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.
Communications provider Three UK is attempting tackle the ever-growing e-waste problem while connecting disadvantaged citizens to the digital world with a new recycling initiative aimed at redistributing unused mobile phones across the UK. Three’s Reconnected scheme encourages the public to donate their old or unused mobile phones to people at risk, including the homeless, individuals who have left the military and victims of domestic abuse.
The fashion industry shows no sign of slowing down in regards to reducing its environmental impact, with new initiatives and schemes emerging almost daily. Though the concept of fast fashion stands in stark contrast to the notion of conscious consumerism and arguably sustainability itself, innovation and disruptive design play an important role in driving the industry towards a more circular, sustainable model.
More than two million people in six countries subscribe to HP’s “Instant Ink.” When a customer is running low on ink, an Internet-connected printer notifies HP and a replacement cartridge is automatically delivered, with a return envelope for the used cartridges, which HP recycles. Compared with conventional business models, printers using this service generate up to 67 percent less materials consumption per printed page.
French luxury goods holding company Kering announced on Wednesday the next phase of its sustainability strategy across its 16 luxury brands, including Stella McCartney. Kering says it will support the drive towards a low-carbon economy and help shape the future of luxury as sustainable and to operate within the planetary boundaries. Kering’s sustainable strategy is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Retail giant Target has announced its commitment to reducing harmful chemicals from its products and investing in green chemistry with the release of a new chemical strategy that covers its entire value chain, operations and products. The goal is to be transparent, proactive and innovative when it comes to managing chemicals and, where necessary, developing alternatives.
Mother Nature knows best: Even more companies across industries are harnessing biomimicry principles to drive forward renewable energy and develop strong, durable materials that provide protection and promise higher performance. Tyer Wind, a startup based in Tunisia, has developed a new wind turbine technology based on the flapping of hummingbird wings. Instead of converting linear motion into a circular motion, the turbines mimic the mechanical action of hummingbird wings — a figure-eight pattern — which generates energy on both the upstroke and downstroke.
Ambitions to reduce waste and move away from a linear economic model are driving companies across the globe to create breakthrough technologies and unique solutions to drive forward the circular economy.
The World Economic Forum’s Community of Young Global Leaders, in collaboration with Accenture Strategy, yesterday announced the winners of the 2017 Circulars at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters. The third annual Circulars awards showcased advances from the private sector, public sector and civil society that drive innovation and growth while reducing dependence on scarce natural resources.
Danish energy company DONG Energy now ranks number 11 on the Carbon Clean 200 list – a ranking of 200 companies from around the world that are profiting from sustainable energy. The honour comes on the heels of a 10-year milestone, where ‘green’ energy now outpaces black in DONG’s heat and power portfolio. Back in 2006, DONG Energy was one of the most coal-intensive utilities in Europe, with only 15 percent of the company’s heat and power coming from renewables.
History has a tendency to repeat itself, but in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal in 2015, it would seem unlikely that other automotive companies would make the same mistake.
Tech startup Intuition Robotics has unveiled an artificial intelligence-based robot companion designed to improve the quality of life of the elderly populations.
“I focused on making sure that sustainability is something which is integrated with day-to-day business planning systems rather than something just handled by a corporate group on the side,” says Martin Riant, a senior business leader in the consumer goods industry. Riant, who recently retired from P&G, spent more than 36 years at the multinational company, growing its business in various national, regional and global roles. I met him recently when he became interested in Gone Adventurin’s model to integrate sustainability into the core of business – a vision he also passionately believes in.
Six African SMEs have been nominated as finalists for the African Finance & Investment Forum (AFIF) Entrepreneurship Award 2017, supported by the Rabobank Foundation. Out of the 51 projects from around the continent and following a few rounds of selection, the jury has selected these ground-breaking projects from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania for their social, economic and ecological impact, and their potential for growth and jobs creation nationally and regionally.
Ford today detailed seven of the 13 new global electrified vehicles it plans to introduce in the next five years, including hybrid versions of the iconic F-150 pickup and Mustang in the U.S., a plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in Europe and a fully electric SUV with an expected range of at least 300 miles for customers globally.
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. The Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has awarded 2015 SBIO winner LanzaTech, a carbon-recycling company, $4 million to design and plan a demonstration-scale facility using industrial off gases to produce 3 million gallons a year of low-carbon jet and diesel fuels.
NASA doesn’t just train astronauts and send them into space - it also does a good deal of Earth-related research, providing us with an overview of the planet’s continuing evolution, and making important contributions to our understanding of what’s happening to the Earth because of climate change. But with the coming inauguration of Donald Trump, that’s about to change.
In a bid to reposition itself as a producer of convenient natural products, Campbell Soup Company is set to launch Well Yes!, a pivotal “clean” canned soup line, with a corresponding campaign that encourages consumers to make small, healthy daily choices rather than big, unrealistic resolutions. With the New Year only a week away, the launch of the new campaign is timely.
Earlier this year, the World Bank announced a fundamental shift in its role of alleviating global poverty, by refocusing its financing efforts towards tackling climate change through the lens of SMEs. Last month, the group launched a new Climate Business Innovation Network (CBIN) during COP22 in Marrakech to help commercialize and diffuse clean technologies through developing countries.
There are about 3 trillion trees left on earth, or roughly 400 trees per person. Seems like a lot, but what if we told you that since the advent of human civilisation, half of all trees have been cut down, or that 15 billion trees are lost each year?
It’s easy for the concepts of Cradle to Cradle design and a circular economy to become shorthand for recycling, but both are much more complex than that.