PRESS RELEASE -
BASF has reviewed its complete personal care portfolio according to the ISO standard criteria and calculating rules, providing manufacturers of cosmetic products guidance and information on the degree of natural origin of the ingredients. The ISO 16128 standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) comprises guidelines on definitions for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and offers a framework to determine the natural content of ingredients as well as formulations. It is an addition to existing standards, e.g. COSMOS (COSMetic Organic Standard) or NATRUE. A harmonized definition for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients increases transparency for manufacturers and consumers alike.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Outdoor apparel brand Icebreaker has reinforced its commitment to the use of natural fibres and sustainable production with the launch of its inaugural Transparency Report: Made Different. Touting it as an industry first, the report gives readers a full behind-the-scenes view of the brand’s entire operation.
“Our thinking was simple. What if our customers could see everything we do?’’ explained Greg Smith, the CEO of Icebreaker.
PRESS RELEASE -
As of now Novacolor offers new decorative effect paints under the “Africa”, “Puro” and “Patina Minerale” brand names. The textured plasters meet the challenge of combining design and sustainability: Puro is an opaque mineral water-based innovation based on potassium polysilicate, which is odorless and neither contains volatile organic compounds (VOC) nor Formaldehyde. For indoor and outdoor glazing, Novacolor offers the new “Patina Minerale” product, a mineral color wash based on silicates, that recalls the ancient patinas with its chromatic effect. And “Africa”, the finish for interior decoration, which creates a changeable and pleasant play of light and reflected colors based on gentle metallic effects, complements the product range.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Closed Loop Fund (CLF) today unveiled an historic statewide, public-private partnership targeting a $5 million investment in recycling infrastructure in Connecticut in 2018. This statewide program follows Closed Loop Fund’s successful investment in Waterbury, CT in 2017.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The potential of a circular economy continues to unfold as new technologies are help transform everything from post-consumer textiles to almond shells into high-quality raw materials.
CARBIOS, a pioneer in the field of bioplasturgy, has taken its enzymatic depolymerization process to the next level, rendering it applicable to PET polyester fibers from textile waste.
COLLABORATION -
From social media campaigns to water conservation projects and efficiency improvements across their supply chains, top brands announced all sorts of initiatives today in celebration of World Water Day — a new water management tool from Kimberly-Clark and Deltares, projects from PepsiCo and The Nature Conservancy, goals from Gap Inc. and Target, and campaign from Absolut Elyx and Water For People, just to name a few.
PRESS RELEASE -
All Five California Nestlé Waters Factories Certified to Rigorous Water Sustainability Standard
CABAZON, Calif. – (March 21, 2018) – Nestlé Waters North America announced today that its Cabazon and Los Angeles, Calif. factories have received certification against the rigorous Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard, with the Cabazon facility achieving an AWS Gold certification – the first facility in North America to do so.
PRESS RELEASE -
Last week, General Motors announced that it will begin making a production version of the self-driving Cruise AV at its Orion Township assembly plant in Michigan, while roof modules for the vehicles will be assembled at the Brownstone battery plant. The automaker will invest more than $100 million to upgrade both facilities, bringing the company a step closer to its vision for future mobility.
“We’re continuing to make great progress on our plans to commercialize in 2019,” said GM President Dan Ammann. “Our Orion and Brownstown teams have proven experience in building high-quality self-driving test vehicles and battery packs, so they are well-prepared to produce the Cruise AV.”
PRESS RELEASE -
Around the world, clean water sources are disappearing at an alarming rate, and it’s up to all of us to help design solutions for the future. Target’s doing its part by putting a connected framework in place—including our climate policy and chemical strategy and sustainable cotton sourcing goal—to make sure we’re using resources thoughtfully and measuring progress across our business.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Fashion for Good-Plug and Play Accelerator has revealed the names of the 15 startups selected to participate in its third edition, which kicks off today.
NEW METRICS -
A multi-industry initiative has introduced new protocols and tools for the responsible sourcing of tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold, and cobalt, as well as social, environmental and governance impacts of the extraction and processing of raw materials in international supply chains.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
As a division of the fashion industry, the footwear sector has a hefty environmental footprint. However, a slew of emerging brands are gearing up to change footwear’s future, raising the bar for the rest of the industry by embracing sustainable sourcing, ethical labor practices and transparency.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The complexity of global supply chains has made it incredibly difficult for businesses to effectively drive sustainable social and environmental change. However, new funding and accessible online resources are making it easier than ever for businesses to overcome these deeply embedded challenges.
WASTE NOT -
Discussion around the future of mobility is dominated by discourse around the shift away from fossil fuels, but this is only one small part of a more complex conversation. Even clean energy vehicles have impacts on environmental and human health. China’s industry ministry, General Motors and Goodyear are taking these often-overlooked impacts into account by focusing on waste recovery and prevention approaches that seek to establish closed-loop systems.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors today announced an expansion of its industry-leading landfill-free program as all of the company’s manufacturing plants in Canada, Mexico and South America now recycle, reuse or convert to energy all waste from daily operations. With the addition of 27 newly certified facilities, General Motors has 142 manufacturing and non-manufacturing landfill-free facilities globally — more than any other automaker.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The war against single-use plastics rages on as even more brands rise to the challenge of creating a plastic-free future.
Online food delivery companies Just Eat and Deliveroo are the latest businesses to hop aboard the sustainable packaging bandwagon.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Guided by its Sharing Beauty with All global sustainability program, beauty giant L’Oréal has revealed plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2019 for all 21 of its US manufacturing and distribution facilities.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, L’Oréal USA announced its plans to achieve carbon neutrality in 2019 for all 21 of its U.S. manufacturing and distribution facilities with a financially sustainable approach that could potentially serve as a model to support new renewable natural gas (RNG) projects in the future. In order to reach this milestone, L’Oréal USA is adding to its diversified energy portfolio with RNG purchased from a new processing facility in Kentucky. The company currently has 17 renewable energy installations across the country, including large on-site solar arrays in Arkansas, New Jersey and Kentucky as well as wind turbines in Texas. The RNG purchased from the new project alone is expected to eliminate the carbon equivalent of 1.8 million gallons of gasoline consumed per year.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) has taken an important step to clean up the fashion supply chain, rolling out a new digital manufacturing process that will eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals that have traditionally been used in the industry for jeans finishing.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Makersite, a groundbreaking open data platform created by Everycs that aims to make better products faster, has developed a first-of-its-kind modeling app that simultaneously calculates a product’s production costs, its compliance and its effect on environment and health.