework for accountability and ethical business, but also builds better resilience and long-term value.
PRESS RELEASE -
DETROIT – General Motors plans to generate or source all electrical power for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100 percent renewable energy — such as wind, sun and landfill gas — by 2050.
“Establishing a 100 percent renewable energy goal helps us better serve society by reducing environmental impact,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “This pursuit of renewable energy benefits our customers and communities through cleaner air while strengthening our business through lower and more stable energy costs.”