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
General Mills, Colgate-Palmolive Announce No-Deforestation Commitments; NGOs Weigh In
Not long after Mars jumped on board earlier this month, this week the deforestation-free consumer products bandwagon got even fuller with new commitments from General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive. ... View More
Earth-Friendly Diet Campaign Urges Americans: 'Take Extinction Off Your Plate'
As global meat consumption continues to drive accelerating deforestation, drought and other threats to endangered species, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) launched a new campaign this week urging Americans to “take extinction off your pla... View More
Paris Imposes Car Ban After Air Pollution Hits Record High
In a bold and understandably unpopular move this week, the City of Paris banned half its motorists from driving their cars and motorcycles on Monday after a series of warm days and cold nights caused the city's worst pollution levels since 2007, BBC ... View More
With GAR's Commitment, Over Half of World's Palm Oil Could Now Be Deforestation-Free
Singapore-based palm oil trader Golden Agri Resources (GAR) announced Friday it will extend its forest conservation policy across all of its third-party suppliers — pledging that all palm oil it produces, sources and trades will now be deforestatio... View More
Greenpeace to P&G: Enough with the 'Dirty' Palm Oil
Greenpeace launched another massive campaign this week, this time demanding Procter & Gamble end its role in rainforest destruction through its careless sourcing of palm oil. ... View More
Kellogg Commits to Fully Traceable Palm Oil by End of 2015
Kellogg Company has announced a commitment to work with its global palm oil suppliers to source fully traceable palm oil, “produced in a manner that's environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable.”To do so, Kellogg is... View More
Greenpeace Targeting 'Little Monsters' in Luxury Brands at Milan Fashion Week
Greenpeace certainly is on a roll, counting two major successes in as many weeks with commitments from fashion brand Burberry and retailer Primark to eliminate toxic chemicals from all of their products and production processes by 2020. ... View More
Caesars Entertainment First to Sign On to EPA's WaterSense H2Otel Challenge
Last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the launch of the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge to encourage hotels to use best management practices that will save water and money, while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that co... View More
Subway Eliminating Controversial Compound from Its Bread Dough
Subway announced late last week that it is removing a curious ingredient from its bread — a compound known as azodicarbonamide (or E927), whose other common uses include increasing the elasticity of items such as shoe soles and yoga mats, according... View More
Why CVS' 'No Smokes' Decision Is Big News for Forward-Thinking Brands
On Feb. 5, drugstore chain CVS Caremark announced that it will stop selling tobacco products.It’s a big deal. Here’s why.It signals a step towards more businesses saying, “It’s wrong. So we’re stopping.” Even when the financials — what ... View More
Driving Sustainability: Lessons from Public Health
Experts in public health have struggled with enabling behaviour change for years. The sustainability sector should learn what it can from their experiences. Consumer behaviour change is the challenge of our time. As governments and brands are beginni... View More
CVS to Cut Tobacco Products From All Pharmacy Locations
In a bold yet intuitive move for a pharmacy, CVS Caremark announced Wednesday that it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its more than 7,600 stores across the US by October 1, 2014. It is the first action of its kind by a nati... View More
NGOs Weigh In on APRIL's Spotty New Sustainable Forest Management Policy
WWF says it is cautiously welcoming a first attempt at a Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) by Indonesian pulp and paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), released Tuesday. WWF notes that a commitment to support forest ... View More
Subway Joins First Lady in Promoting Healthy Food to Kids by 'Powering Playtime with Veggies'
In the latest in a string of recent efforts to engage children in the joys of healthy eating, First Lady Michelle Obama announced last week that Subway® restaurants has joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and Mrs. Obama’s Let’s ... View More
Nestlé, Campbell's, Coke Among Companies That Eliminated 6.4T Calories from U.S. Marketplace
16 of the nation’s leading food and beverage companies sold 6.4 trillion fewer calories in the United States in 2012 than they did in 2007, according to the findings released last week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The companies, ac... View More
Dispelling the Dissonance: How Conscious Brands Can Turn Customer Beliefs Into Actions
In the 2010 UN Global Compact-Accenture Global CEO Study, 49% of CEOs said that the sustainability agenda can only move forward if driven by greater consumer demand; government and corporate initiatives will not be enough. While sustainability advoca... View More
New Campaign Encouraging Brits to 'Smart Swap' Healthier Food Criticized for Shortsightedness
Last week, Public Health England unveiled its latest Change4Life campaign, which this year focuses on getting people throughout England and Wales to “Smart Swap” fatty or sugary foods for healthier alternatives.The campaign recognizes that it’s... View More
Making Energy Efficiency Work for Utilities: New Findings
How can utilities be persuaded to help their customers use less electricity and natural gas? It’s entirely possible, starting with regulatory reforms that remove any linkage between the financial health of our hometown utilities and the amount of e... View More
How to Get People to Reuse Their Hotel Towels
in their excellent book, "Switch," researchers Dan and Chip Heath revealed promoting "contagious behavior" as an effective way to convince people to reuse their towels. ... View More
