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
Part one of this two-part discussion on The Future of Certification was, in my opinion, the most interesting discussion I attended at SB’16 Copenhagen. This was in part due to the thought-provoking questions and comments coming from the audience, but also due to the openness and honesty of the panellists in the face of some rather critical queries.
Being a conservationist today means more than being a steward of the land; it requires an understanding of the ecological balance between man and animal, industry and ecology, necessary to maintain the health of the whole. The American Forest Foundation (AFF) works with family forest owners in 13 Southeastern states where currently, there are 224 forest-dependent species listed as endangered or threatened, with 293 more that could be listed in the near future. These same forests support nearly 1.1 million people in rural communities with employment and supply raw material for consumer wood products globally.
Nestlé and Unilever are helping set the standard for sustainable agriculture, according to a survey of over 150 global sustainability heads conducted by Pure Strategies. The responses identified these firms as the leaders and revealed that farm-level engagement is a top priority across industries such as apparel, home and personal care, and life sciences.
Smart thermostat company ecobee has launched a first-of-its-kind program inviting its customers to voluntarily contribute their home heating and cooling data to advance energy and climate change science. Historically, studies using home energy use data have been limited to small groups of homes, but smart homes could allow far more information to become available for research. With over one million customers, ecobee is hoping many of them will opt-in to sharing their data, anonymously and securely, to advance innovations in energy efficiency.
Airbnb has formed another strategic partnership aimed at increasing the environmental benefits of home sharing: Airbnb and SolarCity, the nation’s largest solar power provider, have joined forces to connect Airbnb hosts and guests with an affordable and sustainable way to power their homes with solar energy.
Our theme this year at Sustainable Brands has been “Activating Purpose” – exploring and applauding the ways brands are authentically walking their talk when it comes to pursuing purpose beyond profit – and we are thrilled that the list continues to grow.
Engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder (CUB) have developed a bio-manufacturing process that uses a biological organism cultivated in brewery wastewater to create the carbon-based materials needed to make energy storage cells. The process could represent a win-win by reducing expensive wastewater treatment costs for beer makers while providing manufacturers with a more cost-effective means of creating renewable, naturally derived fuel cell technologies.
As much of the Southeast U.S. is still cleaning up from Hurricane Matthew, the country’s 13th billion-dollar weather disaster this year, a new Ceres report ranks the nation’s largest insurance companies on their responses to escalating climate risks, including severe weather events. The report finds that while more U.S. insurers are improving their disclosure and management of climate risks, most are still giving it minimal attention, both in terms of risks and opportunities.
Here’s what you need to know about DONG Energy right now: It’s the largest energy provider in Denmark, and since 2008, has pivoted from being primarily an oil and natural gas provider to now offering more than 55 percent renewable energy to its customers.
Six European startups have been selected as finalists for the third Green Alley Award, a prize that rewards business models and products that can improve resource conservation. Waste-reducing apps, a food packaging system, and a CO2-absorbing urban “tree” are among those in the running.
In the past, H&M has faced criticism for labor issues in its supply chain and its “fast fashion” business model that relies on high rates of consumption.
The way the majority of the world’s economy works is ‘linear’. We take materials out of the earth, make them into marketable goods that we consume, and dispose of the goods when we’re done with them. It’s a system that accelerated since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, when there was an abundance of cheap and easily accessible natural resources. Mass production made a lot of sense at the time and has since arguably raised our standards of living exponentially.
Nespresso has announced a second wave of its Limited Edition Grand Cru SULUJA ti South Sudan coffee, representing continued progress in rebuilding South Sudan's coffee industry, and a $6 million joint investment with the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) in a landmark collaboration to support coffee farmers in East Africa.
One of the major challenges in stopping illegal deforestation in Indonesia is the existence of numerous, conflicting concession maps, based on which level of government, or ministry, you talk to. This means for companies such as Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), APRIL or Felda, the land they have been granted could also have been given to another company, or conflict with indigenous or customary community land. And that's a problem.
The Stella McCartney brand reduced the overall environmental impact of its materials by 35 percent in the last three years, whilst enjoying its best business performance since its launch in 2001. The brand announced its first Global Environmental Profit and Loss Account this week, with positive results for 2015 that reinforce its responsibility commitments.
Product developers, designers and manufacturers looking to create more responsible, sustainable products now have the opportunity to participate in the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Catalyst program, free of charge. An online course, resources for implementing Cradle to Cradle design within an organization, and access to a community of fellow innovators are all part of the program.
H&M and WWF have joined forces on a children’s collection featuring realistic prints of iconic animals at risk. For every item sold, 10 percent of the sales price will be donated to support WWF’s work in conserving endangered species.
Following numerous reports of slave labor in seafood supply chains, traceability seems to have (finally) become a priority for the industry.
The “musical chairs of leadership” can be a huge obstacle to embedding sustainability in the private sector. An average CMO remains in position for just 18 months, Thomas Kolster, aka “Mr. Goodvertising,” told SB’16 Copenhagen attendees on Tuesday afternoon. Sustainability teams also face the challenge of translating their work into the language of finance, and cultivating consistent C-suite buy-in. We must work and collaborate more closely together, Kolster reiterated, or we risk limiting the sustainability movement to a pursuit of the few.
"What's your favorite sustainable development goal?" joked John Elkington, the writer, thinker and serial entrepreneur who coined the triple bottom line concept in 1997, who moderated a Tuesday panel on aligning the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with strategy, goal-setting and innovation at SB’16 Copenhagen.