PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
A growing number of forward-thinking companies have set about redesigning urban mobility solutions to meet the needs of modern cities and their citizens — from Lyft committing to providing carbon-neutral ride-sharing nationwide; to the growing popularity of electric bikes and scooters for personal mobility; to Ford’s work on everything from autonomous and connected vehicles to roads, parking and public transit solutions to
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
It’s estimated that nearly 8 million tons of plastic flow into our oceans every year; even more goes into landfills. While there are many great companies focused on recovering this plastic, there is one developing a plan for what to do with those millions of tons after the cleanup is done.
WASTE NOT -
Long before concepts such as future-fit and circular became buzzwords, Fuji Xerox was already busy redefining business as usual and demonstrating the opportunities to be harnessed by embracing a more sustainable, resource-efficient business model.
NEW METRICS -
At the closing of the New Metrics '17 conference in Philadelphia last month, attendees were asked: “What ‘New Metric’ will you go back and implement in 2017/2018?” The overriding response tabulated in real time and displayed on the big screen in a word cloud (above) was “context based,” meaning Context-Based Sustainability (CBS) and its corresponding context-based metrics.
NEW METRICS -
While measurement, disclosure and other forms of engagement were the dominant themes yesterday, day two of New Metrics ’17 saw brands, NGOs and solution providers digging deeper to reveal practical applications and concrete findings from where the rubber meets the road in the world of sustainability metrics.
The design and implementation of a Sustainable Product Optimization Tool
By Anna Shugoll
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Today at SB’17 Copenhagen, Makersite co-founder Christoph Wilfert will take attendees through the new features and expanded functionality of the all-in-one open data platform for eco-design, product costing and stewardship.
Product teams use it to analyse and collaborate on how things are made and to improve the impacts of making them.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Maybe you remember visiting a post office to pick up one of your online purchases and seeing the hundreds, even thousands, of packages going to other shoppers — to be used once and thrown away.
Sure, online purchases need to be individually labelled and protected for transport, so some form of packaging is necessary. But shouldn’t we as environmentally conscious purchasers have a say in how our goods are packaged? And shouldn't sustainably minded brands be able to offer their customers a choice in this matter? Because surely shoppers and brands would choose a returnable, recyclable package for transporting online purchases — especially if it made economic sense.
This is where RePack comes in.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
UL, a US-based safety consulting and certification company, has unveiled two new initiatives aimed at driving environmental and social responsibility throughout the global supply chain.
NEW METRICS -
Part Eight in a 10-Part Series by Reporting 3.0. See previous parts below.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Despite the attention the issue has received in the past decade, child labor and modern slavery are still prevalent across the world and in many corporate supply chains.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
As Jack Welch, longtime CEO of General Electric, has said, “no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” It follows that businesses are actively competing to attract and retain top talent.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
While millennials have largely been the focus of city leaders’ efforts to attract new talent and residential growth, a new Brookings study finds that innovation districts — areas which are highly walkable and transit-oriented, rich with amenities and employment opportunities — would also benefit from attracting and serving adults 50 years of age and up, who can fill gaps in the innovation ecosystem, including age diversity, professional expertise and
NEW METRICS -
Part One of this 10-part series ended with a quick introduction of how Reporting 3.0 (R3) applies Integral Theory in our thinking. So we pick up this strand as our starting point for Part Two, which is devoted to introducing the Reporting Blueprint that was released at the 4th International Reporting 3.0 Conference earlier this year.
NEW METRICS -
To mark Earth Overshoot Day (August 2nd — the earliest to date) — the date when humanity’s annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate over the entire year — international research organization Global Footprint Network has launched a new mobile-friendly version of its signature Footprint Calculator.
NEW METRICS -
Natural capital underpins prosperous economies and thriving societies. Understanding the interconnectedness between business and nature well as the associated risks and opportunities, allows companies to better inform decision-making.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
At this stage in the game, there’s no stopping the sharing economy, but organizations and government in the UK and China are working to create a safer, more responsible space that allows consumers, businesses and investors to fully take advantage of its benefits through the rolling out of greater regulation.
Back in 2016, UK trade body Sharing Economy UK (SEUK) launched its TrustSeal — the world’s first kitemark for the sharing economy in an effort to make the industry a safer space for consumers.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Polaris, a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery and help survivors restore their freedom, has released a new report, The Typology of Modern Slavery, that breaks down instances of sex and labor trafficking into 25 distinct categories, detailing the unique trafficker profile, recruitment tactics, victim profile, and method of control for each different subset of modern slavery.
NEW METRICS -
Cities are major contributors to – and battlegrounds of – climate change. According to a report from the UN Habitat, cities pump out roughly 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions whilst just occupying just 2 percent of the Earth’s land.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Just days after WWF and ISEAL released a new report highlighting the importance of aligning sustainability standards with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tea brand Twinings announced a new framework designed to improve the lives of tea workers in its supply chain.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Growing concerns over the environmental and social impacts of the footwear and apparel industry have kickstarted efforts to create more transparent and ethical supply chains and practices, but there is still a significant amount of work to be done, according to a new benchmarking system launched today by KnowTheChain (KTC), a resource for businesses and investors who need to understand and address forced labor abuse