Collaboration
Follow the growing amount of collaborative work — cross-functional, cross-sector, pre-competitive and more — bringing about massive, disruptive, needed shifts to business as usual.
Tarkett, Sustainable Minds Partner to Boost Transparency for the Built Environment
Sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions leader Tarkett is the latest brand to embrace transparency with the launch of a new product catalog that could help drive the use of sustainable building materials towards the mainstream for the construction industry.
What Do Third-Party Certifications Reveal About Your Brand?
In an industry full of certifications for product and brand sustainability, it can be difficult to navigate which ones are right for your organization. While intentions for each certification are good, some processes are more comprehensive than others. The rigorous B Corporation certification standards set by third party B Lab clearly define holistic, impact-focused practices in business.
Toyota, Shell Place Their Bets on Fuel Cells for the Future
While electric vehicles have long been identified as a leading solution to reduce emissions and combat climate change, hydrogen fuel cells are still met with significant criticism. The flammability of the element leaves many skeptical about the feasibility of fuel cell vehicles, but for companies such as Toyota and Shell, hydrogen is the future.
Target, GSK, Kaiser Honored for Partnerships Promoting Community Health
Last week, during the inaugural Healthy10 Awards, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation honored 10 partnerships for their efforts to connect businesses and communities promote good health. The Healthy10 Awards concluded the Health Means Business National Summit, an extension of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Health Means Business campaign and an opportunity for business, government and non-profit leaders to discuss the business community’s role in improving community wellness.
New CDP Initiative Aims to Develop Clear, Credible Carbon Pricing For Investors
CDP, on behalf of the We Mean Business coalition, has convened a panel of utilities and investment leaders from across the G20 under the Carbon Pricing Corridors initiative - the world’s first industry-led initiative aimed at defining the carbon prices needed for the power sector to meet the Paris Agreement.
Ford Teams Up with TfL to Clean Up London’s Air
Ford and Transport for London have announced a new multimillion-pound project designed to help improve air quality in London. The project features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power. The arrival of the new program is well-timed: Just five days into the new year, the City of London surpassed its 2017 air pollution limit, calling major attention to the serious air pollution problems the city currently faces.
APP: With Holistic Forest Management, We Can Halt the Sixth Great Extinction
Human activity is driving rampant loss of flora and fauna around the world, prompting fears that we are in the midst of a sixth great extinction event, with one-third of all species in the wild facing threat of extinction.
Unilever, Google, Nestlé Join Forces to Transform Global Food Systems
Twenty-five leading global companies, including Google, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, DuPont and Kellogg’s announced during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland that they were joining together to launch FReSH, the Food Reform for Sustainability and Health program, under the leadership of the World Business Council for Sustainable
630 Companies, Investors Tell Trump: Continue Accelerating a Low-Carbon Economy
More than 530 companies and 100 investors – from iconic Fortune 500 firms to small family-owned businesses – are calling on the Trump administration and the new Congress to continue to support policies to accelerate a low-carbon future that will help curb climate change.
Consumer Goods Firms Prioritizing 'Common Principles' to Eradicate Forced Labour
There are an estimated 21 million victims of forced labour in the world today, with labour exploitation fast becoming the dominant form – in 2015, it overtook sexual exploitation for the first time in the UK. The insidious nature of forced labour, coupled with the growing complexity of global supply chains, makes it a tough problem for corporations to identify, let alone stamp out.
Duke Energy Directs $1.4M Toward Wildlife Habitat, Land Conservation
This week, Duke Energy Carolinas announced that it will invest nearly $1.4 million to help protect wildlife habitat and land conservation efforts in South Carolina into the foreseeable future. The Oconee County Conservation Bank will benefit from $618,000 to support regional land conservation and habitat preservation efforts, while the Foothills Conservancy Program will receive $762,000 for the Keowee-Toxaway Habitat Enhancement Program (KTHEP), which supports projects that create, enhance and protect fish and wildlife habitats along the shores of Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee, as well as in their watersheds.
Rockefeller Foundation, USDA, EPA to Create Center for Action Against Food Waste
A partnership of 12 organization is set to launch an online hub for information and solutions to reduce food waste, “Further With Food: Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions,” at FurtherWithFood.org. The site is intended to help realize the national goal to halve food waste by 2030, announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S.
C40 Pledges End to Diesel, Partners with J&J to Link Urban Air Quality to Human Health
At the recent C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City, the City – along with Paris, Madrid and Athens - pledged to remove all diesel vehicles by 2025, as part of an effort by mayors to improve the quality of air for citizens. The pledge also includes a plan to incentivize alternative vehicles and promote walking and cycling infrastructure, helping to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement.
WWF, Sodexo Team Up to Launch New Sustainable Meals Initiative
Sustainable food initiatives aimed at tackling food waste and climate change are sweeping through Europe and the UK, and the latest example comes in the form of a partnership between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK and global catering and facilities firm Sodexo.
The Year in Review: Sustainability Leaders Raise the Bar Rather Than Toe the Line
While in the past I have written summaries that looked back on accomplishments and challenges in sustainable development over the last 12 months, this year, I’ve decided to take a different approach. Instead, on the heels of COP22, I asked sustainability leaders to share their thoughts about where things are today, and where they see things going. Of course many were encouraged by the more than 365 companies that pledged to continue their carbon-reduction efforts at that meeting in Marrakech.
Kimberly-Clark Engages Local Entrepreneurs to Combat Global Sanitation Crisis
Increasing access to clean, safe and sustainable sanitation to 10 million people by 2022 is a top priority for personal care corporation Kimberly-Clark’s Sustainability 2022 goals, and on November 19, World Toilet Day, the company renewed its commitment to its Toilets Change Lives program, a multi-national commercial program that leverages the power of its well-known brands to educate and engage consumers and help solve the global sanitation crisis.
If Trump Tries to Kill Obama’s Sustainability Agenda, Business Will Save It
During the campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump called climate change a hoax, threatened to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, committed to easing restrictions on drilling and mining on federal lands, and promised to
3 Action Items for Business as the Paris Agreement Takes Effect
On October 5, the Paris Agreement on climate change cleared the final hurdle to go into full effect. This required at least 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of emissions to join – as I write this post, WRI’s real-time Paris Tracker shows that 89 countries representing 63 percent of emissions have now joined the Agreement.
Asia Pulp & Paper Signs Onto Multiparty Collaboration for Clean Water, Education in Indonesia
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is reinforcing its commitment towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through participation in “The Pari Island Project,” a new multiparty collaboration aimed at improving the availability and sustainability of clean water in Indonesia.
Successful Sustainable Development: Maintaining the Right Distance Between Companies, Communities
The third Setouchi International Art Festival is currently taking place across 12 islands and two coastal ports in the Seto Naikai, or Inland Sea of Japan. The Sea boasts over 700 islands in total. The islands, which never underwent rapid industrial modernization, have maintained their original backdrop of lively Japanese culture, tradition and rusticity. But the legacy of that harsh era remains, with many islands grappling with unauthorized dumping of industrial waste, environmental pollution, and rapid depopulation. The festival, which aims to revitalize the islands through modern art, has proved a successful joint effort by companies and the local community.