CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Last week marked the official launch of an innovative initiative supported by Ecover, maker of non-toxic cleaning products, and Closed Loop Recycling (CLR), a UK operation that takes discarded soda and water bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and milk bottles made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and recycles them back into food-grade plastic for use in new packaging (rHDPE). The collaboration will use waste plastic collected from the seas around the UK by EU fishermen and recycled at Closed Loop’s Dagenham facility for reuse in new packaging.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Walmart announced it has achieved its objective of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in all facilities built before 2005 a year earlier than expected.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) announced it has met its three-year global environmental goals on water, energy, carbon emissions and recycling operations.The company reached its goal of reducing its water usage by nearly 20 percent, the equivalent of 25 billion cans of AB InBev products. Energy consumption decreased by 12 percent and carbon emissions were reduced by almost 16 percent in breweries and soft drink facilities worldwide. The company also increased its recycling rate to just over 99 percent for solid waste and by-products.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Twelve years ago, in response to growing demand from our customers, Shaw Industries set out to create a more environmentally responsible product alternative to the traditional PVC-backed carpet tiles prevalent in the commercial market.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Calling all innovators and implementers! In March 2013, Sustainable Brands will launch a new “Issues in Focus” editorial package, including daily features, interviews and case studies on the circular economy as a driver of business model innovation and social good.The Issue in FocusYou can't get a soy latte these days without hearing the words collaborative consumption, the circular economy, crade-to-cradle or the sharing economy. But how are these quasi-utopian concepts becoming real? What implications could they have for the future of business and the economy?
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
At Goodwill, we were excited to be invited to co-edit this issue dedicated to highlighting innovative solutions for eliminating and reutilizing waste streams in operations. As individuals continue to consume products and companies continue to expand, finding waste stream solutions that keep these products from stacking up in landfills has become an urgent priority.The companies we’re highlighting this month demonstrate the opportunities organizations have taken at every step of the product life cycle to limit the negative impact they have on the environment. From innovations in how products are packaged to post-use recovery efforts to partnerships that maximize both environmental and financial impact, these agencies are truly leading the way in achieving net positivity.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
The new Proctor & Gamble (P&G) “Everyday Acts” campaign appears to resonate with the $84 billion company’s customers.
PRESS RELEASE -
Atlanta, November 02, 2012
Delivery Operations in All Package, Freight and Logistics Facilities Have Been Restored to Provide Service Wherever Possible
UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced it has pledged $1.5 million in cash and in-kind support to aid in the recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy that struck the northeast corridor of the U.S. earlier this week.
PRESS RELEASE -
Pittsburgh, PA – October 19, 2012 – Unilever CEO Paul Polman this afternoon addressed 1,300 young leaders from 182 countries during the third annual One Young World Summit, challenging them to remake capitalism. The three-day summit brings together delegates focused on creating lasting and positive global change.
PRESS RELEASE -
Caesars Entertainment Corporation and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) worked together this summer to support ONE DROP, an international organization dedicated to give access to safe water for all, today and tomorrow.
PRESS RELEASE -
SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, 2012 – Sustainable Brands today spotlighted several of the supporting sponsors helping to make possible its groundbreaking Sustainable Brands ’12 Conference taking place June 4-7 in San Diego, CA.
PRESS RELEASE -
Top Eight Sustainability and Socially-conscious Start-ups Selected to Compete in SBIO Finals to Decide Next Great Sustainable Brand at SB’12 Conference in San Diego CA, June 4 – 7
PRESS RELEASE -
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Business Civic Leadership Center’s national conference, which was focused on corporate citizenship. While there, I led one of four rotating sessions focused on skills-based volunteerism and had the opportunity to share a bit about what UPS does to apply its logistics expertise to relief agencies before and after urgent humanitarian relief situations.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk was named the most sustainable corporation in the world by Corporate Knights, the Toronto-based media company focused on “clean capitalism.”Corporate Knights’ 2012 Global 100 list includes companies from 22 countries encompassing all sectors of the economy, with collective annual sales in excess of $3.02 trillion, and 5,285,645 million employees.The top ten companies on the list are:
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
If you did much holiday shopping online this year, you likely had to deal with pesky, loose-fill peanut packaging that is tough on the environment and difficult to dispose of or recycle.Packaging manufacturers Sealed Air claim to have solved the “peanut problem” with a new loose fill product made of 95% non-food based renewable material.Sealed Air says the product, called PakNatural, provides the same cushioning protection as polystyrene packing peanuts without the static and environmental impact. And it has better humidity resistance than peanuts made of starch, which also have the downside of diverting food sources.
Walmart launched a sustainability blog this week, called The Green Room, with the stated purpose of developing a platform for an ongoing conversation with NGOs, suppliers and “others who want to share ideas and partner with us in helping people live better around the world.”
Sustainability consulting firm Esty Environmental Partners, which counts Coca-Cola, FedEx and Xerox among its clients, re-launched this week as Viridis Strategy Group.
Bill Weihl, who recently resigned as Google’s “Green Energy Czar,” will take on a similar position with Facebook at the end of January.