PRESS RELEASE -
SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced an SAP SuccessFactors initiative to support Girls in Tech (GIT), a global nonprofit focused on educating, engaging and empowering girls and women who are passionate about entering into high-tech careers and startups.
To generate awareness and support for GIT’s mission, SAP will donate one dollar for every Tweet that mentions both #sconnect16 and #All4GIT between October 3 and December 31. The initiative is part of SuccessConnect 2016,
taking place October 24-25 in Sydney, Australia, November 10 in Tokyo, Japan, November 15 in Singapore and November 28-29 in Vienna, Austria.
WASTE NOT -
Mission-driven startup Give Back Box® was founded in 2012 by Monika Wiela, who at the time was running an online shoe store. The idea was inspired by a homeless man she encountered in Chicago, who was holding up a sign saying he needed a pair of shoes. Wiela returned later that day with shoes for him, but he was gone. She spent that night thinking about what she could do with all the empty boxes in her warehouse and also help people like that man, and a new social enterprise was born.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Climate change demands new ways of thinking and startups have been rising to the challenge. Among the latest, the winners of the Living Product Prize and the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge took home cash prizes to develop their soil filtration systems and energy-generating windows, and a Voom business award-winning entrepreneur has plans to build plastic roads in Scotland.
PRESS RELEASE -
New York-listed Dow Chemical Company is working closely with six non-profit organizations in Cebu to help address pressing local challenges. Through the company's Leadership in Action (LIA), 40 DOW employees have formed teams to work on six important projects in Cebu that seek to advance access to water, increase production of high-quality food crops, and support product commercialization, among other challenges.
The Philippines is the second country in Asia selected by the company to develop solutions to address local critical needs. The program also enables new leadership development opportunities for Dow employees and a chance for them to learn more about realities of international business and identify new business opportunities.
PRESS RELEASE -
BRUSSELS (8 SEPTEMBER, 2016): Radisson Blu, the iconic hotel brand driven by innovation and design, is delighted to announce its new partnership with the Soap for Hope™ program, which recycles used hotel soaps to create fresh bars for distribution in local communities with limited access to hygiene and sanitation.
The Soap for Hope™ program works in partnership with Sealed Air, the leader in food safety and security, facility hygiene and product protection. Soap for Hope™ was pioneered by Sealed Air to save lives by giving free soap to communities with limited access to soap, to create local entrepreneurs and to help hotels reduce waste through recycling.
CLEANTECH -
Ford has announced a plan to have a ride-sharing service featuring high-volume, fully autonomous, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)-defined level 4-capable vehicles in commercial operation by 2021.
To get there, the company is investing in or collaborating with four startups to enhance its autonomous vehicle development, doubling its Silicon Valley team and more than doubling its Palo Alto campus.
CLEANTECH -
On April 22 – Earth Day 2016 – a record 175 nations agreed to keep this century’s global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius by signing the Paris Agreement, conceived at last year’s Paris Climate Conference (COP21). While unclear what country-level solutions will emerge, we know moving towards a low-carbon future is a critical component.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The story of fashion startup Tom Cridland is an impressive one. Established with the help of a $9,000 UK government loan just two years ago, the ethical apparel business has quickly become a $1m turnover organisation with a star-studded roster of famous clients, including Daniel Craig, Leonardo DiCaprio and Miley Cyrus.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) launched the Living Progress Challenge (LPC) last year to inspire entrepreneurs across the globe to create software applications and digital services that improve lives.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
San Francisco-based technology startup Molekule recently introduced the world’s first molecular air purifier, bringing a patented technology to the category that eliminates a full spectrum of indoor pollutants by breaking them down on a molecular level.
According to the EPA, a backer of the new product, air indoors can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air and since on average, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors, that exposure is harmful to health and well-being.
COLLABORATION -
Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) is a consortium featuring Accenture, the University of Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD) and The Rural Development Company, which have joined forces on a renewable energy initiative in Uganda and South Africa that leverages solar-powered microgrids to deliver clean, affordable electricity to local populations.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
All around today’s business world, there’s a lot of talk about “innovation.” Supply chains, service delivery, formulation, marketing, and countless other areas of business are undergoing rapid change from a variety of angles. Innovation is the new go-to for both entering a market and maintaining a competitive lead. Where “differentiation” may have been the buzzword not too long ago, innovation requires us to actually be different, not just look different.
PRESS RELEASE -
Last week, outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland hosted 25 of Africa’s most talented, emerging leaders at its Stratham, NH headquarters to share the company’s values-driven approach to business. Each of the entrepreneurs is a recipient of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training and networking. Through this program, some of the brightest entrepreneurs from various countries across sub-Saharan Africa were invited to explore innovative ideas from various business leaders at Timberland.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Project JUST, an online platform that reviews fashion brands (75 to date) for their supply chain ethics and sustainability to help consumers make more informed choices, is crowdfunding to help expand its offering.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Innovate UK’s IC tomorrow competition sought innovative ideas to grow trust in the sharing economy and support it in the fields of tourism, travel, home improvements, construction and data. Six winning startups were selected from over 200 entries – the most ever received in an IC tomorrow competition.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the low-carbon, clean energy and sustainability sectors can now use a handy interactive online tool to identify funding opportunities most relevant to their sector, development stage and financial requirements. The Access to Finance Navigator was recently launched by none other than energy giant Royal Dutch Shell, building on the company’s existing funding and awards offerings.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Regenerative Business Alliance — a subsidiary of the Carol Sanford Institute (CSI) — has launched the search for its 1st annual Regenerative Business Prizewinner. This prize will recognize a business that is taking on practices of enlightened disruption, drawing on the regenerative principles of living systems.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
‘Smart minds’ are invited to submit ideas for self-driving delivery carts or sustainable logistics concepts towards two new innovation challenges from shipping company DHL. Anyone who is at least 18 years of age may join the competition by submitting a written document and video explaining their idea by September 28, 2016. Winners will receive a monetary prize out of a pool of combined 20,000 Euro, will be able to jointly develop their proof-of-concept with DHL, and will display their solutions at DHL Innovation Day on November 17, 2016.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Following a competitive search for the world’s top 50 marketing technology startups, Unilever announced its 2016 Foundry 50 on June 8th. Selected from 4,500 startups Unilever has reviewed over the past two years, the finalists are distributed across five innovation areas: Brand and Content Innovation; Data, Insights and Personalization; Engaging Millennials; Social Impact; and the Future of Retail.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Two years ago a story was penned here on Sustainable Brands about a partnership between my company, PrintEco - a small startup with an app to enable more efficient printing - and Domtar, one of the largest paper & pulp manufacturers in North America. It was certainly a unique combination: a paper company promoting a paper-saving software.