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.
Why Material Is Material: Another Definition of Double Materiality
What is 'material'? And how can a slight play on words help brands make more sustainable, healthier material choices in the built environment to reduce risk and benefit all stakeholders — from investors to employees and communities, to the planet?
Biomimicry Institute Awarded €2.5M to Pilot, Scale Decomposition of Textile Waste
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. The Design for Decomposition initiative is the next step in the Institute’s effort to transform fashion, stopping millions of tonnes of textile waste escaping into the environment each year.
Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab and Library Offers Resources for Designers, Architects, Students
Shaw’s Tim Conway recently spoke with the Lab's director, Alison Mears, about how it is raising awareness about building material ingredients and educating the next generation of designers and architects.
Innovation for Good Driving Both Internal and External Impacts for Kohler
What happens when a company empowers its associates to think creatively and innovate with a social purpose? You find yourself with a potent strategic framework for solving for some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.
Conscientious Consumption: The SB 2021 Holiday Gift Guide
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. With no end in sight to the pandemic and its many ripple effects, we can all use a little bit of brightness in our lives! So, here are some of the many companies, platforms and products aligned with a more intentional approach to consumption, that we’d be happy to support anytime.
$1M Innovation Challenge to Fuel Upcycled Solutions to Pomegranate Waste
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. The Wonderful Company has chosen two winners to create value-added solutions from 50,000 annual tons of pomegranate husks, to reduce food waste and create a more circular supply chain.
Racing to Zero, Part 1: On Track, or Playing with Numbers?
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. Many companies say they’ve reached their net-zero goals, but is it really that easy? We can make the numbers look good, at least in the short-term; or we can strive for greater impacts — towards real zero and beyond. If we don’t take this challenge seriously today, we won’t be in business in ten years’ time.
A Deconstructive Tool for a Constructive Future
An awareness of these circular strategies will identify opportunities for any project team to consider the potential of a more 'constructive' future for the built environment.
While Travel Was Quiet, JetBlue Was Busy with Sustainability
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. During COVID, JetBlue announced several sustainability targets — including a net-zero target by 2040, as well as a set of short-and medium-term targets to help them get there. We asked Carl Otto, JetBlue’s Senior Analyst for Sustainability and ESG, how they'll do it.
This Industry-First Online Marketplace Is Helping Companies ‘SourceGreenPackaging’
The newly launched B2B marketplace helps connect companies with vetted, sustainable, plastic-free packaging options, as well as education on materials and the evolving regulatory landscape.
Citizen Science Engages Travelers, Contributes to Conservation Efforts
The natural intersection of citizen science and tourism is obvious: If travelers are already participating in these activities, why not encourage deeper understanding and awareness about the natural world while also advancing scientific research?
Poll Finds Disconnect Between Spanish, Latin American Mobility Preferences, Sustainability
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. While private car is the preferred mode of transport for Spanish and Latin Americans, 70% think cars take up too much space in cities. Cabify is working to raise awareness on the impact of transport and advancing a pioneering environmental strategy to decarbonize urban mobility.
Scaling Reuse Must Include Consensus on Safety, Design, Considerations for Cities
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Cities are complex ecosystems that both exacerbate and suffer from the scale of packaging waste. Standards for key areas of design, safety and city programming minimize risk, drive collaboration and provide trustworthy information for stewarding game-changing reuse strategies.
Thinking About the Box: The Role of Digital Printing in Packaging Sustainability, Consumer Experience
Brands have a powerful voice and field of influence; by leading by example on digital packaging innovation, they can not only reduce their impact on the environment, but be heroes of change and inspire others to take positive action, as well.
Microgrids Could Be a Secret Weapon in the Corporate Race Towards Net Zero
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. Reining in energy emissions is top of mind for companies; so having more control of how, where and when energy is produced makes good business sense. Here, Shell Energy’s Matt Baker explains why microgrids are an increasingly popular solution.
Trending: Baby Steps on Eliminating Transport Emissions Still Leave Big Carbon Footprint
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. Wednesday was Transport Day at COP26; and promising corporate and government pledges came together from airlines, automakers and the shipping industry. But the question remains: Are we doing enough, fast enough?
Water and Climate: The Business Imperative to Change Behavior
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. While it can feel overwhelming to see how much our actions impact the Earth, we still have a small window of opportunity. And by changing how we consume, store and distribute water, the water sector alone could eliminate 10% of global GHG emissions.
Ready to Kelp: How the ‘Kelp Bill’ Unlocked a Potential Game Changer in the Climate Fight
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Now finally legal in New York, kelp farming is an environmental engineering solution ready-made for sequestering carbon and nitrogen, improving soil health, cleaning up waterways and creating jobs — a ‘suite of benefits’ that could make it a climate game changer.
A Smoke-Free, Carbon-Neutral Future: PMI’s Plan to Accelerate Climate Goals While Transforming Its Business
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. By disclosing our Low-Carbon Transition Plan, we encourage investors and other stakeholders to evaluate whether our company is on the right path, give us feedback, and have an open dialogue with us. I am confident our actions will speak louder than our words.
How to Redesign Products, Services, Messaging, Business Models for a Better Future
At SB’21 San Diego, innovators in the apparel, food, plastics, real estate, retail, spirits industries and more shared lessons learned from a variety of initiatives aimed at enabling a circular, regenerative future.
