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.
Global Maker Challenge Finalists Tackling Food, Trade, Justice, Circularity
This year’s global challenges centered around four themes: Sustainable and Healthy Food for All, Climate Change/Circular Economy, Innovation for Inclusive Trade, and Innovation for Peace and Justice.
Young Innovators Compete on Ideas to Build Back Better in Latin America
UNEP’s Innovation for Sustainable Lifestyles Competition sees college-level entrepreneurs developing solutions in the areas of transportation, building and food to help the region rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
P&G Embraces Natural Climate Solutions to Achieve Global Climate Neutrality
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. The goal is to reduce its GHGs by 50%, use 100% renewable electricity at all manufacturing sites by 2030, and advance natural climate solutions to achieve carbon neutrality for the decade.
Public Benefit Brewer Aims to Put People Back to Work During Corona
While starting any new business is challenging; Works Progress Administration believes it’s always a good time to help people and benefit your community through social impact — especially during this time of chaos and crisis.
HP Sets Ambitious Plastic Goals, Doubles Down on Diversity Commitments
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Along with the release of its 2019 Sustainable Impact Report, the tech giant has set bold goals around reduction of single-use plastics and increasing recycled materials; and committed to doubling its number of Black executives by 2025.
A Brief History of Food Declarations; and the Path to Better Ones
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Food is not about boxed brands on a shelf, but about people and the environment — hence, our need for food declarations. We’re working on one that not only certifies the ingredients, but shows consumers the impact they make with the purchase of each product.
Meet the Food-Delivery Service That’s Actually Helping Restaurants ‘Fare’ During the Pandemic
Fare, a new food-delivery app, is building a more equitable model — one that fosters enhanced community cohesion and shared benefits, and doesn’t include restaurant-crippling fees.
Small Fashion Brands Throw Collective Weight Behind Circular Fashion Pledge
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Over 110 small and medium-sized apparel brands from around the world have signed on to the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge, with actionable steps to make circular fashion an industry-wide reality.
Meet the Innovators Ensuring the COVID Plastic Boom Doesn't Last Forever
With health concerns momentarily outweighing mindful consumption, global efforts to wean the world off of single-use plastics have ground to a halt — and suddenly, in the race to protect citizens, plastic is everywhere. Thankfully, lockdown has also triggered radical innovation and ingenuity.
Sisters’ Social Enterprise Breaking the Cycle of Limited Personal Mobility in the UAE
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. Meet Charicycles — the upcycled cycles that are helping improve mobility and air quality in Dubai, while improving the wellbeing and motivation of children in refugee camps.
SDGs Key to (Re)Building Tourism with an Eye Toward the Future
The travel industry has done a poor job integrating the SDGs into business operations and reporting on them. But the Goals offer guidance on how to develop destinations that can appropriately manage tourism’s footprint and minimize environmental impact while benefiting local communities.
Israeli Startup Looks to Nature for Concrete Solution for Marine Infrastructure
ECOncrete has created a unique line of concrete solutions that enhance the biological and ecological value of urban, coastal and marine infrastructure; while increasing their strength and durability.
‘Quality of Life’ Economists Reveal Planning Tool for Values-Driven Entrepreneurs
Happonomy’s Leap Model is a step-by-step plan that helps startups, businesses and organizations strengthen their foundations, evaluate resources and move ideas forward while staying true to their sustainability principles.
Biomimetic Cooling, Housing Solutions Take Top Honors in Youth Design Challenge
The Biomimicry Institute’s third annual Youth Design Challenge engaged 6,000 students across the US; and yielded ingenious designs for solutions to problems in cities and nature alike.
How 3 CPG Companies Invigorated Their Brands Through Plastic Neutrality
The Plastic Neutral Certification enabled these brands to immediately address the growing concerns of their customer base, tell unique stories on their sustainability commitment, and differentiate themselves from the competition on the aisle and in the customer’s mind.
Brewers Take Note: Enzymes Can Play a Crucial Role in Global Climate Fightback
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. LCAs are becoming increasingly important in identifying ways to help solve the climate crisis — not only in pinpointing inefficiencies, but in highlighting how relatively small changes can create a huge, lasting, collective impact.
Community Support, Collaboration Signal Resilient Future for Co-operatives
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. The coronavirus pandemic has made clear the importance of each person and business acting individually to work toward a shared goal that benefits society as a whole. Co-ops are inherently set up for resilience, as they act with the best interest of the community in mind.
Trending: Startups Find Surprising Ways to Fuel Shift Away from Animal-Based Proteins
Startups in Israel and Colorado are hitting the lab to reinvent dairy products and pet treats, respectively, without a single animal protein (as we know it) in sight.
Giving Tuesday Now: The Jumpstart We Need to Reimagine Giving
#GivingTuesdayNow is an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. It’s an opportunity to give back to communities in safe ways that allow for social connection; to support the critical work of the nonprofit sector; and perhaps more importantly, to redefine the role of business.
Shelter from the Storm: Overcoming Challenges to Build a Resilient, Sustainable Society
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. In a recent conversation about the role of his company in ensuring a sustainable future in times of increasing uncertainty, MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings’ Shiro Fujii said, “We don’t see ourselves simply as an insurance provider, but as a risk solutions expert.”
