Consumer Behavior Change
The latest ways brands are supporting a shift toward sustainable consumption, and best practices for brands aiming to encourage more conscious consumer behavior and lifestyles
What Difference Does One Make?
My family eats a mostly vegetarian diet. Some kids at school were making fun of my 9-year-old son, telling him how great meat tastes. Before diving into the challenge of dealing with childhood peers, I asked him if he knew why we’re vegetarian. Whe... View More
UK Announces Tax on Sugary Beverages; Industry May Sue
In a surprise announcement on March 16, the UK government unveiled a tax on sugary drinks amidst its budgetary plans. Companies have 2 years to reformulate their products, but the director general of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said they were... View More
Criticism Over Coffee Cup Waste Leads to Starbucks Discount, Call to Go Biodegradable
A successful campaign led by chef-turned-activist Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall drew attention to a big problem: coffee cup waste. Fearnley-Whittingstall claims that in the UK, less than 6 million takeaway hot beverage cups are recycled each year, whil... View More
Study: More Conscious Living Increases Happiness; Tetra Pak Challenges Consumers to Find Out
New findings from a survey and a social experiment suggest that ‘the key to happiness’ may be as simple as making small lifestyle changes that help protect Earth’s natural resources. 70 percent of the survey respondents and all of the participa... View More
Love for 'Ugly Fruit and Veg' Slowly Growing in the U.S., But Food Waste Fight Still Needs Steam
The amount of food we waste globally has become a front-of-mind concern recently and with good reason: In the U.S. alone, an estimated 26 percent of all food produced is wasted. In a country where, in 2013, an estimated 17.5 million households faced ... View More
6 Chinese Rayon Producers Join Effort to End Use of Ancient Forest Fiber in Fabrics
Today, Canadian environmental NGO Canopy welcomes six large Chinese viscose producers to the growing roster of fashion and textile leaders committed to eliminating the world’s ancient and endangered forests from their fabrics. While to date 60 bran... View More
How Supermarkets Can Help Fight Obesity, One Receipt at a Time
Obesity is a big problem in numerous countries around the world. Obesity rates are above 20 percent in every US state, and exceed 35 percent in 3 states (Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi). Every state is expected to reach a rate of at least 44... View More
Web Series Puts California’s Drought, Oil Wastewater Use, Gas Prices in the Spotlight
“The California you don't see on postcards” is featured in a new web series: Spotlight California. In each episode, comedienne Kiran Deol speaks to community activists and people directly affected by issues such as the state's drought, high gas p... View More
Tyson Foods Dumps More Pollution Into Waterways Each Year Than ExxonMobil
Tyson Foods Inc. was the second biggest polluter of America’s waterways from 2010 to 2014, according to data the company submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Toxic Release Inventory. ... View More
Global Companies Played Key Role in Precedent-Setting Great Bear Conservation Agreement
It has taken the combined and herculean efforts of countless individuals, but this week, the vision of the landmark Great Bear Rainforest Agreements has finally been realized. Local communities have a vibrant future and 85 percent of the rainforest i... View More
Mayors Get Creative as Competition for 'Coolest City in California' Heats Up
A competition that began in October, the CoolCalifornia Challenge, is motivating Californians in 22 participating cities to reduce their water and energy consumption. The cities are competing for a share of $150,000 to put towards local sustainabilit... View More
'Sea the Possibilities' Healthy Eating Challenge Not So Healthy for the Oceans
For Chicken of the Sea, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans give the right recommendation: People should eat more seafood, and it should replace of other protein foods for two meals per week. In response, the company launched the “Sea the Poss... View More
Marketers: Stop Selling 'Green,' Start Selling Products That Match Our Values
Sustainable Brands recently referenced a study from Ohio State University that shows that “not only do many consumers not want to put much effort toward finding out whether our purchases were produced ethically (which is not exactly news), they hav... View More
Singularity University, Amnesty International Turning to Tech to Tackle Human Rights Challenges
Benefit corporation Singularity University (SU) is in ambitious pursuit of solutions for eleven “global grand challenges” that its experts have identified: environment, security, health, learning, energy, food, prosperity, water, space, disaster ... View More
New USDA Dietary Guidelines Gather Both Criticism and Praise from Brands
Every five years, the USDA releases updates to its dietary guidelines, aimed at helping improve American eating habits. The latest Iteration, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), has left some brands hungry for more, and others perfe... View More
Super Bowl 50 Fans Asked to Play Their Part to Help Make Big Game Net Positive
Upgrading facilities to be LEED-certified, reducing carbon emissions, using recycled or compostable foodservice products, and diverting waste from landfills are common ways that sporting events are going green. However, especially with large events, ... View More
Colgate Hoping to Rally Super Bowl Viewers to Save Water with Debut Ad
Colgate toothpastes and toothbrushes will not be the focus of the brand’s first-ever Super Bowl advertisement. Rather, it will be using its airtime to remind viewers to turn off the tap when brushing their teeth. ... View More
Trending: While WRAP, Scottish Designers Tout Merits of ‘Durable’ Fashion, MANGO Has a Different Idea
Waste reduction charity WRAP’s new Clothing Durability Report reveals that extending the active life of clothing items by nine months could reduce carbon, waste and water footprints of clothing in the UK by 20 to 30 percent each and cut resource co... View More
“Bikes vs Cars” Wants to Liberate Cities from Traffic Jams and Urban Sprawl
Could the bicycle be the tool for change that our cities need? A new documentary and a related app are hoping to inspire better design, smarter political decisions, and reduced CO2 emissions in the urban planning process by shining a light on the bic... View More
Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo Join Banks Cutting Out Coal
Ahead of the UN 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo became the latest major banks to pledge to eliminate their support for the coal industry in favor of reducing carbon pollution associated with the industry.Morgan S... View More
