SUPPLY CHAIN -
While we’ve seen steady if uncertain progress on human rights — and more from business than from governments — there are dangers if the message heard by business is one of complacency.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
AI, a conscientious credit card, social plastic and underwater forests are just a few of the solutions showcased at SB Oceans that can help us restore their abundance.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The report provides first-of-its kind, systematic and comparable baseline collection rates for PET bottles in Southeast Asia; and identifies a series of priority actions to transform the post-consumer PET landscape in the region.
WALKING THE TALK -
New global benchmark study, released today, shows that companies worldwide are making incremental positive changes to protect children’s rights, but need to significantly accelerate the pace, as risks continue to outpace progress.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Child labor and other labor abuses are recurring problems characteristic to tobacco-growing and other agricultural communities in countries such as India. But Philip Morris International’s Agricultural Labor Practices is creating a step change.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The US’ biggest beverage companies have invested into ensuring they get ‘Every Bottle Back’ for recycling; Bluewater is helping Londoners ditch single-use bottles; and SC Johnson and Plastic Bank are broadening the Social Plastic ecosystem.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
From growers to sellers and consumers, there’s no doubt coffee touches billions of people every single day. But as coffee prices continue to decline, how can we address the underlying power dynamics that are driving unsustainable practices?
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
At SB’19 Madrid last week, a diverse array of innovators in various fields demonstrated the notion that asking the right questions and being willing to use imagination to find solutions to the climate crisis and other pressing global issues can turn a Moonshot into reality.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
To help address the need to provide access to clean water and sanitation around the world, Kohler launched an internal “Shark Tank”-style social innovation competition — and many of its 38,000 employees are loving the chance to share their big ideas.
CLEANTECH -
“We are already seeing a shift from animal-based to plant-based protein. The next evolution — from land-based to air-based protein — will allow us to [feed] a growing population without needing to remove rainforests or natural habitats.” — Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson
WASTE NOT -
Hilton properties have collectively recycled four million pounds of soap, resulting in 11 million soap bars being distributed to communities in need in 127 countries. Starting today, soap recycling is now a brand standard across over 5,300 Hilton properties.
LEADERSHIP -
At the C40 Summit in Copenhagen, mayors of 94 cities herald a Global Green New Deal to “drive an urgent, fundamental and irreversible transfer of global resources away from fossil fuels and into action that averts the climate emergency.”
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance has launched six new financial instruments for climate-related projects in developing countries; while the World Economic Forum has convened public and private partners to launch the Coalition for Climate-Resilient Investment.
BUSINESS CASE -
Global demand for coffee continues to rise, but climate change is expected to shrink suitable land for Arabica coffee beans by 50 percent by 2050. Japan's Key Coffee is working to protect the future of coffee, starting in Tana Toraja, Indonesia.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Other Bar is an experiment in influencing consumer behaviour through quantifiable proof of impact. If it can prove that consumers will buy and be loyal to impactful products, the hope is that bigger brands will want to follow suit, turning their marketing dollars into impact.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Ideally, Western companies should adopt an attitude of Ask First, Give Second. We’d all benefit if we empowered those who will receive the donations to
determine what they need most, rather than making that decision for them.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
By partnering with companies with labor-intensive supply chains, Mastercard is creating digital solutions to give workers more control and transparency over their earnings and savings.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The collaboration between Unilever-Lifebuoy and The Power of Nutrition aims to reach mothers and expectant mothers in rural India via mobile app, to reduce infant mortality and boost overall health through handwashing.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
If we are to really shift the textile industry from one that is harming workers, local communities and the environment to one that is circular and sustainable,
scalable solutions will be necessary.
WASTE NOT -
The UN set a global goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030. Alarming figures show just how big of a challenge remains. The size of the prize is huge. So, too, must be the action to seize it.