PRESS RELEASE -
There is a pressing need for companies to address water risks in their supply chain, according to well-known sustainability innovator Nelson Switzer, chief sustainability officer for Nestlé Waters North America, speaking at a national environmental conference today.
“As the effects of climate change increase and extreme weather patterns persist, the water supply in the U.S. is threatened, creating serious environmental and economic risks for companies across the country. These threats are not exclusive to any one industry. Water scarcity is a problem that poses significant risk to every person and every business,” said Switzer in his keynote address at the Environmental Leader Conference in Denver, CO.
WASTE NOT -
One of the biggest trends in business for years has been the paperless office. Many brands have taken the digital or paperless office to extremes; social media platform Buffer, for example, does not have a central office, relying on its employees to produce remotely.
While this model is great for sustainability purposes, it isn’t ideal for larger organizations. However, that doesn’t mean that a brand the size of Amazon isn’t capable of going paperless. The conversion simply has to happen differently.
LEADERSHIP -
Remember Coles Notes? Those magical little study aids that helped bring focus and clarity to even the most mind-numbing of university courses (Hmmm, come to think of it, I wonder what they were printed on?). As a busy professional, I now rely on exactly that kind of trusted analysis in almost all realms of my life - be it which phone to replace my ailing device with, which restaurants serve the best vegetarian fare, where to stay whilst on the road.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
This week, outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland announced a goal to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020 in an unexpected, unique way. Each year for the next five years, the brand will match its retail floor space with the creation or restoration of an equivalent amount of green space in a different city with a Timberland store, beginning with New York City. The next four cities will be revealed later this year, with projects ranging from walking trails to community gardens to city parks.
PRESS RELEASE -
To further expand how Bank of America is creating long-term value across Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors, today the company shares progress made to deliver on its purpose of helping make financial lives better for customers, clients and communities around the world. The Business Standards Report, first published earlier this year, plus the ESG Addendum, together detail how the company is delivering responsible, sustainable growth – making the business more efficient, helping employees realize their potential and helping local communities around the world address their biggest challenges.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The purpose of business is changing. While historically, business students have been taught that the purpose of business solely is to increase investors’ profits — known as the Friedman Doctrine — the most successful brands are searching for a deeper meaning. Defining and activating purpose in business was the key theme of Tuesday evening’s plenaries at Sustainable Brands 2016.
While Millennials often receive credit for compelling companies to embrace higher ideals, this actually is something all generations of demanded, said Shannon Schuyler, Chief Purpose Officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). However, because Millennials are such a large demographic and constantly communicate via technology, their voices are being heard.
PRESS RELEASE -
thinkstep Strengthens Sales and Customer Focus with the Appointments of new Directors of Consumer Goods and Product Stewardship
PRESS RELEASE -
Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit that envisions a country in which every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, and The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs at UPS (NYSE: UPS), today announced the distribution of 30 grants totaling $160,000 for its 2016 Keep America Beautiful/UPS Community Tree and Recovery Tree Planting Grants program. The grant recipients’ projects will result in more than 10,500 trees being planted in support of locally-relevant initiatives.
PRESS RELEASE -
Philadelphia, PA (June 6, 2016) – EEQO, a privately owned company located in The Netherlands, Europe, which produces a broad range of natural cleaning and maintenance products under the brands Rhinoc, Rhinoc Sport, and Seesoo, announces a partnership with companies Avery Dennison and Braskem to use biobased polyethylene self-adhesive labels in their packaging. All EEQO’s products use mainly natural ingredients, are biodegradable and, in some cases, even probiotic.
PRESS RELEASE -
In collaboration with Braskem and Consolidated Container Company, Seventh Generation eliminates oil-based plastic content from its 100 oz laundry packaging.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Sustainable Brands ’16 San Diego is coming up June 6-9, and part of the fun includes this year’s competition for game-changing, purpose-driven startups — the SB Innovation Open, hosted by Target. In part two of our two-part introduction to our inspiring semi-finalists (meet the rest in part one), we meet a soccer ball manufacturer fighting poverty; a truly natural, earth-friendly soap; a clean way to extract copper, and more.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Our 2016 SB Innovation Open, hosted by Target is approaching fast, and our latest crop of disruptive, purpose-driven startups are among our most exciting yet. From edible beer to sustainable farming solutions, here’s a closer look at who will be joining us in San Diego in just two short weeks.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
In 1997, biologist Janine Benyus popularized the term “biomimicry,” with her groundbreaking book of the same name, and spearheaded the growth of the discipline dedicated to applying Nature’s designs and processes to create a healthier, more sustainable world. I recently spoke with Janine about some of her favorite biomimetic innovations, about asking more from our design interventions, and some of the yet untapped areas in which Nature’s genius could help solve our most intractable problems.
PRESS RELEASE -
At DuPont, our people are not only the engine driving our performance but also the inspiration behind our commitment to sustainability. For more than two centuries, they have identified opportunities, made connections, taken risks, and developed new innovations to exceed our customers’ expectations.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The environmental and social benefits of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification are proven, as the organisation works to ensure sustainable use of forest products. But a recent WWF study has found that there is also a concrete economic benefit. The bottom line? On average, forestry companies can earn an extra US$1.80 for every cubic metre of FSC-certified timber.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The ocean’s value has been estimated as high as $24 trillion, yet despite its inherent connections to the health and well-being of wildlife, humans, and the global economy, it continues to be overexploited and polluted. Scientists have estimated that a minimum of 5.25 trillion plastic particles are in the oceans, and some studies suggest that these contaminants can make their way all the way up the food chain.
PRESS RELEASE -
UPS (NYSE: UPS) announced today that Tamara Barker has been named the company’s new Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and Vice President of Environmental Affairs, effective immediately. Barker will succeed Rhonda Clark, a 26-year UPS veteran, who has been named Vice President of Corporate Plant Engineering for UPS.
Barker, a nearly 30-year UPS veteran, has held a wide array of roles at the company, most recently as the west region director of plant engineering.
PRESS RELEASE -
The 2015 report by Nestlé continues the practice of transparent reporting on a set of forward-looking commitments that articulate the company’s firm belief that to prosper over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must also create value for society.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
When you’re shopping for your next hoodie, this startup is hoping you’ll choose to plant as many as 93 trees: ch8se (choose) is a new experimental fashion brand from Amsterdam that has decided to donate its would-be advertising budget towards planting trees or providing food or water to those in need.
“This is an attempt to democratise consumer activism. We believe that conscious consumerism is our most effective tool for making a change and it's currently extremely under-utilized,” ch8se co-founder David Eros told Sustainable Brands in an e-mail.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
John A. Mathews and Hao Tan, both professors based in Australia, believe that the country that consumes the most resources in the world and produces the most waste also has the most advanced solutions. In a recent article for Nature, they summarized China’s progress on closing industrial loops to reduce its industries’ consumption of virgin materials and waste generation – in other words, the development of a circular economy.
China’s levels of consumption and waste are completely unsustainable, and its resource use is inefficient. The authors provide several statistics for context: