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On Wednesday, a federal court ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service regarding the lawsuit filed by environmental groups that sought to halt Nestlé Waters North America’s water-bottling operations in the San Bernardino Mountains. The motion was filed by the Courage Campaign, The Story of Stuff Project and the Center for Biological Diversity following a discovery that Nestlé’s permit might have expired 28 years ago.
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Henry Ford was committed to using natural and recycled material in his manufacturing and the company that bears his name continues to follow his business practices. As part of its 'Further with Ford' presentation, Ford elaborated on its efforts to use everything from ‘Blue jeans to pop bottles’ to reduce waste.
The F-150 uses a number of different recycled materials:
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Cost of water on the front end and discharge fees on the other end are squeezing industrial water users. Increasing water efficiency is a clear solution but facilities reusing and recycling must now treat water that is more fouled and more expensive to treat.
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The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) and the Rainforest Alliance announced today a newly revised certification standard, which encompasses existing best practices and recent innovations in sustainable agriculture. Built around the guiding principles of effective farm planning and management, protection of biodiversity and natural resources, and improved livelihoods, the 2017 SAN Standard is designed to enable more producers to embark and then continually progress on their journey toward sustainable farming.
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The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it has committed to spend $2.8 million over the next two years to drive solutions that address global marine debris and litter. The company made the announcement on Friday, September 16th at the inaugural Our Ocean Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Dow, in alignment with the global plastics industry and key association partners, recognizes marine debris and litter as a critical issue and is committed to collaborating to address this global challenge with effective science-based solutions.
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The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced on September 16, 2016 that it has committed to spend $2.8 million over the next two years to drive solutions that address global marine debris and litter. The company made the announcement on Friday, September 16th at the inaugural Our Ocean Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Dow, in alignment with the global plastics industry and key association partners, recognizes marine debris and litter as a critical issue and is committed to collaborating to address this global challenge with effective science-based solutions.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
“Climate change and conservation are inextricably linked,” U.S. President Barack Obama said last week at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Few people understand the stakes better than our Pacific island leaders because they are seeing already the impact. Rising sea levels and temperatures pose an existential threat to your countries.”
LEADERSHIP -
Today, Sonoma County winemaker Jackson Family Wines (JFW) unveiled its first sustainability report, supported by a list of comprehensive 5-year goals. The family-owned wine company, known for its portfolio of over 30 premium wineries, including household names as Kendall-Jackson, La Crema and Cambria, is a progressive leader in environmentally and socially responsible business practices.
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PepsiCo, Inc. today announced continued progress against the company's strategy to help protect and conserve global water supplies and provide people access to clean, safe water to communities around the world.
In 2015, PepsiCo reduced its operational water use per unit of production by 26 percent versus a 2006 baseline. This exceeded the company's previously stated goal to reduce operational water use by 20 percent by the end of 2015.
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DETROIT – General Motors is adding 2 million water bottles from Flint, Michigan residents into its Do Your Part water bottle recycling initiative. The company partnered with Schupan Recycling to collect the bottles. The plastic is washed, flaked and turned into fleece to make three products: Chevrolet Equinox V-6 engine covers, insulation for The Empowerment Plan coats for the homeless, and air filters for 10 GM plants.
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Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Over 80 percent of Haitian citizens live under the poverty line. Only 16 percent of rural Haiti has adequate sanitation and less than one-third have safe drinking water.
Father-daughter missionaries and Kohler employees Art Stewart and Lisa Burrell travel to Haiti with the family’s mission organization S’MORES International. Though the family has been volunteering in Haiti since 2004, they say never get used to the conditions.
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A new project to capture stormwater at GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly – home of the Chevrolet Volt – is slated to save the plant nearly $2 million every year. The initiative, two years in the making, now allows the plant to reuse rainwater for manufacturing processes throughout the 4 million square foot facility.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The environmental impacts that can result from making forest and paper products are impossible to ignore. Millions of acres of forests are logged each year and, as a result, threatened species may be affected, forest carbon storage can be reduced, and streams and rivers can be silted and polluted. In addition, significant amounts of energy and water consumption, effluent release and solid waste occur in the manufacturing of wood and paper products (though these impacts can be greatly reduced through incorporating recycled content). Proper understanding and analysis of these environmental impacts are critical in order to find ways to avoid or mitigate them, and to accurately compare and choose products and suppliers that demonstrate environmental leadership.
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WWF and Toyota Motor Corporation have entered into a five-year agreement aimed at accelerating the globe's transition to sustainability. Through this partnership, the organizations will work together to promote biodiversity conservation, raise environmental awareness and accelerate the move toward a "zero carbon" society.
Toyota is the first car company and the first Japanese company to sign a Global Corporate Partnership agreement with WWF. The agreement went into effect on July 1, 2016.
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The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced today it will be consulting stakeholders on a number of options aimed at providing the market with greater assurance that MSC-certified fisheries and supply chain companies meet internationally accepted norms for labor practices.
“The MSC Board recognizes the increasing importance placed on social issues when considering sustainability,” said Werner Kiene, chairman of the Board. “As a result the MSC Board has resolved to enhance the MSC sustainability certification scheme for wild fisheries by introducing a risk-based approach that assures stakeholders that labor practices throughout the MSC-certified supply chain, from ocean to consumer, meet internationally accepted norms.”
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
“It’s all about timing,” says Gregor Gomory, CEO of ByFusion, a startup he believes is about to take advantage of a “perfect storm” brewing as the world wakes up to the enormous problem of plastic waste filling up our oceans.
By now, we’ve all heard the statistics: By 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The 4-12 million tonnes of plastic that is spewed into our waters ever year is a problem that can no longer be ignored.
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Mattel, Inc. and West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) today announced the completion of a joint project to enable the exclusive use of recycled water for irrigation purposes at Mattel’s El Segundo corporate campus. By using West Basin’s locally- produced recycled water for irrigation, Mattel and West Basin are helping to save nearly two million gallons of drinking water per year.
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Toyota Motor Thailand continues its firm commitment to the environment by launching a new center that is devoted to biodiversity and sustainability called ‘Cheewa Panavet’ at the Toyota Ban Pho Plant.
The center’s name is a combination of three Thai words, Cheewa (life), Pana (forest) and Vet (habitat). It spans over 96,000 square meters of habitat for living organisms and various fauna.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn attended the event, along with Kyoichi Tanada, Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Corporation and President, Toyota Motor Thailand and senior government representatives from Thailand, Toyota's top executives, dealers, suppliers, the private sector and the media.
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There is a pressing need for companies to address water risks in their supply chain, according to well-known sustainability innovator Nelson Switzer, chief sustainability officer for Nestlé Waters North America, speaking at a national environmental conference today.
“As the effects of climate change increase and extreme weather patterns persist, the water supply in the U.S. is threatened, creating serious environmental and economic risks for companies across the country. These threats are not exclusive to any one industry. Water scarcity is a problem that poses significant risk to every person and every business,” said Switzer in his keynote address at the Environmental Leader Conference in Denver, CO.
WASTE NOT -
One of the biggest trends in business for years has been the paperless office. Many brands have taken the digital or paperless office to extremes; social media platform Buffer, for example, does not have a central office, relying on its employees to produce remotely.
While this model is great for sustainability purposes, it isn’t ideal for larger organizations. However, that doesn’t mean that a brand the size of Amazon isn’t capable of going paperless. The conversion simply has to happen differently.