PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Earlier this week, financial services group Discovery outlined the growth in scale and impact of its Vitality Shared-Value Insurance model. Since launching Vitality 20 years ago, Discovery has invested considerably in building a platform that serves a global network of insurers, providing access to the Vitality brand, product offerings, technological innovations, actuarial and data insights and program assets. The Global Vitality Network now operates in 16 countries across North America, Europe, pan-Asia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, serving around 10 million clients through seven insurers.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Reprinted with permission. This article was originally published in the 25th Anniversary issue of GreenMoney Journal.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Startups and retail giants alike are looking to bio-based materials and recycled plastics to drive innovation and reduce environmental impacts along the value chain within the fashion and textile industry.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), today announced that the company is introducing automated retail vending machines stocked with convenient, on-the-go necessities including over-the-counter health products, "better-for-you" snacks and popular personal care products typically sold at CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. The new vending machines are designed to help maximize convenience and meet customers where they are with on-the-go wellness solutions outside the traditional retail space.
PRESS RELEASE -
Company Releases Progress Toward 2030 Goals In Its Annual Sustainability Report
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In recent weeks, outdoors organizations such as The North Face and Paradox Sports have been making marked efforts to make positive changes in local communities across the US with the rollout of new campaigns and initiatives that aim to spark conversations around inclusion.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Organic agriculture is likely one of the first things that come to mind when considering a sustainable food future, but emerging news would suggest that it is the laboratory — not the fields — where the sustainable food revolution is taking form.
PRESS RELEASE -
BASF has received a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) for Interceptor® G2, a long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito net (LN) based on chlorfenapyr. Chlorfenapyr is a completely new insecticide class for combating mosquitoes for public health. This is the first WHO recommendation for a product based on a new insecticide class in more than 30 years.
Working with the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in a collaboration lasting over a decade, BASF’s scientists successfully repurposed chlorfenapyr to be effective on mosquito nets and meet stringent WHO performance thresholds for public health.
PRESS RELEASE -
CVS Health, a leading drugstore and pharmacy company, has announced its membership in the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). CVS Health joins over 190 coalition members including Target, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, USPS, Verizon, Disney Consumer Products, and many others collectively working to advance sustainable packaging.
CVS Health's membership in the SPC builds on their efforts to reduce product packaging waste in collaboration with its suppliers.
"Retailers play a pivotal role in packaging decisions and CVS Health's tremendous reach offers a tremendous opportunity," said Adam Gendell, Associate Director, Sustainable Packaging Coalition. "We are excited to welcome CVS to the Coalition and we look forward to working together."
WASTE NOT -
Circular solutions for food waste are popping up almost daily, but agricultural and seafood waste are commonly overlooked, despite the value that can be derived from these biomaterials. Recognizing the opportunities these waste streams present for both economic and environmental ends, organizations across the globe have unveiled new products and procedures that could help set new industry precedents.
WASTE NOT -
Approximately 63 million tons of food are wasted in the U.S. each year, a monumental number that has significant environmental and social repercussions. In an effort to reduce the amount of food that is lost and wasted, the Closed Loop Foundation has granted $350,000 to projects across the U.S. working to advance the reduction, recovery and recycling of food waste.
Closed Loop reviewed 150 proposals over a period of nine months, finally selecting eight to receive funding to develop and scale their solutions.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Fashion continues to make headlines, with news emerging about a new textile breakthrough and shifting attitudes towards clothing across the UK that are helping drive down the industry’s environmental impact.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Nature-inspired solutions designed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems continue to gain steam as five teams of entrepreneurs from around the world vie for the top prize at the 2017 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge.
WASTE NOT -
What do diapers and railway ties have in common? They’re two of the latest products to receive the circular treatment, helping businesses reimagine waste streams as resources and driving the economy towards a more sustainable, circular model.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A new partnership between Braskem, the largest thermoplastics resins producer in the Americas and a leading biopolymers producer, Sealed Air Corporation, a packaging, cleaning and hygiene solutions company, and Naturepedic, a manufacturer of certified organic mattresses and bedding, is aiming to help consumers lead a more sustainable lifestyle even in their sleep. Together, the partners have developed a first-of-its-kind formula for renewable polyethylene foam.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In an effort to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, National Geographic and GSK Consumer Healthcare have joined forces to launch the Chasing Genius Challenge. The competition aims to uncover innovative solutions for issues related to sustainability, global health and food security and will provide $25,000 to winners to scale their ideas.
PRESS RELEASE -
Detroit Ento wins startup competition at SB’17 Detroit
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
A resilient organization must operate in a way that ensures all associated entities survive and thrive.
In a healthy ecosystem, everyone has a niche and a role; feedback loops are short and constant, ensuring accountable and creative decision-making is happening at all levels. Functioning in this way not only strengthens internal functionality, but allows organizations to better nurture crucial outside partnerships.
So, what if an organization functioned like a climax ecosystem? Sharp feedback mechanisms, efficient supply chains, and self-organized teams create organizations that are always ready for the next big opportunity.
PRESS RELEASE -
I'm GreenTM Polyethylene (PE) bio-based resin provides a more sustainable approach to a great night's sleep with new carbon reducing material.