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
Stakeholders Applaud Biggest U.S.' Carbon Emission-Reduction Measure in History
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final version of its Clean Power Plan, the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon emissions from power plants — the single largest source of U.S. global warming pollution. ... View More
Sustainability, Virtuous Cycles and (Gasp!) Brand Self-Actualization
“Intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately of what is the organism itself ... self-actualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated.” — Abraham MaslowConsumer expectations of sustainable business ... View More
IKEA to Raise UK Employee Pay Above National Living Wage By 2016
IKEA will be the first national retailer in the United Kingdom to pay workers above the government's new National Living Wage, BBC News reports.The Swedish furniture company said it would pay all of its 9,000 UK workers at least £7.85 (US $12.22) pe... View More
Chipotle Continues Effort to Educate Consumers on What's in Their Food with 'Friend or Faux'
While major restaurant chains including McDonald’s, Subway, Panera and Taco Bell have recently begun to move away from unpronouncable, unfamiliar ingredients such as propionic acid and Yellow No. ... View More
New 'Water Deeply' Platform Will Help Public Understand California Water Crisis
Following ongoing campaigns to urge both businesses and citizens to more effectively conserve water, this week saw the launch of Water Deeply, a comprehensive new media platform created to connect the public with experts to better understand the Cali... View More
Trending: Major Brands Adopting Bold Anti-Smoking Stances
While a shift in consumer attitudes away from smoking has been mounting for decades, major brands are now stepping up to do their part to extinguish the unhealthy habit.First, CVS Health Corporation resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last wee... View More
Whole Foods, Wegmans Top Greenpeace Scorecard for Sustainable Seafood
Greenpeace released the ninth edition of its Carting Away the Oceans (CATO) report today, ranking 25 supermarkets on the sustainability of their seafood procurement. Whole Foods ranked first for the third year in a row, followed by Wegmans, Hy-Vee, ... View More
General Mills Removing Artificial Flavors, Colors from Cereals by End of 2016
General Mills cereals has committed to removing artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from the rest of its cereals in response to consumers’ changing preferences. The company says more than 60 percent of its cereals, including Cinna... View More
Trending: Subway, Kroger Face Public Pressure to Ditch Antibiotic-Laden Meat
Growing public health and consumer safety concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in food has sparked a wave of resistance, with both Subway and Kroger facing pressure this week to curb their reliance on antibiotics — which the companies say they... View More
Top Mexican Companies Will Abstain from Fishing Pacific Bluefin Tuna Until 2020
Member companies of the Pacific Alliance for Sustainable Tuna, representing 93 percent of tuna production in Mexico, have announced they will refrain from fishing Pacific Bluefin tuna until 2020. ... View More
FDA Bans Trans Fats: What Does This Mean for Palm Oil Consumption in the US?
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) moved to ban the use of partially hydrogenated oils, the main dietary source of artificial trans fats, after determining they are not safe to use in food. This move is hardly surprising, given th... View More
Trending: Fashion Loved, and Not So Loved, by Forests
Last week, a colorful protest temporarily diverted attention from the red carpet parade at the 2015 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards at New York City’s Lincoln Center.Dressed in sleek formal wear, activists deployed a l... View More
Norwegian Government Makes Largest Coal Divestment in History
The Norwegian parliament has unanimously voted for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund (GPFG) to adopt strong divestment criteria for companies involved in coal mining and coal fired utilities, including 49 companies and subsidiaries based in the U... View More
Indonesian Pulp and Paper Giant APRIL Pledges Zero Deforestation, Greenpeace Applauds
Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), one of the world’s largest producers of pulp and paper, has today announced an end to deforestation as part of a new Sustainable Forest Management Plan.Deforestation for pulp and paper, and palm oil... View More
Ben & Jerry’s Announces Carbon Tax Covering Farm to Landfill Emissions
Ben & Jerry’s has announced that it will institute its own internal carbon tax of $10 for every metric ton of its greenhouse gas emissions, from farm to landfill.Using a recent Lifecycle Analysis that gave the ice cream company a “cow-to-cone... View More
France Voting to Forbid Major Supermarkets from Throwing Away Unsold Food
In a landmark move last week, France's parliament voted to forbid major supermarkets from destroying unsold food, encouraging them to donate to charities or to farms for animal feed, as part of a national campaign against food waste; an estimated tha... View More
Walmart Announces New Animal Welfare Policy, $4M in Savings After Water Policy Revamp
Today, Walmart announced a commitment to improving farmed animal welfare across its global food supply chain with one of the most comprehensive animal welfare policies of its kind. The change in policy comes after six hidden-camera videos taken by an... View More
CVS Health: Financial Incentives Help Smokers Quit
Employer-sponsored smoking cessation programs with financial incentives are associated with higher rates of quitting smoking and sustained abstinence, according to a new study by the CVS Health Research Institute and researchers at the Perelman Schoo... View More
Consumer Awareness Won't Save The World: We Need Businesses That Can Change People's Habits For Good
These are times of major changes in how people live and consume. Today’s developments demand from us new ways of producing and consuming, given the increasing scarcity of natural resources and the rapid growth of the global consumer class, especial... View More
Trending: Fossil Fuel Divestment Enters Primetime
From universities and churches to prominent investment funds, fossil fuel divestment continues to gain traction among diverse groups around the world.80 percent of global fossil fuel reserves need to remain unburned to avoid global warming more than ... View More
