THE NEXT ECONOMY -
England’s Open Water market officially launched on Saturday, April 1st, opening up new economic opportunities worth around £200 million for a wide range of players.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Global stressors — from water scarcity to modern-day slavery — are reinventing traditional business models across heavy industries that support a more secure, sustainable future. As one of the largest engineering, procurement and construction companies in the world, Bechtel is uniquely positioned to be part of this transformation. We’ve completed more than 25,000 extraordinary projects across 160 countries on all seven continents.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
A new study by the International Renewable Energy Agency has made a convincing case for transitioning to a low-carbon economy, demonstrating how embracing renewable energy could result in economic gains of $19 trillion and the creation of six million new jobs. Now, a report by the U.S. Water Alliance has revealed how closing the water infrastructure funding gap could give the US economy a major boost.
WASTE NOT -
World Water Day typically sees brands unveil new initiatives designed to reduce impact in their supply chains, report successes and team up with charities to raise awareness about water security in vulnerable regions across the globe.
While there is certainly progress to celebrate, the reality of the matter is that much more must be done to address the growing global water crisis.
First, the good news.
COLLABORATION -
We’re inundated with signals of the severity of the water crisis on a daily basis. Reports detail the extent: a staggering 2.8 billion people already affected by water scarcity. Authorities ban water-intensive activities at home, and stories describe the profound implications of severe water stress for people around the world: waterborne diseases, famine, migration, violence.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Global fresh water demand is expected to grow by 2 percent yearly over the next several decades. Based on the assumption that water supply will remain relatively stable, demand growth is expected to lead to serious water stress. This is largely the result of a linear model of water usage, in which the resource becomes more polluted and increasingly wasted as it travels through the system, shortening the water cycle.
PRESS RELEASE -
Arrowhead® Mountain Spring Water announced today that it has dramatically increased the amount of recycled plastic used in its bottle production. Thanks to the high recycling rate of California residents, and with help from its strategic partner CarbonLITE, Arrowhead now ensures that 9 out of 10 of its Arrowhead bottles made in California incorporate 50% post-consumer recycled plastic content.
PRESS RELEASE -
Mayor Kasim Reed announced recently that the city of Atlanta continues to lead the country with 111 million square feet of building space committed to reducing energy and water usage through the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge. UPS is the latest partner to join the challenge and has committed to reducing energy and water usage in more than one million square feet of commercial building space.
The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge has a goal to reduce energy and water consumption by at least 20 percent in participating buildings across Atlanta by the year 2020. To date, the City of Atlanta has already achieved its 20 percent water reduction goal, and has reduced its energy consumption portfolio by 17 percent.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In celebration of World Water Day, brewer Stella Artois and National Geographic have joined forces to create Our Dream of Water, a documentary by Crystal Moselle spotlighting the effects of the global water crisis. The film, which was commissioned by Stella Artois, will premiere on National Geographic on March 22nd at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST. Our Dream of Water is an extension of the brewer’s Buy a Lady a Drink campaign, an ongoing partnership with Water.org.
PRESS RELEASE -
Nestlé S.A., today released its annual Nestlé in society: Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments report for 2016. The report demonstrates how the company purpose, ambitions and 42 specific public commitments contribute to society.
Guided by its purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future, Nestlé works alongside partners to create shared value, thus contributing to society while ensuring the long‑term success of the business.
CLEANTECH -
Water is an increasingly precious resource and no one knows this better than California. Last year marked the state’s sixth consecutive year of drought, an issue that is putting serious strain on its agriculture and viticulture industries. Achieving a sustainable water future is critical to meet the needs of people, businesses and the environment, a prospect that local and national businesses alike aren’t taking lying down.
PRESS RELEASE -
A "firm belief" that business growth and sustainability go hand-in-hand has seen Heineken publish its latest sustainability report alongside a financial report for the first time, with the report highlighting rapid business expansion alongside a decrease in emissions.
Heineken’s latest sustainability report, released on Wednesday (22 February), reveals a 37% reduction in carbon emissions in production against 2008 levels, just short of the 40% target for 2020. When looking at absolute carbon reductions, a 5% reduction has been recorded in the same timeframe, despite Heineken growing its business volumes by 52%.
PRESS RELEASE -
Beverages major Coca-Cola India has partnered with DCM Shriram (DSCL) along with Solidaridad and International Finance Corporation, for a project to enhance sugarcane yield and improve farmers' income in Uttar Pradesh.
"It is a sustainable supply project, in addition to improving farmers' income. We have come together to increase sugarcane farmers' yield and to bring in sustainable agricultural practices," said Coca-Cola India and South West Asia President Venkatesh Kini.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Many CEOs want to make a difference. Convinced that companies should play a positive role in environmental stewardship and social development, they declare sustainability a top priority, launch a transformation program, hire a chief sustainability officer, and commit millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of management time to the effort. Then momentum fades.
It’s a frustrating setback—and a common one. A new report released Bain & Company, finds that only 2 percent of corporate sustainability programs achieve or exceed their aims, compared to 12 percent of other corporate transformation programs.
CLEANTECH -
Despite the hype around Internet of Things (IoT), it’s helping more and more brands streamline operations and meet ambitious sustainability goals.
First, Fetzer Vineyards, a leader in regenerative winegrowing, is slated to meet its 2020 water efficiency goals two years ahead of time thanks to a new water metering technology by APANA, Inc. that will allow the vineyard to intensify its water conservation efforts.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
“I focused on making sure that sustainability is something which is integrated with day-to-day business planning systems rather than something just handled by a corporate group on the side,” says Martin Riant, a senior business leader in the consumer goods industry.
Riant, who recently retired from P&G, spent more than 36 years at the multinational company, growing its business in various national, regional and global roles. I met him recently when he became interested in Gone Adventurin’s model to integrate sustainability into the core of business – a vision he also passionately believes in.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Has a water crisis touched you or your community this year? You probably know that 2016 was a big headline year for water, from California’s lingering drought to Flint’s public health disaster. Here in East Tennessee, where we rarely worry about the availability of fresh water, the idea of scarcity hit home this fall in an unprecedented way: We endured our most severe drought in nearly ten years, setting the stage for a massive wildfire that ripped through the tourist town of Gatlinburg and killed at least 14 people.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Ambitions to reduce environmental impact by slashing water use are driving brands in industries of all kinds to rethink their manufacturing processes. This week, both Wrangler and Toyota announced they have risen to the challenge and have plenty to show for their efforts.
Having recently reached a milestone of three billion liters of water saved since 2007, denim and casual apparel brand Wrangler announced on Wednesday that it plans to reduce water usage at its facilities by 20 percent by 2020.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
Last week saw the premiere of “Incorporated,” a dystopian Syfy series produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.