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
Hydrogen fuel cell technology is changing the way we think about mobility. The effectiveness of fuel cells in reducing emissions speaks for itself — the vehicles emit nothing but water vapor — which is leading more companies to invest in hydrogen for a low-carbon future. Toyota has long been a leader in the transition away from fossil fuels.
The aviation and shipping industries contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions each year, but a growing portfolio of sustainable technological solutions are helping the sectors reduce impacts and remain competitive. NASA has given its stamp approval to the use of biofuels in the aviation industry in a recent report, in which the body claims that using biofuels to help power jet engines reduces particle emissions in their exhaust by as much as 50 to 70 percent.
This is the first in a series of articles examining ‘sustainable leadership’ and what it entails Find links to the full series below. Building a ‘sustainable’ brand or enterprise can involve many things. Depending on your circumstances, these might range from generating sustainable solutions for everything from energy to supply chains, packaging, manufacturing, food, electronics, transport, marketing, buildings, textiles … Building a sustainable brand is about identifying the strategic and tactical priorities that face your business today and leveraging the more sustainable alternatives, which are constantly emerging, to solve them.
It appears that Uber’s chickens have come home to roost. A steady drip of negative stories over the past several weeks has snowballed into a full communications crisis — one that peaked recently, in a public apology from CEO Travis Kalanick, in which he admitted that he “must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up.” Widely hailed as the world’s most valuable startup, the company has been in the headlines lately for all the wrong reasons.
Textile dyeing accounts for one fifth of all industrial wastewater pollution generated worldwide and much of it, particularly in developing countries in Asia, goes untreated. Now, China is employing electron beams to treat effluent from textile dyeing plants, ushering in a new era for radiation technology.
Renewables continue to gain traction both with businesses and governments, offering solutions to reduce impacts and address issues of energy security. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is the latest to embrace renewables, signing a new agreement with EDF Energy to buy all of its electricity for its manufacturing and production sites from renewable sources up to March 2020.
At the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, Johnson & Johnson revealed the winners of its first Africa Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to drive innovative and sustainable health solutions that will benefit African communities. The Challenge is part of the company’s comprehensive approach to collaborate with and support Africa’s vibrant innovation, education and health systems institutions.
This is one of a series of interviews that started when Rosie Warin, CEO of culture and communications agency Kin&Co, began having conversations with high–profile, values–driven leaders of the ‘purpose revolution’ about the future of leadership. Each explores how these leaders got to where they are now, and what they think the future of values–driven leadership looks like. How did the man who now turns abandoned fishing nets, old tires and coffee residues into clothing get to where he is today? We found out when we sat down with Javier Goyeneche, founder of Spanish eco-fashion brand ECOALF.
Coffee cups, coffee capsules and MDF are some of the most popular and hard-to-recycle products in circulation, accounting for hundreds of thousands of tons of waste sent to landfill each year — an issue that companies and governments are striving to address. New initiatives and innovations across industries could, however, set a new standard for these problematic products.
Water is an increasingly precious resource and no one knows this better than California. Last year marked the state’s sixth consecutive year of drought, an issue that is putting serious strain on its agriculture and viticulture industries. Achieving a sustainable water future is critical to meet the needs of people, businesses and the environment, a prospect that local and national businesses alike aren’t taking lying down.
Last month, we at Sustainable Brands announced the renewal of our renewable energy partnership with sustainability solutions provider South Pole Group, to help minimize the footprint of our global events. This week, we chatted with Melanie Wilneder, a Key Account Manager at South Pole Group, to learn more about the ever-growing renewable energy market worldwide, and which solutions make the most sense for business.
A recent move by the New York City public school system signals a major win for small food companies and champions of better nutrition. The pressure to provide wholesome, nutritious foods is considerable for public schools across the U.S. following the introduction of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, and many rely on products from large companies such as Kellogg, Post Foods and General Mills, which are both affordable and accessible, for their breakfast programs.
Surf equipment manufacturer Futures Fins is introducing a new fin for stand-up paddleboards (SUP) created from biocomposites. The RWC (reclaimed wood composite) Keel is an environmentally friendly biocomposite-based fin that meets, and in some aspects exceeds, traditional performance demands.
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.
According to results from a new initiative created during COP21 in Paris by CDP and ADEME — the French Environment and Energy Management Agency — business-as-usual is no longer an option. By looking at the future implications of a company’s current business activity in order to accurately assess its readiness for the transition to a low-carbon economy, the Assessing Low-Carbon Transition (ACT) pilot project has revealed stark differences between companies, that on the surface, may look very similar today.
In an effort to help support farmers and increase the amount of farmland dedicated to organic production, Kashi has introduced a second line of products in its growing Certified Transitional portfolio.
Plastics are an important part of the global economy and have many practical applications for everyday life, but their indisputable benefits are countered by their environmental drawbacks — especially in terms of ocean pollution. Recognizing the seriousness of the problem, more and more companies are finding new and innovative ways to tackle plastic pollution both at the source and at end-of-life.
Travel platform Booking.com is making moves to drive the tourism industry towards a more sustainable model with the launch of a new accelerator program, Booking.com Booster. Designed to identify, mentor and fund enterprising startups from around the world that are seeking to have a positive impact on the global tourism industry, the three-week program taking place in June 2017 in Amsterdam will culminate in a chance to pitch for grants of up to $538,000 from Booking.com.
An updated version of the Carbon Clean 200 (Clean200) released today by As You Sow and Corporate Knights reveals that China continues to play a leading role in the clean energy economic expansion. Although China’s stock market is less than half the size of the U.S., it has almost double the number of large clean energy companies (71 vs. 41).
Two new announcements from Ford highlight how the auto and mobility company is harnessing technology to get ahead. With ambitious plans to launch an autonomous vehicle in 2021, Ford has announced that it is investing $1 billion over the next five years in Argo AI, an artificial intelligence company founded by former Google and Uber leaders, to develop a virtual driver system.