PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Imagine a drone, hovering high above your home. A package is released from its clutches and gently drifts to the ground, aided by a parachute. And just like that, the package you ordered only 30 minutes ago is delivered to your yard. The scenario sounds like something from a science fiction movie, but recently, e-commerce giant Amazon was granted a U.S. patent for this innovation.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Confronted with an ever-growing demand for transparency and materiality, companies need to find an adequate format to publish both financial and pre-financial information to their stakeholders in an effective way. While traditional reporting reaches its limits, online integrated reporting features a number of key advantages that enable them to get the job done.
It is fair to say that 2017 was an important year for corporate reporting. A number of events established the disclosure of relevant ecological, social and governance (ESG) specific data as the “new normal”:
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In a bid to build trust into our systems and society, Unilever has announced a new commitment to cut investment in platforms that breed division in society — and is challenging the rest of the industry to do the same.
In his keynote speech at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting in Palm Desert, Calif., Keith Weed, Unilever’s CMO, demanded the industry work together to improve transparency and rebuild consumer trust in an era of fake news and toxic online content.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Building on the success of its “Good Odds” spots released during the Super Bowl, in which it highlighted the real-life story of Canadian Para-alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft, auto giant Toyota has released a new ad campaign “Start Your Impossible” for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
PRESS RELEASE -
AT&T will purchase 520 megawatts (MW) of wind power through 2 agreements with subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest operator of renewable energy projects. Together, these deals constitute one of the largest corporate renewable energy purchases in the U.S.1 It’s also a key component of our goal to develop and leverage technology solutions that enable carbon savings 10 times the footprint of our operations by 2025.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Supply chains are making headlines once again — and for all the wrong reasons.
CLEANTECH -
Clean, efficient electricity is essential for constructing a low-carbon future, but more advanced technologies are needed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Scientists around the world are rising to the challenge, delivering new energy solutions that could finally tip the scales in favor of sustainability.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today we are proud to share our 2017 Annual Impact Report which highlights the positive impact we made on our community and environment last year. As a company, we are committed to building a good business that also does good for the community and world. This report details some of the ways we demonstrated that commitment in 2017.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Patagonia is back at it — the outdoor gear company has launched a new digital platform connecting customers with local environmental organizations. The aim of the new platform, Patagonia Action Works, is to encourage Patagonia customers to learn more about local environmental issues and get involved with events, petitions, fundraising and volunteering in their area.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
We know that carbon emissions, particularly carbon dioxide and methane, are a major contributor to global climate change trends, and that the challenge of mitigating and even reversing this trend is highly complex. We also know that — like so many other sustainability challenges we face — managing carbon is a challenge faced by the natural world and solved through its own adaptive strategies that have evolved over 3.8 billion years.
In short: Nature sees carbon as a building block — and we can, too.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
My uncle once claimed he could magically tell you the day of the week if you gave him any calendar date (day, month and year). He said he could visually see the answer in his head and swore he didn’t have any quick calculation or trick. My father was skeptical. He bet my uncle $100 that he could develop an algorithm to do the same.
The next day, my father produced a page of calculations that, lo and behold, would produce the correct answer. I was in awe; my uncle was not as impressed. But, my dad still won the money.
CLEANTECH -
Nissan is driving the future of mobility forward with a vehicle-to-grid (VG2) demonstrator project that could prove instrumental in helping the UK transition to low-carbon transportation and a smart energy system. The £9.8 million e4Futures project will allow drivers to feed energy back into the electricity grid during peak times.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
The world of social enterprise is full of surprising stories. How each of us landed here, pursuing purposeful work that helps solves the world’s most pressing problems, never ceases to amaze me.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
A new report has found that money actually does grow on trees. Businesses are making money from planting trees and growing sales as rapidly as 10 times per year.
PRESS RELEASE -
Our world is more connected than ever before, and these connections are increasing. Research predicts that 500 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2030. Explosive growth and innovations, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are also transforming our global landscape in unprecedented ways.
WALKING THE TALK -
Nested between smart mirrors, driverless cars, and paper-thin TVs, a little duck fluffed its feathers, awaiting its big debut.
Unlike most of the 3,900+ products at the crowded cultural phenomenon that is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the duck was not for sale. No matter: the response from attendees was remarkable.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Furthering its mission to close the funding gap and help women launch startups and raise capital, nonprofit Women Who Tech has released the names of the 10 finalists selected for the sixth Women Startup Challenge. The finalists will pitch their ideas in a Shark Tank-style competition to top investors and an audience of tech industry executives at Google’s New York campus in March.
WALKING THE TALK -
Naruto City, on the northeast tip of Tokushima Prefecture — Shikoku, Japan. The Naruto Strait’s whirling tides are popular with tourists, but in recent years the region, like many others, has struggled to cope with the exodus of people and industry to urban areas.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, WEF, the Forum of Young Global Leaders and Accenture revealed the winners of the 2018 Circulars. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made notable contributions to the circular economy.
The fourth annual awards ceremony showcased advances from the private and public sectors that drive innovation and growth while reducing dependence on scarce natural resources.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT -
We recently spoke with Dave Stangis (@DaveStangis), vice president corporate responsibility and chief sustainability officer at Campbell Soup Company, about his unexpected entrée into a successful sustainability career and how he stays passionate about his work.
Keep reading to learn how his interest in science and technology is a continuous source of inspiration and what he does when he’s not working on a Campbell project (which is rare).