Innovation & Technology
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
The Old Guard Needs the Next Generation: How M&As Can Bolster Internal Sustainability Dynamics
Picture a big bowl of sustainable mac and cheese. Cheesy and delicious, made with non-GMO, organic ingredients – 100 percent real cheese and no artificial flavors, synthetic colors or preservatives - this is a satisfying dinner you can feel good ab... View More
Lessons from Spirituality, Nature and Business on the Meaning of Purpose and How to Activate It
The purpose of business is changing. While historically, business students have been taught that the purpose of business solely is to increase investors’ profits — known as the Friedman Doctrine — the most successful brands are searching for a ... View More
Thinking Outside the Room: Catalyzing and Speeding Up Purpose-Driven Innovation
The San Diego breeze rustles the palm fronds above the Mission Bay Patio - it's nice to be in an outdoor presentation space enjoying the Southern California climate. The topic for the afternoon is innovation, and the panel brings a good range of pers... View More
How to Factor in Exponential Technologies and Deep-Future Trends in the Innovation Process
Technology is exponentially accelerating, creating a future that is difficult to imagine and one that impacts communities on a systems level. It is Robert Suarez’s job to think way, way outside of the box and design for that exponential future. Whe... View More
What Underlies the Success of the World's First Billion-Dollar Sustainable Brands
What do Organic Valley, Target, REI and Toyota have in common? They are what Freya WIlliams describes as “Green Giants,” companies that have turned sustainability into billion-dollar businesses, and they are not alone. ... View More
The Missing 60%: ExxonMobil, Forceful Stewardship and the 2°C Business Model Imperative
The Spring 2016 proxy votes supporting the 2°C stress test resolutions at last week’s Annual General Meetings of ExxonMobil (38.2%) and Chevron (41%) give cause for both celebration - and concern. These votes suggest that key asset managers are re... View More
Lessons Learned from Buddhism, 10 Years of Sustainable Innovation Set Tone for SB'16 San Diego
KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, founder and CEO of Sustainable Life Media and Sustainable Brands, kicked off the 10th annual Sustainable Brands conference Monday evening by going back to when she first asked the question, “Why Sustainable Brands?” ... View More
Whole Systems Mapping: How to Design for Innovation and Achieve Sustainability Goals
The room was buzzing during design strategist Jeremy Faludi’s Monday afternoon workshop, Whole Systems Mapping: Driving Innovation and Sustainability Through Prioritized Ideation and Value Chain Maps. Despite a sunny waterfront view, participants w... View More
Nestlé in the U.S. Continues 'Creating Shared Value' by Improving Product Nutrition, Supplier Standards
Nestlé in the United States (which includes Nestle USA’s people food divisions, as well as Nestle’s other Stateside operations, including Nespresso, Purina and Nestlé Professional) today releases its 2015 Creating Shared Value Report, highligh... View More
With Help of $10M Series A, Back to the Roots Poised to Truly 'Undo Food'
Back to the Roots, an Oakland, California startup pioneering how families reconnect with food, announced today that it has expanded its January crowdfunding campaign on CircleUp into a $10M Series A. The new investment was led by Acre Venture Partner... View More
PrintEco: Partnering with Competitors to Double Down on Sustainable Printing
Two years ago a story was penned here on Sustainable Brands about a partnership between my company, PrintEco - a small startup with an app to enable more efficient printing - and Domtar, one of the largest paper & pulp manufacturers in North Amer... View More
Supply Chain Visibility Critical for Seeing the True Cost, Sustainability of Our Products
As Sustainable Brands marks its 10th anniversary, many of us find ourselves in a reflective mood. We can recall the decade’s pivotal milestones like they were yesterday as we also consider the challenges that lie ahead. Despite the countless amazin... View More
Audi, DuPont, Novozymes Among 20 Orgs Joining Below50 Coalition to Scale Up Sustainable Fuels
From investors to growers, producers, blenders and consumers, the below50 initiative, launched today, expects to attract every industry sector involved in the pipeline of sustainable fuels. Any company who produces, uses and/or invests in fuels that ... View More
Schneider Electric Helping MBTA Drive Energy Savings
Schneider Electric, global specialist in energy management and automation, today announced it’s working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA — aka “the T”) to cut utility bills and carbon emissions tied to public transpor... View More
The Journey to Creating a Scalable Social Enterprise
In today's startup world, high burn rates and the need to raise multiple rounds of funding have become the norm. It's believed that this is the only path to "scalability" — a word that has lost its meaning through a decade of abuse. Befor... View More
The Virtuous Circle Business Model: Social Purpose at the Core of Business Success
Mention the term “corporate social responsibility” and you might hear something like: “It’s dead.” “CSR has stalled.” “CSR has not fulfilled its potential. It has failed us.” Why? Because even at its best, CSR is only a partial solu... View More
Smarter Soap, Soccer Balls, Seats and Supply Chains: The 2016 SBIO Semi-Finalists, Part 2
Sustainable Brands ’16 San Diego is coming up June 6-9, and part of the fun includes this year’s competition for game-changing, purpose-driven startups — the SB Innovation Open, hosted by Target. In part two of our two-part introduction to our ... View More
Can Danish Enzyme Technology Help Alleviate Asia’s Waste Problems?
Today, large quantities of CO2 are emitted when we extract raw materials for the production of consumer goods. After use, most of these products end up in landfills as wasted resources. Among other drawbacks, this linear, take-make-waste system harms... View More
The Body Shop to Regenerate Over 18K Acres of Forest, Help Monkeys Find Love
Deforested and degraded lands inhibit the ability of endangered plants and animals to grow and thrive again. Restored wildlife corridors such as “bio-bridges” within damaged landscapes can help re-establish plant populations and reconnect endange... View More
Revolutionizing Food, Beer and … Tampons! The 2016 SBIO Semi-Finalists, Part 1
Our 2016 SB Innovation Open, hosted by Target is approaching fast, and our latest crop of disruptive, purpose-driven startups are among our most exciting yet. From edible beer to sustainable farming solutions, here’s a closer look at who will be jo... View More
