CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
In a new report, Forum for the Future calls on leaders to better understand the dynamic trends that are shaping the future in order to create strategies that effectively navigate today’s complex challenges and unlock new opportunities for sustainability.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program, already the global standard for environmentally responsible seafood, has created a new tool that allows businesses to assess the potential risk of forced labor, human trafficking and child labor in fisheries.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Societal expectations shift incessantly, like stones on a beach. Some ideas ripple gently across our collective consciousness, leaving barely a trace, while others swell and gather momentum, swelling into waves capable of dislodging the largest rocks. Established norms, which until moments before seemed immutable, are swept away.
On February 6th, 1918, the Suffragettes won the right for women in the UK to vote. Not all women — it took another decade for this particular rock to right itself — but one hundred years ago today was the moment that the wave came crashing inexorably down.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Resource scarcity and the rise of the circular economy are inspiring businesses, industry associations and governments to develop new ways to recover precious and critical raw materials (CRMs) from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The Urban Mine Platform, a database of valuable materials for “urban mining,” is the public and private sectors’ latest attempt to take on the challenge.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Around 52 million tons of food are wasted each year in the United States despite 1 in 7 US citizens lacking reliable access to sufficient, affordable and nutritious food. While raising consumer awareness is an important food waste reduction strategy, interventions at the corporate level have a crucial role to play in addressing the issue on a large scale.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
Sustainability is at risk. And whilst the risks that go beyond climate change may be less well-understood, they are just as pressing.
That was the message at the first meeting of the European Union’s Multi-Stakeholder Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 10 January in Brussels.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
The UK government has unveiled a national action plan to eradicate avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The announcement aims to quell concerns of critics regarding the potential negative impacts Brexit could have on the UK’s sustainability performance.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Wind’s potential to fuel the next economy is no longer speculation, but rather fact. According to new research by Research & Markets, energy statistics from Denmark and a pledge made by the UK government to phase out coal by 2025, fossil fuels are officially on the decline.
The global market for wind turbines is rapidly expanding, as indicated by a new study from Research & Markets, which predicts annual industry growth of 6.7 percent to 2022. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the current wind turbine market in four regions — North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW) — and its future direction.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Norway is paving the way to a more energy-efficient, low-carbon future through new intelligent lighting technology and strong financial incentives.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Despite the withdrawal of the US government from the Paris Agreement, many US businesses remain unwavering in their commitment to act on climate change. 2017 was a solid year for corporate climate leadership: 1,700 businesses signed the We Are Still In declaration and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies now have climate and clean energy goals.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Two years after adopting the Circular Economy Package, the European Commission, Parliament and Council have reached an agreement on waste-processing legislation to pave the way for a circular future for Europe. Agreements were reached on four legislative proposals addressing waste, packaging waste, landfill and electronic waste.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
In today’s digitally dependent world, e-waste management is a critical issue that requires urgent attention from both the public and private sector.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Single-serve beverage waste is on the fast-track to obsolescence as startups, multinationals and local governments unveil strategies to keep cups, straws and plastic bottles out of landfill.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
2017 was a big year for the circular economy, with innovative new products, initiatives and tech tools popping up almost daily, and making it easier than every for corporates and consumers alike to engage in circularity.
An initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, The Circulars are awarded to individuals, companies (from startups to multinationals) and public and social organizations in recognition for their contributions to the circular economy. This year, 43 innovators have been nominated for pushing the circular agenda forward and paving the way for others in their field.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
France has once again topped the Food Sustainability Index (FSI), an annual ranking of major countries on their commitment to food sustainability created by The Economist Intelligence Unit in partnership with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
While a recent report from waste management firm Suez has expressed concern about the potential “disastrous” consequences of Brexit on the UK’s already taxed waste infrastructure system, Scotland is forging ahead with its plans to create a Zero Waste future. Late last week, MSP Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, announced the cities chosen for phase two of Zero Waste Scotland’s Zero Waste Towns project.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Cobalt is back in the news, as a new report from Amnesty International reveals that tech industry giants such as Microsoft, Lenovo, Renault and Vodafone aren’t doing enough to keep child labor out of cobalt battery supply chains in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Just weeks after 12 C40 mayors signed the C40 Fossil-Fuel-Free Streets Declaration in an effort to curb air pollution and improve the quality of life for urban dwellers while tackling climate change, the mayors of 25 pioneering cities have pledged to develop and begin implementing more ambitious climate action plans by 2020 to deliver emissions-neutral and climate-resilient cities by 2050.
NEW METRICS -
Corresponding with the kick off of the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference (COP23), CDP has released a new report finding that over 100 of the world’s state and regional governments are taking action to address climate change, particularly in the short-term.
NEW METRICS -
We need to make better decisions to avoid the potentially severe consequences for businesses operating in a deteriorated environment. The social and environmental megatrends will, over time, act as a drag on prosperity as the costs of basic inputs such as water, energy and land escalate in response to scarcity.