Product, Service & Design Innovation
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.
New Tool Keeps Sky-High Eye on Sustainable Agriculture’s geoFootprint
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. The multi-stakeholder geoFootprint initiative, led by Quantis, allows businesses to assess risks posed by changes in climate, water availability and quality, soil health and biodiversity to secure supply chains and the future of food.
Global Innovation Competition Seeks Solutions to Microplastic Pollution
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Conservation X Labs’ $650,000 challenge aims to “harness planetary genius” to create solutions to replace plastic in textiles and textile manufacturing.
The Shift from Sustainable to Regenerative Design
The language and terms we use influence our approach to the problems we face. Switching from sustainable to regenerative design enables us to more easily leave behind strategies that are no longer equal to the challenges we face.
The Creative Collision of Circular Economy and Supply Chain in the Built Environment
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. The intersection of circular practices and supply chain in the built environment will be a ripe area for innovation as companies look to their real estate portfolios for opportunities to meet their ambitious sustainability commitments by 2030.
What Have We Learnt About Building Post-Pandemic Cities for All?
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Mobility is a fundamental aspect of cities; and a city only evolves when all of its inhabitants can fully participate in it. Inclusive urban mobility and accessible technologies are some of the best allies to forge cities for all and to improve the life of seniors and people with disabilities.
No Compromises: How Eastman’s Naia™ Renew Is Transforming the Fashion Industry
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Here, Shaw’s Kellie Ballew and Eastman’s Ruth Farrell discuss the opportunities created by Eastman’s Naia™ Renew textile, and the need to show the market that sustainability and circularity can be achieved without compromise.
New PANGAIA Partnership Aims to Scale Industry Adoption of Sustainable Synthetic Textiles
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. With an investment in Kintra Fibers, a material science company that makes 100% bio-based and compostable yarns, PANGAIA aims to raise industry standards for synthetic materials.
Please Hold the Packaging: Creating a No-Landfill Meal Kit
Meal kits are synonymous with excessive packaging, but they have a crucial redeeming feature — they reduce food waste. At Just Salad, that got us thinking: Could we drastically reduce packaging to make meal kits an unambiguous environmental win?
How Seiko Epson Is Using Digital Technology to Transform the Textile Industry
Through its cutting-edge inkjet textile-printing technology, Seiko Epson is aiming to not only transform the textile industry, but to help solve an array of social issues caused by analog printing in a range of fields.
Kao: Striving for 'Yoki-Monozukuri' (‘Excellent Manufacturing’) Through the Pursuit of 'Kirei'
Kao’s new ESG strategy is centered on "kirei" (meaning “clean, beautiful and orderly”) — a Japanese word that is not yet well known worldwide but one that the company aims to make aspirational throughout the world.
Bid Adieu to This Dumpster Fire of a Year! The 2020 SB Holiday Gift Guide
No offense, 2020 — but it is high time we put you to bed and look toward the future. After the year we’ve had, we all deserve a little pampering — and so do the makers of these thoughtful, ethically made products …
Sustainability and Healthcare: Transformational Work During a Global Pandemic
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. Shaw is spotlighting organizations making a positive impact through initiatives that support the wellbeing of people and the planet. Here, we discuss a new sustainability initiative led by three of the most influential organizations working to transform health care: Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth and Greenhealth Exchange.
3 Advances in Sequestering Carbon in the Built Environment
The ability to not only eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, but actually sequester carbon, would transform buildings from net negative to net positive entities. Here, we examine several approaches making this possible.
How Saas Startups Are Reshaping Social Equality in Tech
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. The tech sector can, and should, be the leader at showcasing the advantages of diversity. In many ways, we are all limited by the tools that we use. The cloud is enabling companies to overcome many barriers that were, until recently, impenetrable.
Combatting Food Insecurity Takes More Than a Village
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. As Congress signs off for Thanksgiving, roughly 12 million Americans could soon lose jobless benefits. The hope is that people and companies continue to step up; government programs continue, and the flexibility the food supply chain has gained during COVID will enable a nimbler switch to accommodate future need.
IKEA, Unilever Sowing More Seeds for a Plant-Based Food Future
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. With the global plant-based meat and foods markets growing like a tsunami, it’s no wonder that more and more global food companies are positioning themselves to ride the wave.
Trending: H&M, Houdini Eliminating More Waste from Fashion
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. H&M’s latest collection includes garments made from recycled metals; circular, bio-based fabrics and food waste; while Houdini Sportswear has open-sourced the design of its Mono Air Houdi, to guide the industry toward further circularity.
Committing to Compostable: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health’s Journey to Create a 100% Plant-Based Cleansing Cloth
Cross-Posted from Our Healthy Lives Mission. Transitioning the market-leading Neutrogena make-up wipes to 100% plant-based fabric will massively increase the reach of the innovation, and illustrates the potential for transforming products across numerous brands and sectors. The company plans to share information about the new fabric with the industry.
Operating vs Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment: The Difference and Why It Matters
The tremendous work to reduce operational carbon from buildings in recent years can be seen in the rise of net-zero energy buildings. But without a comparable focus on reducing embodied carbon in construction materials, that work will not lead to the hoped-for mitigation of climate change.
Why Real Estate Needs a Seat at the Table in a Sustainable Future
In the months and years to come, the real estate sector must play a critical role in creating a decarbonized environment — helping society prepare, respond, re-enter and ultimately re-imagine a sustainable future.
