PRESS RELEASE -
Corporate sustainability is no longer a niche subject important only in the minds of a handful of regulators and environmentalists. As our collective understanding of the value of sustainability has grown, new audiences have joined the conversation. For sustainability professionals, catering to this growing and diverse audience can be challenging.
WASTE NOT -
The use of post-consumer recycled materials as feedstock for new bottles and cans has become common practice for the beverage industry, but there is still more to be done to reduce waste and increase recycling. Industry giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are working towards overcoming these challenges by supporting eco-innovation and government initiatives.
The recipients of PepsiCo’s Zero Impact Fund — an expansion of PepsiCo Recycling’s college and university programs to help bring campus eco-innovations to life — have been announced. Eight colleges and universities will each receive a contribution from PepsiCo to help accomplish their environmental goals:
PRESS RELEASE -
A "firm belief" that business growth and sustainability go hand-in-hand has seen Heineken publish its latest sustainability report alongside a financial report for the first time, with the report highlighting rapid business expansion alongside a decrease in emissions.
Heineken’s latest sustainability report, released on Wednesday (22 February), reveals a 37% reduction in carbon emissions in production against 2008 levels, just short of the 40% target for 2020. When looking at absolute carbon reductions, a 5% reduction has been recorded in the same timeframe, despite Heineken growing its business volumes by 52%.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Wild fires, flooding, distracted driving and emotional wellness concerns cost Canadians billions of dollars in 2016.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Despite – and/or because of – the recent seismic shift in U.S. political leadership on sustainability, companies are looking for ways to continue embracing corporate action that makes both economic and environmental sense.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The question is no longer if an organization will engage with society, it’s how. Yet, from Brexit to Trump to Black Lives Matter, how is now harder than ever before.
So, throughout the year, we will illuminate the “how” for business and societal impact.
We started by asking the Purpose Collaborative – North America’s largest community of purpose, corporate responsibility, and sustainability experts: “What key recommendations would you share with clients to accelerate the impact of their work in 2017?”
Their wisdom follows.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
French luxury goods holding company Kering announced on Wednesday the next phase of its sustainability strategy across its 16 luxury brands, including Stella McCartney. Kering says it will support the drive towards a low-carbon economy and help shape the future of luxury as sustainable and to operate within the planetary boundaries. Kering’s sustainable strategy is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Energy giants Statoil and BP are part of a growing number of utilities future-fitting their operations to better compete in the emerging low-carbon economy. The two companies have recently invested in new wind and solar power projects across Europe, demonstrating their commitment to transition away from fossil fuels.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Leading Japanese consulting companies including Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting (DTC) and Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting (MURC) are actively enhancing their pro bono businesses. Rather than it being simply voluntary work, their aim is to use their employees’ specialized skills to help social businesses and the NPO/NGO sector, thereby increasing their employees’ positive motivations and, as a side effect, enhancing their companies’ social reputations.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Giving back to the communities that supply your business with labor and raw materials isn’t just a matter of ethics or public relations; it’s also a wise business practice to adopt for its own sake. Taking care of the people who live and work in your company’s shadow ensures the long-term sustainability of your supply chain and improves the quality of the talent pool that may someday produce your best and brightest employees.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In a bid to reposition itself as a producer of convenient natural products, Campbell Soup Company is set to launch Well Yes!, a pivotal “clean” canned soup line, with a corresponding campaign that encourages consumers to make small, healthy daily choices rather than big, unrealistic resolutions. With the New Year only a week away, the launch of the new campaign is timely.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
We’ve seen a rash of textile-recycling schemes emerge of late — in which the textiles in question may become new garments, but for the most part they remain, well, fabrics.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
It’s easy for the concepts of Cradle to Cradle design and a circular economy to become shorthand for recycling, but both are much more complex than that.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
The health and wellbeing of a company’s workforce is integral to building a sustainable brand and retaining top talent. Because of this, the millennial workforce has pushed companies to alter office spaces to better fit their needs. One-third of office workers said the design of an office would affect their decision to work for a company; given this, brands are choosing to renovate or move to new spaces in an effort to improve the way their employees work and attract new talent.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) has released its first-ever Citizenship Report, detailing progress in reducing its environmental footprint, improving social conditions for those in need, advancing Diversity and Inclusion and empowering women inside and outside the Company. P&G has published a sustainability report annually since 1999 but has updated it this year to include a more comprehensive overview of the good the Company is doing.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Ambitions to reduce environmental impact by slashing water use are driving brands in industries of all kinds to rethink their manufacturing processes. This week, both Wrangler and Toyota announced they have risen to the challenge and have plenty to show for their efforts.
Having recently reached a milestone of three billion liters of water saved since 2007, denim and casual apparel brand Wrangler announced on Wednesday that it plans to reduce water usage at its facilities by 20 percent by 2020.
PRESS RELEASE -
Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland recently celebrated the close of the ninth consecutive harvest season of its Victory Garden, a plot of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers outside the company’s Stratham, New Hampshire headquarters. Each year, a dedicated group of Timberland employee volunteers manage and cultivate the 1,000 square foot area of raised garden beds. The fresh flowers and produce are then made available to employees for purchase, with proceeds going to the New Hampshire Food Bank (NHFB). Funds raised from this year’s harvest will provide close to 2,000 meals to feed local adults and children who struggle with hunger this holiday season.
LEADERSHIP -
Boards are the last great sustainability frontier. They set the sustainability tone at the top, which then cascades throughout the company.
It is essential for boards of directors to be engaged in the sustainability agenda. They define the long-term view, anticipating and addressing risks from social and environmental impacts. Progressive boards recruit and incentivize leaders to build sustainability into the company’s business model and value chains. And now that the sustainability ROI has been proven, sustainability has become part of the board’s fiduciary responsibility.
LEADERSHIP -
Bangladesh is no longer one of the world’s poorest nations. Today, this emerging nation is steadily growing as one of the world’s leading apparel manufacturers. However, the country’s economic structure remains fragile due to its heavy dependence on textile exports and overseas remittances from emigrant workers, and the country’s manufacturing base and infrastructure require urgent improvement.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
According to a recent survey of 287 sustainability professionals, working conditions are the most important sustainability issue in supply chains. That’s not too surprising; in the short time it’s taken to read this far, 153 people around the world have had a work-related accident.