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
SAP Converting Company Fleet to 20% Electric, Powered by Renewables, by 2020
SAP AG today announced plans to increase the electric vehicle (EV) contingent in its company car fleet to 20 percent by 2020. The initiative launched officially today at SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany.To mark the occasion, Peter Rasper, EVP an... View More
The 'CVS Effect' in Action: SAP, Starbucks, Tesla Show How to Lead by Sharing Information
Here are three new examples of the CVS Effect in action that show how brands can change how business operates — for the better (the “CVS Effect” is shorthand for recognizing brands that are doing the right thing, because it’s the right thing ... View More
Half of Germany’s Power Can Come from Solar
Germany now can produce more than half of its energy from solar, according to Fraunhofer ISE research institute, which showed that the country produced a record 24.24 GW of solar energy during the first week of June.Due to better weather in Germany c... View More
Unilever, John Lewis Help Launch £1m Internet of Things Innovation Competition
Unilever, John Lewis and EE, the UK’s largest mobile and Internet provider, have lent their support to a £1m Launchpad competition seeking game-changing innovations in Internet of Things-related technologies brewing in the UK. ... View More
Mycelium Launching 12-Week Learning Program For Future Leaders
Philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”At SB ’13 in San Diego, my colleague Ashley Cooper and I... View More
Starbucks Partnering with ASU to Offer Employees Free College Tuition
Starbucks has announced the Starbucks College Achievement Plan — an opportunity for eligible part-time and full-time employees to complete a Bachelor’s degree with full tuition reimbursement through a collaboration with Arizona State University's... View More
Live and Learn: The Greatest Mistakes (and Lessons) of Social Entrepreneurship
I liken being a social entrepreneur to being a New York City resident; you don’t really feel like you belong until you can show others around. After celebrating two years of being a social entrepreneur, I am thrilled to share the story of how I tur... View More
Sustainia Highlights Circular Economy, Supply Chain, Analytics Solutions in This Year’s Sustainia100
An ethical smartphone, air-cleaning carpets and carbon-negative plastic are three of 100 game-changing innovations selected by Scandinavian think tank Sustainia as its top sustainability solutions for the year. Sustainia100 is an annual guide to Sust... View More
Shell joins EDF’s Methane Detectors Challenge
Shell has joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) “Methane Detectors Challenge,” a collaborative project between EDF and five other oil and natural gas companies aimed at identifying and bringing to market cutting-edge technologies that c... View More
Japanese Company Creates Floating Billboard to Clean Polluted River
Shokobutsu Hana, a natural cosmetics sub-brand from Japanese company Lion, has launched a campaign to build awareness of the “healthy beauty brought by the power of nature” by literally cleaning a polluted river with an 88-foot floating organic b... View More
Europe Unleashing Full-Scale Attack on Food Waste
The issue of food waste has rightfully come front and center in the Western world, with staggering figures such as 40 percent waste in the US alone forcing us to find solutions. The problems that lead to food waste lie throughout the chain from produ... View More
Renewable Energy Can Create Economic Boom, But Better Policies Needed
Implementing the right policies and frameworks can achieve large-scale deployment of renewable energy that creates jobs, increases incomes, improves trade balances, and contributes to industrial development, according to a new report by the Clean Ene... View More
Coca-Cola Replenishes 108.5 Billion Liters of Water Back to Communities
Coca-Cola and its bottling partners are on track to meet their 2020 water replenishment goal by balancing an estimated 68 percent of the water used in their finished beverages based on 2013 sales volume.To date, the soft drink company has replenished... View More
Imagine a World Where Generosity Pays …
A world where inclusion is valued more than exclusionA world where trust triumphs over doubtA world where possibilities outnumber limitationsA world where the more you give, the more you gainIn many ways, the world we have created is designed for gre... View More
#SB14sd: C2C Product Innovation Institute Launches Report Showcasing 10 Companies Showing Us the Way Forward
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-desi... View More
#SB14sd: Panera Launches Food Policy Focused on Clean Ingredients, Transparency, Positive Impact
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 impa... View More
EPA Lays Out First Guidelines to Cut Carbon Pollution from Existing Power Plants
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 si... View More
Philips and Green Sense Farms Using LEDs to Grow Crops Indoors
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 r... View More
Servergy Wants Its Customers to 'Save Energy. Work Smarter'
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, Ser... View More
WOO's Collaborative Supplier Network Helping to Create 'Worlds of Opportunities'
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... View More
