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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.

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Philips Paves the Way for a Low-Carbon Future with Connected LED Lighting

LED lighting provides an important resource for the successful transition to a low-carbon future, something Philips Lighting is hoping to convey this week at the annual LIGHTFAIR International Tradeshow and Conference in Philadelphia. The lighting company is introducing three new LED lamps designed to reduce energy consumption and operating costs, improve the comfort and utilization of a space and deliver value that goes beyond illumination. The new technology advancements combine the accumulative improvements in energy efficiency with enhanced quality and capabilities of connected LED lighting.

The Vatican: Where Mission-Driven, For-Profit Startups Come to Grow?

Cutting-edge isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when it comes to the capital of Catholicism — the Vatican — but Stephen Forte is gearing up to change that. The entrepreneur and Fresco Capital founder is launching a new startup accelerator in Rome this summer that aims to change social impact investors' perception of mission-driven, for-profit startups — companies that have social missions at their core.

Target Launches Startup Accelerator to Amp Up Healthy, Sustainable Product Portfolio

Building on its commitment to remove harmful chemicals from its products and invest in green chemistry, retail giant Target has kicked off its first-ever Target Takeoff — a mini retail boot camp focused on supporting emerging businesses who are working to create healthier, more ethical and sustainable products.

C&A Debuts First Cradle to Cradle Certified™ GOLD T-Shirts

Today C&A, one of Europe’s leading fashion retailers, debuted the first Cradle to Cradle Certified™ GOLD T-shirts, marking an industry-first achievement for a fashion garment.

Trending: Australia, US Finding New Ways to Chip Away at Food Waste

Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted around the world each year, putting unnecessary strain on natural resources, needlessly producing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to climate change. Two startups in Australia and the US are working to change that with the opening of a rescued-food supermarket and the launch of a technology that turns food waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer. Perishable food rescue organization OzHarvest has opened Australia’s first ever rescued-food supermarket — The OzHarvest Market — in Kensington, Sydney.

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DanoneWave Established as US' Largest Public Benefit Corporation

DanoneWave, the newly combined entity of WhiteWave Foods and Danone’s dairy business, has been incorporated as a public benefit corporation in the U.S. With more than $6 billion in revenue and 6,000 employees, DanoneWave will be the largest public benefit corporation, which is a corporate structure intended to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner. A public benefit corporation is managed in a way that balances shareholders’ financial interests and the benefits it brings to people, the environment and broader society.

Three Ways to Leverage the Many Benefits of Virtual Collaboration

Since the introduction of Cisco Telepresence in October 2006, Cisco has studied how the use of our technology impacts corporate travel. The early days were exciting; Cisco set our first travel reduction goal in 2006! Reducing travel via collaboration technologies had benefits for our business (cost reduction, productivity improvement), employees (work-life balance) and the planet (greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions). Execution, however, invariably focused on travel reduction. The recurring savings from less travel recouped the upfront investment for telepresence systems, so less travel was the metric that mattered.

18 Eco-Tourism Startups Qualify for Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism Accelerator Program

The Mekong Business Initiative (MBI) and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) have announced the 18 tourism startups from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos who will participate in the upcoming Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) startup accelerator program. Assessed by US-based Travel Startups Incubator, applications were weighed against criteria such as potential for investment, business plan quality and strength, sustainability and other socio-economic criteria.

Ford Reveals 5 Fleets for TfL PHEV Pilot, Launches Closed-Loop Aluminum Recycling System

Ford continues its push to be a global leader in electric vehicles and sustainability with two new announcements. Earlier this year, Ford announced a new multi-million-dollar pilot project in partnership with Transport for London (TfL) to reduce emissions and improve air quality in London through the use of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) transit custom vans that run solely on electric power. The automaker has now revealed the five fleets that will be participating in the program.

Plug and Play Accelerator Reveals 12 New Startups Changing the Face of Fashion

Just weeks after the launch of McDonough Innovation’s Fashion for Good innovation and practical action lab in Amsterdam, the 12 startups selected to participate in the Plug and Play — Fashion for Good accelerator have been announced.

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McGill Putting Its Bets on Metal Powder as the Fuel of the Future

While automakers such as Toyota, Tesla, Ford, Honda and General Motors are putting their bets on hydrogen and electricity to power future mobility, Canada’s McGill University thinks metal could be the key to a clean, low-carbon future.

World Series of Innovation Challenges Youth to Find Solutions That Help Achieve SDGs

With sustainability named as a top priority for millennials and Generation Z, companies and organizations are increasingly tapping youth to help find solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Sustainability Today

Publishing the premier digital magazine for issues related to sustainability, Innovation & Tech Today works in proud partnership with Sustainable Brands® to investigate advances in sustainability-led innovation for businesses. "Sustainability" has become a complex term, and our team works with Sustainable Brands to investigate areas such as: product and design innovation, social and environmental entrepreneurship, consumer behavior change, Big Data analytics and advances in IT, transparency in the supply chain, green chemistry and materials, and much more.

Startup Uses Blockchain Technology to Drive Transparency in Coffee Industry

Denver-based startup Bext Holdings Inc. (Bext360) is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to make it easier for coffee farmers around the world to get paid a fair price for the coffee beans they grow and sell.

Adidas Uses Light, Oxygen to Revolutionize Additive Manufacturing, Sports Industry

Just days after Reebok announced plans to introduce a plant-based, compostable shoe later this year, Adidas has launched a new piece of performance footwear featuring midsoles crafted with light and oxygen.

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JetBlue Releases SASB-Aligned Sustainability Report, Invests in Hybrid-Electric Planes

American airline JetBlue has released the results of its annual environmental and sustainability report, which highlights the company’s achievements in 2016 and outlines how it plans to continue to integrate long-term environmental planning measures and corporate responsibility into its core business. Major developments include the announcement of one of the largest renewable jet fuel agreements in aviation history and carbon offsets totaling more than 1.7 billion pounds of CO2e emissions.

Startup Going Head to Head with Tesla in Solar-Powered Smart Home Market

In 2016, clean energy giant SunEdison set its sights on acquiring Vivint Solar, a rooftop solar panel installation company. In what unfolded as a sordid affair, Vivint terminated the deal.

14 Major European Utilities Expected to Exceed Carbon Targets by 1.3BT of CO2

A new report by climate change research provider CDP has revealed that many of Europe’s major utilities companies remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels, the reality of which is likely to lead to 14 major European utilities exceeding carbon targets by 1.3 billion tons of CO2.

H&M Foundation Reveals Winners of 2016 Global Change Award, Aims for Climate Positivity

The concept of fast fashion isn’t exactly synonymous with conscious consumerism and sustainability, but major retailer H&M has been at the forefront of the movement to change that — and the fashion industry as a whole.

Reebok 'Growing' Compostable Footwear from Cotton + Corn

Global fitness brand Reebok has launched its “Cotton + Corn” sustainable products initiative, which will bring plant-based footwear to the market later this year.

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