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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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Imagine a World Where Generosity Pays …

A world where inclusion is valued more than exclusionA world where trust triumphs over doubtA world where possibilities outnumber limitationsA world where the more you give, the more you gainIn many ways, the world we have created is designed for greed, not for generosity, and we want to change this. Most of us value generosity, but we struggle to let it work for us.Let’s not pretend that generosity is easy, that we are wired for it, or that it is commonplace. It is not. Yet most would agree that “generosity” is needed to thrive, to grow, to prosper and to succeed.Generosity Pays: An idea with currency for our new social world

#SB14sd: C2C Product Innovation Institute Launches Report Showcasing 10 Companies Showing Us the Way Forward

Today, our impact on the world is at a crossroads. Our planet has 7 billion people, and expected to be 9 billion by 2020. At Sustainable Brands, we are familiar with how a healthy and prosperous future can be achieved by working to innovate well-designed products with reusable and safe materials, and made without the need to deplete precious resources or energy. We are happy to share initial reports that illustrate how certain companies have proven responsible leadership. We can give consumers good choices.

#SB14sd: Panera Launches Food Policy Focused on Clean Ingredients, Transparency, Positive Impact

Today, Panera Bread shared a comprehensive set of commitments around its food. The Food Policy, which the company calls a formal articulation of its long-held values, is expressed by a commitment to clean ingredients, transparency and a positive impact (on the food system) rooted in craft.

Servergy Wants Its Customers to 'Save Energy. Work Smarter'

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we’ve been getting to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet our final semi-finalist, Servergy.When Bill Mapp, the founder and CEO of Servergy, launched his information technology (IT)/hardware innovation and design startup in the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, friends and family thought he was crazy. At the time many people held the belief that the IT and hardware business was dead, but Mapp pushed forward anyway.

WOO's Collaborative Supplier Network Helping to Create 'Worlds of Opportunities'

Mission-driven startup WOO, true to its name, is helping to create “Worlds of Opportunities” for artisans and other skilled laborers living in impoverished communities throughout Vietnam.Launched in 2009, the growing luxury lifestyle brand is the brainchild of philanthropist and entrepreneur Saskia de Knegt, whose vision to blend talent with underutilized local resources has helped establish livelihoods and repurpose waste streams through the production of handcrafted beeswax candles set in recycled wine and vodka bottles.With a background in medicine and business administration, de Knegt first worked in the medical field in Africa and South America before switching to development aid.

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Raffle for Good: Reinventing Online Philanthropy

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet the winner of our public vote, Raffle for Good.

Startup Cutting Freight Footprint, Radically Extending Shelf Life of Fresh Fish

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet Sustainably Fresh Systems.I recently caught up with Larry Bell, CEO and Founder of Sustainably Fresh Systems (SFS), a startup that's determined to revolutionize the way fresh fish and other foods are transported, in order to maximize freshness and decrease the carbon footprint and packaging materials inherent in traditional methods of transporting fresh food around the world.

Unilever Launches Global Platform to Engage with Startups

Unilever has announced the launch of The Unilever Foundry, a platform that will enable innovative startups to partner with Unilever.The company says the Foundry will enable its global brands to experiment with and pilot new technologies more efficiently, effectively and speedily. It will also provide startups and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop and work on global projects, access mentoring from marketing professionals, and tap into a new source of funding through Unilever Ventures.

Amazi Looking to Increase the World's Access to Drinking Water — Without the Bottles

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet Amazi. On a road trip a couple of years ago, Crystal Plew was looking for a place to refill her water bottle and thought, ‘there should be an app for that.’ From there, Amazi was born. Amazi, which means “water” in Rwanda, is an app developed to help eliminate the need for bottled water, while supporting water initiatives worldwide.

Startup Growing 'Zero Carbon Food' in London Underground Tunnels Has Investors Clamoring

It is not often that a new venture with an unbelievable, yet-to-be-proven concept is overwhelmingly backed by investors. Zero Carbon Food (ZCF) is just such a venture — throwing conventional wisdom aside, the company's Growing Underground SW4 project has set out to grow food underground, away from the sun and fresh air. ZCF's equity crowdfunding campaign on CrowdCube has elicited a fantastic response from investors, already raising over 200 percent of its £300,000 (~US$500,000) goal with four days still remaining.

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#SB14sd Preview: Ford Sees the Future in Data

Ford Motor Company says it considers big data and analytics the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity.At Sustainable Brands ’14 San Diego (June 2-5), Carrie Majeske, Ford’s Associate Director of Global Sustainability Integration, will participate in a panel discussion titled: Leveraging Big Data and the Quantified Self Movement to Drive a Sustainable Future.I caught up with her for a short preview.

Campher Offers Unique Insights, Approaches to 'Creating a Sustainable Brand'

Most sustainability initiatives are focused on improving the triple bottom line, but what about growing the business top line?

#SB14sd Preview: Arrow Electronics on CSR and 'Five Years Out'

With 2013 sales of $21.4 billion, Colorado-based Arrow Electronics is one of the largest suppliers of electronics components in the world with 460 locations in 58 countries. Three years ago, the company underwent a complete corporate rebranding around the concept of innovation for “five years out.”Next month at Sustainable Brands 2014 San Diego, Rich Kylberg, Arrow’s VP of Global Marketing and Communications, will discuss how the company’s revamped brand message is best reflected through a new focus on innovative corporate social responsibility (CSR). I caught up with Rich for a short preview conversation.

Verizon Offering $6M for Powerful Answers to Four Global Problems

Verizon is now accepting applications for its Powerful Answers Award, which offers a total of $6 million in prizes for ideas that have the power to create groundbreaking change.Verizon’s Powerful Answers Award invites innovators, developers and entrepreneurs to leverage Verizon’s technology to deliver world-changing solutions and social good. This year, the multimillion-dollar global competition will focus on four categories: Education, Healthcare, Sustainability and (a new category for 2014) Transportation.

FoodLoop Helps Shoppers, Retailers Work Together to Eliminate Grocery Waste

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet FoodLoop.

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Sprint Launches Carbon-Negative, Methane-Based iPhone Cases

Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Today Sprint announced it will be one of the first companies to use AirCarbon™, a new carbon-negative plastic made from methane gas, instead of petroleum. The material will be used in black and pink cell phone cases for the iPhone® 5 and iPhone® 5s that will be sold online exclusively on Sprint.com beginning later this month. Sprint says it is the first telecommunications company in the world to launch a carbon-negative product using AirCarbon.

New Moop + Thread Bags First Products to Feature Thread's Plastic-Turned-Fabric

SBIO 2013 finalist Thread, which creates fabric from plastic bottle waste collected in the developing world, has released a line of special-edition bags with its first partner, canvas bag manufacturer Moop. Each waxed canvas Moop + Thread bag — available in Messenger No.1 and Paperback styles, all designed and hand-manufactured at Moop’s Pittsburgh-based studio — is lined with fabric made from 16 plastic bottles.

Startup's Desalination Tech Could Supply the World with 97% More Water

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet Okeanos.

Bureo's Upcycled Skateboard Aims to Clean Up Chile's Waters

Last fall, we introduced a startup called Bureo Skateboards, which aimed to build skateboards from the tons of plastic waste littering Chile’s beaches and waters. Founders Ben Kneppers and David Stover detailed the company’s journey from the idea phase to a multi-faceted funding structure. At the time, the two friends were reluctant to release many specifics about their final product line, as it was still pre-production, but last month they got back in touch, ready to discuss their next phase.

UK Startup Turning Enterprising Beer Lovers Into Urban Farmers

Some breweries in England are increasingly sourcing their hops from New Zealand and the US instead of buying closer to home, which generates a bigger carbon footprint. While chatting about beer over a pint at an Incredible Edible Lambeth event in the fall of 2011, Helen Steer and Ann Bodkin started thinking about how to engage a larger range of people in locally sourced food and drink. From that conversation, Grow Beer — a project to crowdsource hops from personal and community gardens for use at local breweries — was born.

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