PRESS RELEASE -
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2017 – Sustainable Brands® recently unveiled the session schedule for the Activation Hub at SB’17 Detroit, running May 22-25th at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. The Activation Hub is the action-centered space within the conference program that allows attendees to collaborate on new tools, resources and ideas to accelerate sustainability-led innovation.
COLLABORATION -
Cotton is an integral part of the apparel and textile industry providing livelihoods for over 300 million people across the globe. The environmental and social implications of cotton production are, however, significant.
PRESS RELEASE -
Merit Partners Inc. and Sunbelt Holdings have been named recipients of the Industrial Project of the Year award by NAIOP for REI Goodyear DC, a distribution center for Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), located at PV|303, a master planned business park in Goodyear, Arizona.
The facility is the only net zero energy, U.S. Green Building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified distribution center in the world. Its roof features a 2.2 megawatt solar system that produces enough energy to power the entire facility, or the equivalent of 390 homes for one year.
COLLABORATION -
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has launched a new pilot program in Bogota, Colombia, designed to provide consumers with nutrition and physical activity guidance and education to empower consumers to make more informed food-purchasing decisions.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
President Trump has threatened to pull the plug on U.S. involvement of the Paris Agreement ahead of the G7 Summit in Italy later this month, spurring major companies to speak out in support of continued climate change efforts.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
During the Walmart Sustainability Milestone Summit, eight global brands representing over $72 billion in revenue announced that they will be joining the How2Recycle label program. The program seeks to educate consumers about how to recycle packaging correctly.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Building on its commitment to remove harmful chemicals from its products and invest in green chemistry, retail giant Target has kicked off its first-ever Target Takeoff — a mini retail boot camp focused on supporting emerging businesses who are working to create healthier, more ethical and sustainable products.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Following the announcement of a new partnership in November 2016, UPS and Sealed Air Corporation have opened a Packaging Innovation Center in Louisville, KY on the UPS Supply Chain Solutions campus. The center will focus on creating solutions for packaging and shipping challenges faced by e-commerce retailers and a variety of other sectors by maximizing efficiency, minimizing waste and reducing shipping costs.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Four years after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in which 1,134 people were killed, Fashion Revolution has released its 2017 Fashion Transparency Index, which ranks 100 of the biggest fashion companies on their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts.
PRESS RELEASE -
At Target, our commitment to sustainability is how we help protect the planet, support our communities and invest in the future of our business. That means looking not only at the products we sell, but also the packages they come in.
“We know our guests pay attention to packaging and its impact on the environment,” says Jennifer Silberman, Target’s chief sustainability officer. “When we provide them with thoughtfully designed, environmentally friendly packaging, we’re able to help them take another step toward sustainable living.”
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
CVS Health announced this week it is harnessing the power of design to activate its purpose. The national drugstore chain is rolling out a new store renovation project that builds on its mission to help people on their path to better health.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Kohler Signature Store by First Supply has become the first retail space in the U.S. to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification under the new LEED v4 guidelines. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the 5,800 square-foot showroom located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, LEED Gold v4 for Interior Design & Construction Retail.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Walmart is the first retailer to adopt a science-based target emissions-reduction plan, in which it aims to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 18 percent by 2025, as well as reducing CO2e emissions from upstream and downstream Scope 3 sources by one billion tons (a gigton) between 2015 and 2030.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The concept of fast fashion isn’t exactly synonymous with conscious consumerism and sustainability, but major retailer H&M has been at the forefront of the movement to change that — and the fashion industry as a whole.
WASTE NOT -
Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, and it is not a feature reserved only for products and services. B2B and retail companies, too, face the challenge of distinguishing themselves in the marketplace with a strong identity that stands out from direct and indirect competitors. The expanded retail landscape has altered the way consumers interact with brands, and E-commerce sites, dynamic mobile apps, and text message ordering systems afford infinite possibilities for communicating initiatives and marketing.
PRESS RELEASE -
Ten companies and organizations, two partnerships, and three individuals today will receive 2017 Climate Leadership Awards for their accomplishments in reducing greenhouses gas emissions and addressing climate change.
The awards, now in their sixth year, are a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry. The awards are being presented this evening at the 2017 Climate Leadership Conference in Chicago.
This year’s awardees represent a wide array of industries including finance, consumer products, retail, aviation, and technology, plus federal and local government.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Pharmacy is the first national retail pharmacy chain to announce the removal of partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the primary source of artificial trans fats in processed foods, from all its exclusive store brands food products. The retailer now offers over 600 exclusive snack and grocery options which are free from artificial trans fats. This comes a year and a half ahead of the Food and Drug Administration's deadline of June 2018 for processed foods to be reformulated without artificial trans fats, underscoring the company's ongoing commitment to customers' health.
LEADERSHIP -
If there existed any question about the effectiveness of boycotts, recent actions taken across the retail industry by both consumers and brands should remove any doubt. The performance of Ivanka Trump’s fashion line plummeted as her father’s presidential campaign gained momentum, leading major retailers such as Nordstrom to pull the plug on her products not long after his inauguration.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
While recycling most certainly plays an important role in the shift to the development of a more circular, sustainable economy, it largely focuses on a product or material’s end of life. But recent initiatives and technological breakthroughs are helping more companies design impacts out of their products’ life cycles.
LEADERSHIP -
In response to Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s resolution urging the Trump administration to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument, Patagonia announced that it would be opting out of this year’s Outdoor Retailer trade show. Outdoor Retailer (OR) is held every year in Salt Lake City, Utah, and brings in an estimated $50 million to the state according to the Outdoor Industry Association.