SUPPLY CHAIN -
Organizations making up the so-called “Freedom Ecosystem”, including businesses, government, civil society, the funding community and the broader public, can form critical partnerships to help end modern day slavery, according to a new report by Deloitte and nonprofit Free the Slaves.The Freedom Ecosystem – How the Power of Partnership Can Help Stop Modern Day Slavery is the product of a years-long collaborative effort between Deloitte and Free the Slaves, which describes how the Freedom Ecosystem can use collective action to remove conditions that allow slavery to exist.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A 2010 report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF estimated that four out of every 10 people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink, and according to Green Cross International, roughly 3,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by ingestion of filthy water.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Thanks to the ingenuity of private businesses and the leadership of intergovernmental organizations, humanity has made monumental leaps forward since the dawn of the 21st century.I am not talking about the rise of the smartphone. I am talking about the fight for a more prosperous, sustainable and equitable world.Over the past 15 years, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals have brought governments and NGOs together with leaders from the private sector to build the most successful anti-poverty movement in history, ultimately lifting more than a billion people out of extreme poverty.Today, though, there is much more to do.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Royal Dutch Shell announced Monday it has aborted its mission to drill for oil in the Arctic after failing to find enough of it, according to the Associated Press. The move, which darkens the outlook for long-term domestic oil drilling here in the U.S., validates environmental groups such as Greenpeace, which has relentlessly campaigned against the company for years in efforts to prevent what Executive Director Annie Leonard has called “a terrible mistake.”
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Sustainable Angle is a UK-based not-for-profit organization that initiates and supports projects that help minimize the environmental impact of industry and society. Its principal project, The Future Fabrics Expo, now in its fifth year, focuses on the fashion industry and how its egregious environmental impacts can be reduced through innovation in textiles, and novel ideas to transform the fashion system and design practice.We recently spoke with Researcher and Project Manager Charlotte Turner about the impetus for the organization and its impacts to date.
CLEANTECH -
Microsoft, GE and Bank of America are among the ten companies supporting a White House challenge to U.S. cities to become smarter by accelerating deployment of innovative technologies that tackle energy, water, waste and air challenges.Organized by the nonprofit, Envision America, the new effort will invite leaders from 10 winning communities to participate in a workshop in January in Charlotte, NC, where they will work with leading experts from industry and academia to diagnose needs, workshop solutions and develop new smart initiatives for their community.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
On the heels of a coalition of British NGOs and businesses issuing a “litter manifesto” to help clean up the UK last month, research from Keep Britain Tidy has revealed that an anti-littering campaign launched in May has achieved rather impressive results.
WASTE NOT -
Two Canadian non-profit groups have partnered on a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of producing 50,000 snack bags for hungry children in Edmonton, Alberta.
BLOG -
Sustainable Brands Rio 2015, which took place August 25-27, saw the participation of over 500 attendees from business, civil society organizations, NGOs, universities, governments and the third sector. This year, the theme "How now: how innovation in sustainability is transforming business now" reinforced an open and critical view on trends which, on a larger scale, may lead to positive change in companies´ business models.
COLLABORATION -
New research from international non-profit organization WorldFish makes a strong case for how to improve nutrition in Bangladesh. The study finds that there are significant health benefits associated with the use of small fish in chutney and flour, especially for pregnant women and infants.Bangladesh has high rates of undernutrition; 24 percent of women in Bangladesh aged 15-49 have a body mass index (BMI) below the healthy range. For infants and children, undernutrition is a major cause of stunting which can adversely affect their development, especially in the first 1,000 days of life.
LEADERSHIP -
The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), a nonprofit coalition of leading electronics companies dedicated to supply chain responsibility, on Wednesday announced the launch of a foreign migrant worker protection pilot program that aims to improve communications in electronics factories by providing workers with more effective ways to report issues related to social, environmental and ethical responsibility.The program, called “Suara Kita”, which is Malay for "Our Voice," will be piloted in Malaysia — given the sizable industry presence and large number of foreign workers there — from September 2015 through December 2016 with plans for it to be rolled out globally afterward.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the standard-setting and certification organization for sustainable forestry, will host its 5th annual premier global business event in Durban, South Africa from September 3rd to 5th. In Good Company 2015 (IGC 2015) will gather leading companies across sectors, brands and international NGOs to explore challenges and opportunities in forest certification.
COLLABORATION -
The uproar over the recent poaching and killing of Zimbabwe’s beloved Cecil the Lion has thrust wildlife hunting and trafficking back into the international spotlight.On the heels of President Obama’s recent visit to Kenya, he announced on July 31 the formation of the United States Wildlife Trafficking Alliance - a voluntary coalition of non-profit organizations, companies, foundations and media interests that will be working closely with the U.S. government in a collaboration to reduce the purchase and sale of illegal wildlife and wildlife products.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Greenpeace has begun its latest campaign against Shell, with a month of protests over the oil giant’s plans to drill in the Arctic.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Motivating the public to participate in a campaign can be challenging, especially when it involves changing behaviors or contemplating a social ill that’s more pleasant to forget. But lest society collapse from its ignorance, advocates press on with clarion calls for social and environmental action.Two recent advocacy campaigns continue to demonstrate the efficacy of integrating clever, eye-catching displays with light-hearted appeals for change.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The recent announcement by McDonald's, which outlines its approach to combatting deforestation across its main commodity supply chains, is perhaps the most comprehensive environmental commitment of any major restaurant group. It sets an example for all global organisations in how they should be ensuring sustainability throughout their supply chains, and reflects how a Zero Deforestation agenda is becoming the new normal for international business.
COLLABORATION -
Deliver Change, a UK-based non-profit focused on sustainable technology projects, launched a campaign this week called “Let’s make air pollution visible,” which aims to bring together businesses, policy makers and local groups to solve the problem of air pollution in the UK.“Air pollution remains the greatest invisible threat to our health today, as well as to the economic performance of our cities,” said Deliver Change chief executive Jonathan Steel. “People are waking up to the problem, but we need to be able to see the ‘unseeable’.”
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The far-reaching social impacts of the fashion industry were catapulted into the global spotlight with the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in 2013.
WASTE NOT -
Noted sustainability leader Unilever is spearheading a movement for industrial waste reduction.Last week the CPG giant hosted an event in partnership with 2Degrees, bringing together over 100 representatives from academia, NGOs and companies, including Mars, GSK, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Sainsbury’s. Entitled “The zero waste mindset — new ways of thinking to deliver transformational change,” the event created an open discussion on moving companies to zero waste.