PRESS RELEASE -
Ford Motor Company will provide a briefing at a forum of the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, highlighting its Partnership for A Cleaner Environment. PACE is a program that aims to help the company’s suppliers minimize their impact on the environment by sharing details of Ford’s best practices for water, energy and carbon dioxide reduction.
WASTE NOT -
The UK’s resource efficiency charity WRAP, on behalf of the UK Government and Devolved Administrations, today unveils a pioneering commitment that brings together organizations from across the food system for the first time to make food and drink production and consumption more sustainable for the future.
COLLABORATION -
According to a report issued by the Congressional Budget Office, deforestation activity accounts for 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Companies such as Unilever have adopted zero-deforestation policies; while private sector initiatives are critical to broader zero-deforestation efforts, a more comprehensive approach involving multiple entities from the private and public sectors is necessary.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
A futuristic space station, rainforests and oceans will be explored by a cast of diverse kids and their animal friends in a new 3D-animated television show, Planet Blue. The show’s creators hope to inspire environmental awareness among children and capture their imaginations “with genuinely endearing characters, engaging scenarios, and writing that's funny enough to make them forget that they're learning.”
PRESS RELEASE -
The President and CEO of Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), Tim Brown, is pleased to announce the appointment of well-known sustainability innovator Nelson Switzer as Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.
Nelson has over 15 years of experience in environmental and social sustainability in Canada, the United States and Europe with deep expertise in sustainability strategy development, integration and implementation. Having held pivotal roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Centrica plc NA, as well as the Royal Bank of Canada, he is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of sustainability. Nelson is also former Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Waterloo.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Tyson Foods Inc. was the second biggest polluter of America’s waterways from 2010 to 2014, according to data the company submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Toxic Release Inventory.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
It has taken the combined and herculean efforts of countless individuals, but this week, the vision of the landmark Great Bear Rainforest Agreements has finally been realized. Local communities have a vibrant future and 85 percent of the rainforest in the region is now protected or off-limits to logging.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
New research on natural materials has the potential to unlock innovations in packaging, clean energy, and other industries. Fructose, a sugar found in many plants, and calcium carbonate, the material that crystallizes into chalk, shells, and rocks, have each led to chemical discoveries.DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) have developed a methodology that uses fructose to produce cost-efficient, renewable chemicals and polymers for plastics and textiles.
CLEANTECH -
As President John F. Kennedy so eloquently said in 1963, in response to critics of a proposed dam project: "A rising tide lifts all boats."A current case in point that could significantly benefit the clean energy space: Tidal lagoons — an ancient, natural source of potential power that can be harnessed sustainably for the 21st century and beyond.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Farmers in the United States could soon benefit from two new ways to increase crop yield that were announced this month.CropClimate is the latest use of big data to benefit agriculture. The web platform uses climate-, soil- and crop-modeling to link the effects of environmental conditions, weather and crop yield history and field management to develop more resilient crop production systems, reports Environmental Leader.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Four years after launching its corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose, Hilton Worldwide says its investments in global partnerships and sustainability programs is not only driving positive social impact, but also supporting long-term business success. Hilton discusses its strategy and provides updates on its global impact in its fourth annual corporate responsibility report.Travel with Purpose was designed to examine global issues where Hilton can make an impact while simultaneously contributing to its future success:
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
The oceans have seen better days. Until there are more automated floating trash collectors and The Ocean Cleanup’s giant conveyor belt is up and running, over 5 trillion pieces of plastic will continue to hang out in the sea.
COLLABORATION -
As evidenced by the unprecedented private-sector engagement in COP21 earlier this month, businesses globally get that they need to innovate (and improve!) their products, services and business models to combat climate change, resource scarcity and unpredictable futures. Aside from the alignment of 195 nations on a climate-action agreement, what did all the talk at COP21 amount to from a business perspective? A lot of initiatives that push forward change and collaboration. But is it all smoke and mirrors, and toothless pledges, or is there real action brewing?
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Amidst the bustle of COP21, Indonesian forests have received some pretty good news. After weeks of devastating fires, APRIL Group and Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), two of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, have made strong reforestation commitments.
COLLABORATION -
To mark its 150th anniversary, German firm BASF is hosting a ten-day program in Ludwigshafen focusing on one of the most pressing global challenges: Given the limited resources, how can we secure our energy supply also in the future?By 2050, global energy demand is forecast to rise by more than 50 percent, BASF says, and new solutions will have to be developed in order to secure the energy supply in the future.Germany, in particular, is in the midst of an energy transition: Electricity generation is becoming increasingly decentralized. As a result, electricity grids and energy markets will have to change and become more flexible. That’s why BASF says it chose to make “smart energy” the theme of the tour stop in Germany.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
At least 36 percent and up to 57 percent of the the tree species in the Amazon Rainforest should qualify as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the most widely recognized authority on threats to species conservation, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, as reported by The New York Times.
PRESS RELEASE -
Earlier this week, Kimberly-Clark was awarded the Singapore Sustainable Business Award for Water Management, presented during the Responsible Business Forum Singapore. The company has made significant investments towards supporting the water needs of the communities in which they operate. In order to minimize its water use, ambitious water reduction targets have been set. Recently, the company exceeded its Sustainability 2015 goal of a 25 percent reduction in water use while maintaining the quality of discharge in manufacturing - between 2010 and 2014, Kimberly-Clark’s manufacturing facilities in Asia Pacific reduced their water consumption by 41%.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ford Motor Company received the top score for its work on global water conservation from CDP, the world’s only environmental disclosure agency. Ford is one of eight corporations to receive CDP’s highest honor for its work on water issues, from among more than 400 global companies considered. The full CDP report will be unveiled today as world leaders gather in Tokyo to discuss global water challenges.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Environmental watchdog ForestEthics announced today that four major US companies — Xerox, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Delta Dental and Bigelow Tea — have expanded their commitment to support and promote responsible forestry, by distancing their brands from the controversial Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) paper and wood certification and labeling, and instead supporting and promoting that of the Forest Stewardship Council.