WASTE NOT -
Supermarkets across the globe are doing their part to future fit the food system by rolling out new initiatives and products that aim to tackle food waste and CO2 emissions.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
With the publication of its annual report for 2016, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) demonstrates the growing momentum the sustainable cotton movement continues to gain around the world.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In the lead-up to National Honey Bee Day (August 19), I was inspired to take a look at brands’ recent efforts to ensure the health and stability of our tiny pollinator friends. In the past few years, we have seen a host of organizations garnering attention for the issue, first with research and later, amped-up efforts with highly visible, consumer-facing campaigns to bridge the awareness gap.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
A cocktail that gives back — that’s the premise for Danny Lafuente and Dan Maslow’s Simple Vodka, the latest company to enter the social enterprise space. The Idaho-based distillery aims to tackle the issue of food insecurity in the US one bottle at a time, with each sale of its gluten-free potato vodka resulting in the donation of 20 meals through partnerships with local and national hunger relief programs.
CLEANTECH -
The realities of climate change and shifting consumer preferences for responsible, sustainable products have sparked a paradigm shift in the food industry, one that is leading food companies and farmers alike to rethink the way food is produced and manufactured. The relationship between global warming and beef production in particular has long been a hot button issue for the industry.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Greenpeace has a knack for creatively communicating about its causes and its latest campaign is no exception. The NGO is backing a dolphin in Chile’s upcoming presidential election to call attention to the need for strong climate leadership in the country.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Ahead of announcing the 2017 Buckminster Fuller Challenge semi-finalists, the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) has unveiled some of the initiatives that were selected for the 2017 Catalyst Program, representing the top 17 percent of entries this year.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Organic agriculture is likely one of the first things that come to mind when considering a sustainable food future, but emerging news would suggest that it is the laboratory — not the fields — where the sustainable food revolution is taking form.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Further establishing itself as a strong proponent of increasing the supply of sustainable cotton, denim brand Wrangler has joined Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture as an associate member. The multi-stakeholder initiative is working to unite the agricultural supply chain in defining, measuring and advancing the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production in the United States.
WASTE NOT -
Food waste and agriculture contribute considerably to greenhouse gas emissions, making farm and market-level interventions imperative in order to reduce impacts. Together with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Walmart Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund has launched a new research program geared at maximizing crop utilization and edible food recovery.
WASTE NOT -
Circular solutions for food waste are popping up almost daily, but agricultural and seafood waste are commonly overlooked, despite the value that can be derived from these biomaterials. Recognizing the opportunities these waste streams present for both economic and environmental ends, organizations across the globe have unveiled new products and procedures that could help set new industry precedents.
PRESS RELEASE -
More than 1,600 members of the San Quintín community received free access to health care offerings, including pediatric, women’s health, dental and optometry services, in May. This was part of the first Health Fair organized by farmworkers employed by BerryMex—one of Driscoll’s largest independent growers in Mexico—and elected to the Fair Trade Committee.
Fair Trade Committee members were elected by farmworkers to represent them in the implementation of projects with funds generated through a growing Driscoll’s Fair Trade Certified organic program, which totaled $200,000 in the first year of the program. In June, the same community benefited from a delivery of over 1,700 school supply packages ahead of the next school season.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT -
Laura Palmeiro (@laurapalmeiro), Sustainability Integration Director at Danone, sits down with us to share her thoughts on the importance of numbers to back up a good story, the value in advising a tech startup and sharing high tea with the Prince of Wales.
Though fairly new to the SB Corporate Member Network, Laura has dived right in. She also recently joined SB’s Advisory Board. Read more to learn about the value she derives from participating in these communities.
PRESS RELEASE -
Regionalized lifecycle inventory (LCI) modeling generates and links process datasets to the location in which they occur[i]. Given agricultural lifecycle assessments (LCA) are particularly spatially-sensitive, Quantis’s Rainer Zah was involved in developing a framework streamlining the generation of high-resolution crop production datasets in any region of the world. Our experience with applying the framework to the footprint assessment of food, feed, fiber or biofuel and material production shows that it allows decision-makers to consider micro-spatial variations otherwise overlooked in LCA.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
New types of partnerships can enable systemic changes to flourish. That thinking is behind the Origin Green Ambassadors programme, which brings education, leading global brands and entrepreneurial sustainability professionals together to collaborate and learn. Five years on, there’s strong evidence that the approach is driving best practice and industry-wide innovation.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is working to debut America’s first sustainable urban agrihood – a neighborhood growth model with agriculture at the center of a mixed-use development.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Two years after Greenpeace launched a campaign demanding Thai Union, the world’s largest tuna company, take action to eliminate exploitative and unsustainable practices from its supply chains, the two organizations have finally put their long-running conflict to rest.
In a joint press release, Greenpeace and Thai Union presented a comprehensive package of reforms and commitments that the tuna company will take in order to reduce both its environmental and social impacts.
PRESS RELEASE -
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland believes in activating people to transform the world with powerful tools like community service. Through the company’s award-winning Path of Service™ program, first launched in 1992, employees receive up to 40 paid community service hours each year to pull on their boots and make a difference.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program, Timberland recently kicked off its 25 Days of Service Challenge, an internal campaign to drive incremental employee service engagement over 25 days. While the company plans and executes monthly service events to engage employees, the Challenge encourages employees to find and run their own events for themselves, a small group of colleagues, or their full team.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The World Wildlife Fund has published a new report, Eating for 2 Degrees — New and Updated Livewell Plates, which outlines how simple steps, such as reducing red meat consumption, could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
PRESS RELEASE -
Those attending the 2017 National Jamboree are in for a delicious treat!
As part of a new partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture will bring locally sourced food to campers at the Summit Bechtel Reserve during next month’s national event. This dynamic relationship will benefit not only the organizations, but also surrounding communities.