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
Today, our impact on the world is at a crossroads. Our planet has 7 billion people, and expected to be 9 billion by 2020. At Sustainable Brands, we are familiar with how a healthy and prosperous future can be achieved by working to innovate well-designed products with reusable and safe materials, and made without the need to deplete precious resources or energy. We are happy to share initial reports that illustrate how certain companies have proven responsible leadership. We can give consumers good choices.
Today, Panera Bread shared a comprehensive set of commitments around its food. The Food Policy, which the company calls a formal articulation of its long-held values, is expressed by a commitment to clean ingredients, transparency and a positive impact (on the food system) rooted in craft.
At the direction of President Obama and after an unprecedented outreach effort, the US Environmental Protection Agency is today releasing the Clean Power Plan proposal, which for the first time cuts carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States. Today’s proposal will protect public health, move the United States toward a cleaner environment and fight climate change while supplying Americans with reliable and affordable power.
Royal Philips and Green Sense Farms (GSF), a Chicago-area commercial grower, have partnered to develop one of the largest indoor commercial farms using LED grow lights. This farming method allows them to harvest 20-25 times a year by using ‘light recipes’ optimized for their produce and uses 85 percent less energy, Philips said in a release.
In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we’ve been getting to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet our final semi-finalist, Servergy.When Bill Mapp, the founder and CEO of Servergy, launched his information technology (IT)/hardware innovation and design startup in the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, friends and family thought he was crazy. At the time many people held the belief that the IT and hardware business was dead, but Mapp pushed forward anyway.
Mission-driven startup WOO, true to its name, is helping to create “Worlds of Opportunities” for artisans and other skilled laborers living in impoverished communities throughout Vietnam.Launched in 2009, the growing luxury lifestyle brand is the brainchild of philanthropist and entrepreneur Saskia de Knegt, whose vision to blend talent with underutilized local resources has helped establish livelihoods and repurpose waste streams through the production of handcrafted beeswax candles set in recycled wine and vodka bottles.With a background in medicine and business administration, de Knegt first worked in the medical field in Africa and South America before switching to development aid.
A Scottish Dewar's distillery owned by Bacardi Limited could reduce its carbon footprint by up to 90 percent by replacing heavy-fuel boilers with biomass boilers fuelled by sustainably sourced wood pellet fuel.The Aberfeldy Distillery raised £1.2 million through the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) for energy-efficiency projects. Half of the funding is coming from an Equitix-managed fund, in which GIB is an investor, and the Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund. The investment is in partnership with Balcas Limited, a UK manufacturer of wood pellet biomass.Half of the funding for Aberfeldy is being provided by GIB, with the rest coming from the private sector. Both projects entail replacing existing heavy-fuel oil boilers in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet the winner of our public vote, Raffle for Good.
In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet Sustainably Fresh Systems.I recently caught up with Larry Bell, CEO and Founder of Sustainably Fresh Systems (SFS), a startup that's determined to revolutionize the way fresh fish and other foods are transported, in order to maximize freshness and decrease the carbon footprint and packaging materials inherent in traditional methods of transporting fresh food around the world.
Unilever has announced the launch of The Unilever Foundry, a platform that will enable innovative startups to partner with Unilever.The company says the Foundry will enable its global brands to experiment with and pilot new technologies more efficiently, effectively and speedily. It will also provide startups and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop and work on global projects, access mentoring from marketing professionals, and tap into a new source of funding through Unilever Ventures.
In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet Amazi. On a road trip a couple of years ago, Crystal Plew was looking for a place to refill her water bottle and thought, ‘there should be an app for that.’ From there, Amazi was born. Amazi, which means “water” in Rwanda, is an app developed to help eliminate the need for bottled water, while supporting water initiatives worldwide.
It is not often that a new venture with an unbelievable, yet-to-be-proven concept is overwhelmingly backed by investors. Zero Carbon Food (ZCF) is just such a venture — throwing conventional wisdom aside, the company's Growing Underground SW4 project has set out to grow food underground, away from the sun and fresh air. ZCF's equity crowdfunding campaign on CrowdCube has elicited a fantastic response from investors, already raising over 200 percent of its £300,000 (~US$500,000) goal with four days still remaining.
Ford Motor Company says it considers big data and analytics the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity.At Sustainable Brands ’14 San Diego (June 2-5), Carrie Majeske, Ford’s Associate Director of Global Sustainability Integration, will participate in a panel discussion titled: Leveraging Big Data and the Quantified Self Movement to Drive a Sustainable Future.I caught up with her for a short preview.
Most sustainability initiatives are focused on improving the triple bottom line, but what about growing the business top line?
An Idaho couple has developed a modular paving system of solar panels that can be installed on roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, bike paths, as well as playgrounds, and generate electricity to power homes and businesses connected via driveways and parking lots.Scott and Julie Brusaw, founders of Solar Roadways, envision a nationwide system that could produce more clean renewable energy than a country uses as a whole.
With 2013 sales of $21.4 billion, Colorado-based Arrow Electronics is one of the largest suppliers of electronics components in the world with 460 locations in 58 countries. Three years ago, the company underwent a complete corporate rebranding around the concept of innovation for “five years out.”Next month at Sustainable Brands 2014 San Diego, Rich Kylberg, Arrow’s VP of Global Marketing and Communications, will discuss how the company’s revamped brand message is best reflected through a new focus on innovative corporate social responsibility (CSR). I caught up with Rich for a short preview conversation.
Japanese startup Power Japan Plus has launched a new battery technology that generates twice as much energy as a lithium ion battery and charges 20 times faster. The technology could lead to cheaper long-range electric vehicles (EV) that can travel hundreds of miles on a charge and be charged in minutes rather than hours.
Verizon is now accepting applications for its Powerful Answers Award, which offers a total of $6 million in prizes for ideas that have the power to create groundbreaking change.Verizon’s Powerful Answers Award invites innovators, developers and entrepreneurs to leverage Verizon’s technology to deliver world-changing solutions and social good. This year, the multimillion-dollar global competition will focus on four categories: Education, Healthcare, Sustainability and (a new category for 2014) Transportation.
General Motors’ fleet of fuel cell vehicles has passed three million miles of hydrogen-powered, real-world driving, avoiding 157,894 gallons of gasoline consumption, according to a recent announcement.GM’s specially equipped fleet of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles are part of the company’s 119-vehicle Project Driveway program, launched in 2007. Since then, more than 5,000 drivers have provided feedback on the functionality and drivability of fuel cell technology.
In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet FoodLoop.