The latest products, services, design approaches and business models that are helping organizations of all sizes deliver on their sustainability ambitions and establish a new business as usual
Between a growing global population — which is estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2050 — rapid urbanization and climate change, shifting agricultural to a more sustainable model is essential for safeguarding the future of our food system. Startups in the United States and Singapore are ready to rise to the challenge, championing food sustainability through new technologies and infrastructure solutions designed with urban environments in mind.
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed a technology that could finally make it economically feasible for coal plants to curb their carbon emissions.
Sustainable products geeks rejoice, for 'tis once again the season of giving! And what better way to celebrate and participate than with gifts whose buying and giving creates more cheer, health, beauty and financial stability while eliminating waste, pollution and carbon emissions around the world? Here are just a few of our favorite discoveries this year of products we'd be proud to give. Waste Not You know we’re big fans of upcycling, here at SB! Here are just a few of the waste-turned-products we loved this year:
Just one month after the launch of its new natural personal care product line ApotheCARE Essentials, Unilever has rolled out yet another responsible beauty brand: Love Beauty and Planet. And it’s kind of a big deal — unlike ApotheCARE Essentials, which has a limited distribution, LBP is being launched on a large scale.
A low-carbon future is our best bet at mitigating climate change, but eliminating the use of fossil fuels is unlikely to happen overnight. According to the International Energy Agency, the burning of fossil fuels is likely to continue through 2040. Finding ways to reduce impacts in the interim is, therefore, essential. North Carolina startup NET Power has found a way to power the transition to a CO2-free future without parting ways with fossil fuels with its pioneering turbine technology.
While there’s plenty of discussion surrounding single-use plastics — namely straws, water bottles, food packaging, coffee stirrers, etc. — the topic of disposable needle counters doesn’t typically enter into the conversation. But with hospitals across the US generating more than 12,000 tons of waste per day — 30 percent of which come from operating rooms — reducing the use of non-renewable plastics in healthcare is imperative.
Big data and IoT are back in the news, as real-time cargo tracking and monitoring service Arviem scores a Green Supply Chain 2017 Award for advancing supply chain transparency and UNEP calls for greater collaboration between Africa’s public and private sector to develop solutions for pressing social and environmental problems.
While the LEED rating system has faced criticism for its narrow scope, hefty price tag and preference for context-ignorant cleantech, a new resilient construction standard developed by global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting and Eaton Corporation could prove to be a critical tool in helping city planners, architects, developers, governments and businesses design buildings, neighborhoods and buildings better equipped
Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane system that could be used to convert power plant CO2 emissions into fuel for cars, trucks and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a variety of products. Funded by Shell Oil and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the breakthrough is the work of MIT postdoc Xiao-Yu Wu and Ahmed Ghoniem, the Ronald C.
While discussion around the future of urban mobility largely focuses on electric vehicles and public transportation, buzz is growing around the role of bikes in driving down emissions in cities. Congested city streets pose considerable challenges for delivery trucks, a problem that French startup FlexiModal endeavors to solve with its BicyLift bicycle trailer. The emissions-free logistics solution allows the operator to move Euro pallets (120 x 80 cm) by bicycle and by hand in areas where circulation of traditional delivery vehicles is limited. The trailer weighs 55 lbs. and has a carrying capacity of around 400 lbs.
Carlsberg Group is now one step closer to achieving its Together Towards Zero goals — the company’s brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden is now 100 percent powered by biogas and clean electricity, thereby reducing its CO2 emissions to zero.
In an era where brands are becoming increasingly socially conscious to keep up with societal trends, Marc Skid is no exception. The recently launched online underwear retailer is using the finest, sustainably grown materials to provide its customers both a high-quality product and an opportunity to donate to feed, cure and save the world.
Cross-Posted from Circular Economy. Your morning cup of java could be good for more than just a caffeine buzz — Shell and Vancouver-based sustainable clothing company LEZÉ the Label are fueling a sustainable future with the help of waste coffee grounds.
Electronic waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, and according to a United Nations report, it’s projected that 50 million tons of e-waste will be accumulated by 2018.
I was driving through rural Pennsylvania recently and saw a fascinating billboard. Sponsored by an organization that promotes coal and natural gas, the sign declared, “The truth is that 90 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels.” Technically, that’s true (ish), but it’s also meaningless.
Coal and oil are still the world’s main energy sources, but there’s massive public support for a cleaner energy future. According to a new survey, people across all ages, political standpoints, education and geographies are in favour of a shift to ‘green’ energy, and three out of four believe that it will boost their country’s economy. The backing for renewable energy is clear: In the largest survey of attitudes on the subject* ever conducted, 82 percent favour a change from black to green energy.
According to the World Health Organization (WTO) 1 in 3 people don’t have access to a clean and safe toilet. The Toilet Board Coalition (TBC), along with LIXIL Group Corporation (LIXIL) - a manufacturer of building materials, Firmenich and Kimberly-Clark are working together to transform sanitation systems into a smart, sustainable and revenue-generating economy.
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon at Sustainable Brands ‘17 Copenhagen, I caught the bus ferrying several attendees to visit Ørsted’s Avedøre Power Station. It was an eye-opening experience, especially to someone who had never been inside a power plant before!
Nature could hold the key to reversing or mitigating the effects of climate change — a concept that the Biomimicry Institute and Ray C. Anderson Foundation are banking on. The two organizations have issued a call to action for entrepreneurs to look to the planet’s living systems to create viable solutions to the global climate crisis.
Corresponding with the launch of its updated Global States and Regions Annual Disclosure report in partnership with CDP and the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23), The Climate Group has announced new members and progress for its electric vehicles (EV100), energy productivity (EP100) and renewable electricity (