PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
This week at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, hundreds of innovators, large and small, will showcase thousands of their latest potentially game-changing technologies in the world of electronics.A CES staple, appliance giant Whirlpool will showcase its Whirlpool® Every day, care™ interactive experience, where attendees can experience the latest product innovations and future design concepts:
CLEANTECH -
In the era of personalization and connectivity, the way we interact with food could change drastically in the near future. With conceptual 3D printers for meat on the table and specialized accelerator programs for food-focused technology startups already running, changes are well underway. Professor Maged Boulos from the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland is considering how the ‘Internet of Things’ concept could be applied to food. How will technology and connectivity influence people’s diets?
CLEANTECH -
Luxury vehicle manufacturers today make up about 23 percent of the plug-in electric vehicle (EV) market, and this is expected to climb to about 50 percent by the early 2020s, according to a new report from Navigant Research.
CLEANTECH -
The Ford Motor Company is ‘going further’ with its Smart Mobility Plan, which focuses on innovation in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics. Two recent developments include the use of sensor technology on motorcycles to collect mobility data in Africa, and autonomous vehicle testing on public roads in the US.
CLEANTECH -
The use of smartphones in the United States and Europe is helping to save more than 180 million tons of carbon emissions a year — an amount greater than the total annual emissions of the Netherlands — according to a new report released this week by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), authored by The Carbon Trust.
CLEANTECH -
American Modular Systems (AMS) has started production on River Vine Vineyards, a new Gen7 Concept Home to be sited on a 50-acre working vineyard along the banks of the Mokelumne River Watershed in Lodi Wine Country.Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, AMS claims River Vine will be one of most advanced, high-end prefabricated residences ever constructed — a state-of-the-art smart home that will take sustainable prefabricated design and construction to the next level.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Water scarcity is among the most serious long-term risks facing society worldwide. Climate impacts are worsening drought conditions, causing billions of dollars in economic losses and fresh water supplies are dwindling. To make matters worse, 97 percent of the planet’s water is salt water, 2 percent is glacier ice, and just 1 percent is usable fresh water.
CLEANTECH -
TiE Silicon Valley, a not for profit organization dedicated to "fostering entrepreneurship in the Bay Area and globally," has announced an upcoming hackathon event focused on tackling three real-world issues within the “smart city” space: smart parking, waste disposal management and water access management.The event will begin in January 2016 and will last for two weeks. Winners will be invited to attend TiECon 2016, TiE's largest annual conference, and will also have an opportunity to win prizes and publicity.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Reimagine Food, an organization on a mission to create an “ecosystem for the techno-food revolution,” has announced the second edition of its Prometheus accelerator program. Touted as the first disruptive food and tech program in the world, Prometheus will accept startups using emerging technologies to create food sector solutions.
CLEANTECH -
Renewable energy company Masdar kicked off its Innovation Week activities by announcing the Middle East’s first startup accelerator focused on sustainability and clean tech.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
“There was an American comedian 100 years ago that said, ‘If we don’t change direction soon, then we’ll end up where we’re going.’ Where we’re going at the moment is not very pretty.”So said Geoff Kendall, CEO of the Future Fit Foundation, as he opened this breakout session, continuing by explaining that a clear, defined destination is needed for companies to know where they should be headed.“At the start of any journey, the most important step is to understand what the destination is; something that we have been lacking in the sustainability world. That is what the Future Fit Business Benchmark is.”
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Global food security is all about sourcing enough protein, on a genuinely sustainable basis, for a population in excess of nine billion people in the second half of this century.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
In the midst (and potentially mist) of the recent Volkswagen emissions scandal, there was no better time to discuss the ESG (environmental, social and governance) regulation space than SB’15 London.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
This Tuesday afternoon breakout session saw Thomas Kolster, founder and creative director at the Goodvertising Agency, and Kerry Eustice, Editorial Partnerships Editor at The Guardian Sustainable Business, share their perspectives on changing the conversation around sustainability values.Early on, Kolster asserted that sustainability advertising is not doing enough to drive change, as it tends to be less engaging than other advertising messages. He and Eustice discussed dos, don’ts and new approaches that could change the way the message of sustainability is communicated.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A large audience gathered at this SB ’15 London breakout session Tuesday to (hopefully!) learn more about what appeared to be a very niche subject.A preliminary display of hands around the room confirmed the lack of experience around bio-materials, but also confirmed the enthusiasm to learn. Moderator Kathryn Sheridan provided expertise throughout and eased the audience through a range of background technical detail that many may have found daunting. However, the emphasis was kept firmly on the tie-up with brands and opportunities for the future, rather than an hour-long chemistry lesson.The session started with panel introductions:
CLEANTECH -
Telecommunication company Globe Telecom is advocating responsible use of mobile devices in school campuses in the Philippines to leverage advancement in information and communications technology, according to a recent announcement.While government learning institutions are now adopting the use of ICT materials, the use of digital technologies as a learning tool is not as widespread as it should be, Globe Telecom said.However, even if technology is available in the schools, children increasingly are gaining access to some devices, as internet-enabled smartphones abound.
CLEANTECH -
GRI, developer of one of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, has launched its latest Linkage Document at the Fourth United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights.Linking G4 and the UN Guiding Principles highlights the connections between the GRI G4 Reporting Guidelines (G4) and key concepts of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These include due diligence, grievance mechanisms and impact assessments — undertaken both for operations and suppliers — which are also recurring concepts throughout G4.
PRESS RELEASE -
Sustainable Brands® pan-European conference SB’15 London begins today at the Beaumont Estate in Windsor. Nearly 400 business executives across diverse industry sectors and from 30+ countries are convening today through November 18th to collaborate and demonstrate how brands are transforming sustainability-led initiatives into profitable business outcomes.
PRESS RELEASE -
Nestlé UK and Ireland in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University’s National Centre for Excellence for Food Engineering are leading a series of Innovate UK projects to help improve resource efficiency and deliver impressive cost savings across the food supply chain that will benefit the whole industry Businesses and researchers from across the industry will work together on innovative projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology. Working with Sheffield Hallam’s Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering and Spirax Sarco, Nestlé UK will play a lead role in developing a pioneering project to improve waste heat recovery processes.
COLLABORATION -
EVgo, an electric vehicle (EV) DC fast charging solutions firm, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of California, San Diego to help support developments in sustainable energy technology, according to a recent announcement.
The agreement formalizes an already strong collaboration focusing on the intersection of electric vehicles and energy storage, and EVgo says it is leading two projects at the university.
In the first project, EVgo has constructed a site for assessing how owners of EV DC charging sites can leverage solar, battery storage and control systems to mitigate site host demand charges and provide services to the grid.