FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
In Latin America, where recycling rates remain below 10%, grassroots circular solutions are slowly beginning to scale — thanks to growing legitimacy, education, organization and protections for informal waste workers, who remain the backbone of the region’s collection and recycling infrastructure.
WASTE NOT -
Recycling, circular industry partnerships and marketplaces for refurbished devices are growing in popularity, but they won’t be a match for the tech industry’s throwaway approach anytime soon. But some smaller, more intrepid brands are proving the validity and demand for longer-lasting, easy-to-repair electronics.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
Dow is leading the charge in materials science, but we can’t do that science in a box without thinking about communities and the people within them. Nonprofit partnerships help us dig to the root of the most pressing problems in sustainability, find the best solutions and gain public buy-in to create real impact.
CLEANTECH -
2 startups at the forefront of the carbon-capture space, Air Company and LanzaTech, continue to expand their portfolio of carbon-negative products and groundbreaking brand partnerships that will ensure global proliferation of their technologies.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
More brands seem to be taking a two-pronged approach to growth — continuing to sell new products while demonstrating their ‘care’ for the planet through circular initiatives and takeback schemes. When will companies truly commit to changing the products they sell and how
they sell them?
WASTE NOT -
A new accelerator from the US Plastics Pact aims to catalyze broader adoption of reusable and refillable packaging options, while an upskilling program from
rePurpose Global aims to help sustainability leaders more effectively tackle plastic pollution.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
CEO Jesús Linares discusses the rigors of achieving Cradle-to-Cradle certification, and venturing further into reuse and upcycling for the goal of 100% circularity by 2025.
CLEANTECH -
Globally, 80% of wastewater is discharged into local environments with minimal or no treatment — water that could be recycled and reused. California-based startup Aquacycl's waste-to-energy solution protects water resources while helping companies reduce costs.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The Swiss sports brand has created a supply chain coalition with LanzaTech, Borealis and Technip Energies to transform captured carbon into running shoes.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
EVs might mitigate tailpipe emissions; but cars emit another massive, overlooked form of pollution: Tire particles. The Tyre Collective is spearheading the monitor of tire wear and capturing tire particles at the source.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
New report shares insights to guide retailers on effective reusable bag models — a key solution as regulations to reduce reliance on single-use plastic bags grow across the US.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
37.5 Technology is offering brand partners a new additive that greatly improves and expedites the biodegradability of textiles, for free — to encourage broader industry adoption and help eliminate one of our biggest polluters.
WASTE NOT -
The inventive, waste-free, single-serve coffee system means that portioned coffee no longer needs to be surrounded by an aluminum or plastic capsule.
WASTE NOT -
Venues with proper composting infrastructure can utilize the playbook to prevent plastic and organic waste from accumulating in landfills. Future editions will further explore how to expand venue logistics to implement comprehensive zero-waste programs.
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER -
Enabling a circular economy is a complicated challenge that governments, communities and businesses globally are struggling to solve. But as Dow’s work in Africa proves, solutions exist — and success comes when organizations and communities collaborate to create change rooted in local context.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Many brands that offer pre-owned merchandise through their own retail channels initially do it for sustainability reasons — to keep useful products out of landfills. While that is an important benefit of recommerce, thinking of it only in those terms is overlooking major business opportunities.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Biomimicry Institute’s 2022 cohort of Ray of Hope Prize finalists are leveraging nature’s genius to revolutionize textiles, wind turbines, waste remediation, building materials, cleaning products, sunscreen, plastics and more.
WASTE NOT -
Between new approaches to labeling, innovative coatings, redistribution and data-driven solutions, retailers across the Western world continue to fight the
good fight against food waste.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A key component of Procter & Gamble’s Climate Transition Action Plan is reducing the amount of virgin fossil-based plastic in packaging by 50% by 2030. How can P&G brands do their part, without compromising on the unique beauty, branding and functionality of their packaging?