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.
Unilever Enters Natural Beauty Space with Launch of ApotheCARE Essentials
After recently receiving straight A’s on CDP’s A-List for its approach to climate change, water and deforestation, consumer goods giant Unilever is making moves to expand its portfolio of natural care hair and skincare offerings. The new line of products will target the growing number of consumers seeking more natural, responsible personal care products.
World Bank Group Names 20 African Startups to Participate in Digital Acceleration Program
Selected from a pool of over 900 applicants, 20 promising African digital startups will participate in the XL Africa residency, the flagship initiative of the business accelerator launched by the World Bank Group’s infoDev program last April. Running from November 6 – 17 in Cape Town, South Africa, selected entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to learn from their mentors and peers, increase their regional visibility and get access to potential corporate partners and investors.
The Nature Conservancy, Techstars Team Up to Launch Sustainability Accelerator
The Nature Conservancy has embarked on a first-of-its-kind partnership with entrepreneurial network Techstars to launch the Techstars Sustainability Accelerator, which aims to identify entrepreneurs with commercially viable technologies to address pressing environmental and social issues.
Makersite Offers Faster Analysis of Product Sustainability, Costs, Supply Chain Stewardship
Today at SB’17 Copenhagen, Makersite co-founder Christoph Wilfert will take attendees through the new features and expanded functionality of the all-in-one open data platform for eco-design, product costing and stewardship. Product teams use it to analyse and collaborate on how things are made and to improve the impacts of making them.
Looking for a Circular Packaging Solution? Meet RePack
Maybe you remember visiting a post office to pick up one of your online purchases and seeing the hundreds, even thousands, of packages going to other shoppers — to be used once and thrown away. Sure, online purchases need to be individually labelled and protected for transport, so some form of packaging is necessary. But shouldn’t we as environmentally conscious purchasers have a say in how our goods are packaged? And shouldn't sustainably minded brands be able to offer their customers a choice in this matter? Because surely shoppers and brands would choose a returnable, recyclable package for transporting online purchases — especially if it made economic sense. This is where RePack comes in.
Hey, Logistics Sector – Let’s Talk About the Space Between Your Wheels
The genius physicist Albert Einstein once said, “If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” This philosophy acts as a backbone of Pauline Dawes’ idea to truly revolutionise the trucking industry. It is very simple: By using the empty space between the wheels on trailers, the sector can cut down on the amount of journeys being made, saving money, fuel and carbon in the process. It was while working as a director in the logistics sector, and doing an MBA at Manchester Business School, that Dawes was struck by the idea for SOMI Trailers.
Trending: Spiders, Butterfly Wings Inspire New Solutions for Urban Ag, Renewables
Innovators continue to look to nature to create new solutions to tackle everything from water scarcity and depletion to climate change.
Gold Standard Unveils New Label, Carbon Credit Shop to Help Companies, Consumers Deliver SDGs
Gold Standard, an organization established by WWF and other NGOs to catalyze action on climate change, is making it easier for anyone to support sustainable development projects around the world while offsetting their carbon footprint with the opening of an online ‘shop’ for carbon credits. For the first time, members of the public, small businesses and organizations can offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits online through Gold Standard. The carbon credits offered come from a range of projects in Cambodia, China, Sudan, Ethiopia, Laos, Panama and Rwanda, with plans to add additional projects within the coming months.
Designing a Sustainable Coffee Pod: Club Coffee’s PurPod100
It’s Waste Reduction Week in Canada, and to celebrate, I spoke to some superstar companies reducing waste through product design that are featured in the National Zero Waste Council’s Design Portfolio. Previously, I interviewed the inventor of the world’s first reusable beeswax food wraps. In this second article of the three-part series, I spoke to Claudio Gemmiti, Club Coffee’s SVP of Innovation and Strategic Growth.
Coded Yarns Poised to Weave Transparency, Traceability into Textile Supply Chain
Traceability is an ongoing concern for the textile industry. Technologies such as barcodes, QR codes and RFID tags have been put in place to enhance supply chain transparency, but they often fail to provide complete traceability. Researchers at the University of Borås in Sweden have developed a novel coded yarn-based tracking system that promises to overcome existing limitations and deliver improved traceability.
Ford Refocusing Strategy to Drive Disruption in Auto Industry
Ford has announced a new strategy to investors that will see the auto giant leverage its unique product strengths, trusted brand and global scale to refocus and thrive in an evolving and disruptive period for the auto industry. The shift will include greater focus on accelerating the introduction of smart vehicles and services. The investor presentation follows a four-month-deep dive into Ford’s strategy and business operations led by Jim Hackett, Ford’s new President and CEO, and the company’s senior leadership team.
7th Innovation Prize for Africa Seeks Solutions for Africa's Biggest Challenges
The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) has announced the seventh edition of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), with this year’s theme focusing on “investing in inclusive innovation ecosystems.” The IPA seeks to celebrate outstanding breakthroughs that deliver practical, sustainable and commercially viable solutions to African challenges.
#BusinessCase: Report Reveals 11:1 ROI for Remanufacturing-Focused Business Models
Earthshine, a consultancy and think tank focused on business and economic transformation, and remanufacturing company Norsk Ombruk have released a new business case white paper demonstrating how remanufacturing within a circular economy can deliver a wide range of benefits for society, environment and economy.
Trending: GM, Dyson Rev Up Efforts to Electrify the Future of Mobility
Following major electric vehicle announcements from Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Volkswagen last month, General Motors Co. (GM) and, unexpectedly, Dyson have joined the ever-expanding group of automakers and companies dedicated to
Trending: Mezcal, Crab Shells Fuel Circular Solutions for Food Waste, Pollution, Packaging
Inventive circular solutions to the world’s most pressing problems continue to stream in, with entrepreneurs and researchers across North America uncovering creative new ways to transform food waste into drivers of sustainable change.
Nissan Harnesses Power of Electricity to Improve Access to Energy, Mobility, Disaster Relief
The renewable and electric vehicle markets may be growing at an unprecedented rate, but approximately 1.3 billion people around the world still live in communities where power generation is restricted and access to electricity is virtually non-existent.
EU Launches Tool to Embed Circularity, Sustainability into Built Environment
The European Commission has launched the pilot of a new framework for sustainable buildings in partnership the World Green Building Council.
Trending: Flyleather, ACR Advance Circular Textiles; But Is True Circularity a 'Fantasy'?
Putting sustainability at the heart of the fashion industry is no easy feat, but key players across the value chain continue to demonstrate that they’re up to the task. Building on the success of its Flyknit process, which allows synthetic yarn to be woven into practically seamless shoe uppers, Nike has unveiled its latest sartorial innovation: Flyleather — a sustainable leather material made with 50 percent recycled leather fiber.
Discovery Leverages Vitality Shared-Value Insurance to Make 10M People Healthier by 2018
Earlier this week, financial services group Discovery outlined the growth in scale and impact of its Vitality Shared-Value Insurance model. Since launching Vitality 20 years ago, Discovery has invested considerably in building a platform that serves a global network of insurers, providing access to the Vitality brand, product offerings, technological innovations, actuarial and data insights and program assets. The Global Vitality Network now operates in 16 countries across North America, Europe, pan-Asia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, serving around 10 million clients through seven insurers.
TechForGood: The Israeli Incubator Helping Investors ‘Get’ Social-Tech Startups
It’s easy to see why Israel refers to itself as the “startup nation.” With a population of just 8.4 million people, the success of its small-to-scale business landscape is widely acknowledged as something of a miracle, home to more startups than any other country in the world. Today, Israel has more Nasdaq-listed companies than any country outside the US and China. It also has more venture capital per capita. In 2016, Israeli startups raised a record $4.8 billion in venture funding, and saw exits worth $9.2 billion. If you want help in starting a business – especially if it’s tech-based – heading to Israel is a safe bet right now.