Behavior Change
The latest developments supporting a shift toward sustainable consumption, as well as specific ways brands are encouraging less wasteful behaviors.
Corruption Costs Developing Countries $1 Trillion Each Year
Developing countries lose at least $1 trillion every year through shady deals for natural resources, the use of shell companies, money laundering and illegal tax evasion, according to a new report by the ONE Campaign.The ONE Campaign, co-founded by Irish rocker Bono to end extreme poverty and disease, says curbing corruption in sub-Saharan Africa could provide money to educate an extra 10 million children a year. Money recovered from corrupt activity could pay the salaries of an additional 500,000 primary school teachers in Africa, provide antiretroviral drugs for more than 11 million people living with HIV and fund nearly 165 million vaccine shots.
Could Marketing Fresh Produce Like Junk Food Get Kids Eating More Fruits and Vegetables?
Getting kids to eat more fruit and vegetables has long been a challenge that, despite their best efforts, many parents struggle to win. It’s not just parents — it appears that no one, including schools, retailers and health experts, has managed to crack it. Despite all the drive towards healthy eating, fruit and vegetable consumption still falls well short of the recommended amount, with Americans only eating, on average, one portion of fruit and 1-2 portions of vegetables a day.
Tyson Foods Could Lose $500 Million in Federal Contracts After Environmental Gaffe
Tyson Foods is in risk of losing close to $500 million in government contracts if found guilty in and ongoing criminal investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency over the recent release of toxic chemicals at a plant in Monett, Mo.The food company has enjoyed more than $4.7 billion in contract business from the U.S. government since 2000, but this could all end with the guilty findings in the Monett investigation.The EPA probe came after Tyson was caught sending Aliment (an additive used in chicken feed) tainted wastewater into Monett’s wastewater plant which released high levels of ammonia into the city’s water system. The ammonia killed an estimated 100,000 fish within four miles of the site.
Toymakers, Advertisers Encouraging Young Girls to Redefine Gender Roles
The gender divide starts young in our society, with boys and girls generally encouraged to adopt a standard set of acceptable behaviors and preferences from an early age. But a number of companies have recently begun to encourage young girls and women to forgo limiting gender roles and fulfill their true potential by embracing their strengths and smarts.
Executives Say Saving Money Is No. 1 Sustainability Driver
Saving money is the number one reason executives cite for taking actions towards more eco-friendly business practices, according to a new report from Grant Thornton.The company’s 2014 International Business Report, Corporate social responsibility: beyond financials, draws on more than 2,500 interviews with business leaders in 34 economies and looks at what companies are doing to make their operations more sustainable and why. The report finds that cost management (67 percent) emerges as the key sustainability driver, followed by customer demand (64 percent) and because it’s the “right thing to do” (62 percent).
SeaWorld Doubling Size of Whale Environments After Documentary Ruins Revenue
SeaWorld has announced plans to double the size of its killer whale environments at three parks and will fund new programs to protect ocean health and killer whales in the wild.The first of the new environments will be built at SeaWorld San Diego, where the killer whale environment is planned to have a total water volume of 10 million gallons — nearly double that of the existing facility. With a planned maximum depth of 50 feet, surface area of nearly 1.5 acres and spanning more than 350 feet in length, the new environment also will have views exceeding 40 feet in height, providing guests with the world's largest underwater viewing experience of killer whales.
Hyatt Partnering with WWF on Global Initiative to Source Sustainable Seafood
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced a global initiative to increase its procurement of responsibly sourced seafood and eliminate the procurement of highly vulnerable seafood species, starting with an initial goal of responsibly sourcing more than 50 percent of its inventory by 2018. In the first phase of a long-term seafood sustainability strategy in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Hyatt will also work toward purchasing more than 15 percent of its seafood supply from fisheries or farms that have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
Should Fruit and Vegetables Be Marketed in the Same Way as Pharmaceuticals?
If the health benefits of fruit and vegetables were marketed more like pharmaceutical drugs, it could potentially develop into a multimillion-dollar boon for the pharmaceutical industry, claims one of the UK’s leading dieticians.Catherine Collins, principal dietician at St George’s Hospital in London, was reported by Food Manufacture to have made this claim recently in response to a new study. The study, which measures the effects of eating five fruit and vegetable portions a day, involved over 800,000 consumers — done on such a large scale as to be referred to as a “granddaddy of a study” by Collins.
Report: Climate Change Adaptation Could Be $2 Billion Business
Weather-related disasters present significant opportunities for companies positioned to help clients prepare for, adapt to and even gain competitive advantage from the consequences of climate change, according to a new report by Environmental Business International. The global market for this could be as high as $2 billion.In the report, EBI evaluates the first generation of service providers in this emerging business space, looking at how they are positioning their companies to win contracts and at the challenges involved in pioneering adaptation work.
The Widening Attitude/Behavior Gap: The Curse of an Improving Economy?
Socially and environmentally conscious attitudes are gaining ground, but corresponding purchases and behaviors are stagnant or heading south — and the rebounding economy may be the culprit. That’s the latest finding from Shelton Group’s seventh annual Eco Pulse™ study, released this week. Eco Pulse polls American consumers each year to track shifts in their attitudes, purchases and behaviors related to sustainability.
Are Campaigns Pushing Fresh Fruit and Veggies Working?
Over the last few years, as awareness and urgency around the issue of obesity have grown, campaigns promoting more fruit and vegetable consumption have been launched all over the developed world. But according to a team of researchers at the University of Sydney, such policy efforts have resulted only in modest gains and increased awareness (especially among children) but have largely been ineffective in bringing about a change in consumption behavior. The research was presented at The Quest for Quality Food 2014 Research Symposium at the University of Sydney.
Commission Threatens Future of Tuna by Sidestepping WWF's Pleas to Limit Catch
WWF says it will now urge a suspension of fishing for Pacific Bluefin tuna, if fishing nations fail to set binding catch limits in line with scientific recommendations this year.WWF’s hardening stance follows an inconclusive annual meeting of the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), which deferred discussions on bluefin tuna quotas to October. Catch reductions of at least 50 percent and a drastic reduction in the number of juveniles caught will also need to be implemented by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Samoa in December in order to secure the future of the fishery.
Australian Government Backtracks on Carbon Tax
The Australian Senate has voted 39-32 to repeal the country's carbon tax after years of fierce political debate.The tax on the country’s biggest polluters was passed by a previous government. Introduced in July 2012, it charges the 348 highest polluters A$23 (£13; $22.60) for every ton of greenhouse gases they produce.However, the law has faced much criticism. Last year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Liberal-National coalition beat Labor in an election, and made the repeal a central aim of his government.The Labor party claims the tax helps to fight climate change, but the Liberals claim it penalizes legitimate businesses.Australia is the developed world's worst polluter per capita, but critics of the tax say it kills jobs and forces energy prices up.
Give the People What They Want — Start Selling 'Better'
Our annual Eco Pulse study will be out later this month, and we’ll start blogging about what we found over the next few weeks. One consistent theme that we see in this study and last year’s Energy Pulse is this:People want better.They don’t want to feel guilty about how they should do the right thing for the environment, they don’t want to feel scared about the state of the planet, and they don’t want to be told they’re wrong for wanting what they want.
WWF to Fisheries: Catch 50% Less or Lose Pacific Bluefin Tuna Altogether
The long-term sustainability of the Pacific Bluefin Tuna fishery can only be guaranteed by following the science and halving catch limits, WWF will tell the two Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) covering the Pacific.
Home Depot Among a Dozen Home & Garden Retailers Working to Ban Bee-Killing Pesticides
A dozen US home and garden retailers, including Home Depot and BJ's Wholesale Club, are working to ban or limit use of neonicotinoid, or neonic, pesticides, suspected of contributing to dramatic declines in honeybee populations, according to Reuters.The retailers are now requiring suppliers to label any plants treated with the pesticides before they can be sold in their stores. Home Depot, the world's largest home-improvement retailer, is requiring its suppliers to start such labeling by the fourth quarter of this year, and is running tests in several states to see if the pesticides can be eliminated in plant production without adversely affecting plant health, according to Ron Jarvis, the company's VP of merchandising/sustainability.
Greenpeace to LEGO: 'Shell Is Bad Company'
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Greenpeace has launched a campaign urging LEGO to #BlockShell and end its partnership with the oil company, which the NGO contends has been using LEGO’s brand to clean up its image as an Arctic oil driller.
It's Not You, It's We: Why Values Alone Aren't Enough for a Sustainable World
“The circumstances of the world are continually changing….That which may be thought right and found convenient in one age, may be thought wrong and found inconvenient in another. In such cases, who is to decide, the living, or the dead?”Thomas PaineIt’s not you, it’s weThe world abounds in theories (and models) of change, from Theory U to Kotter’s 8 Step Change model, McKinsey’s 7S model and many more.At the heart of all of these, and of many sustainability campaigns, is a focus upon the role and importance of values in supporting and driving any form of change.
First Fossil-Free Index Launched in US
Fossil Free Indexes LLC (FFI), an environmental, social and governance (ESG) index and research company, has released its first index covering the US equity markets.Fossil Free Indexes US (FFIUS), based on the S&P 500 and screened to exclude the largest oil, gas and coal companies, is the first index to leverage the long-term growth of US large cap indices while protecting investors from the risk of a carbon bubble. The company says evidence over the past decade indicates a high correlation between returns on FFIUS and the S&P 500, suggesting that index investors need not sacrifice returns when choosing not to invest in the biggest carbon resource companies.
Report: Doing Nothing to Cut GHGs Is ‘Risky Business’
It’s not too late for businesses to avoid the most severe risks from climate change through early investments in resilience and immediate action to reduce the pollution that causes global warming, according to a report by the Risky Business Project.
