Hannah Furlong
Editorial Assistant
Sustainable Brands
Trending: GM, Ford Launch New Partnerships to Drive the Future of Mobility
Cleantech / With CES 2016 underway in Las Vegas this week, we are expecting to have announcements about exciting tech advancements coming out of our ears. Case in point: At The Ford Motor Company's press conference this morning, it announced a partnership with Amazon to integrate vehicles with Echo, the e-commerce company’s smarthome device. - 7 years ago
Coming to a Marina Near You: The Seabin Ocean Trash Collector
Product, Service & Design Innovation / The ocean may be “big,” and “blue,” but it is also, unfortunately, full of garbage. It has been estimated that there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans and 10,000 times more in the deep sea. Plastic and fibers have been found in a quarter of fish sold in markets in the US and Indonesia. Abandoned fishing gear often still traps and kills fish and sea mammals. - 7 years ago
Could the 'Internet of Food' Revolutionize Personal Nutrition?
Cleantech / In the era of personalization and connectivity, the way we interact with food could change drastically in the near future. With conceptual 3D printers for meat on the table and specialized accelerator programs for food-focused technology startups already running, changes are well underway. Professor Maged Boulos from the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland is considering how the ‘Internet of Things’ concept could be applied to food. How will technology and connectivity influence people’s diets? - 7 years ago
Should the Fossil Fuel Industry Be Taxed to Pay for Climate Damage?
The Next Economy / More than 60 environmental leaders and organizations have signed The Carbon Levy Project declaration, calling for a tax on fossil fuel extraction that would help pay for damages caused by climate change. The declaration states that fossil fuel companies are accountable for around 70 percent of present day global warming and should be held accountable for the resulting costs to the countries most affected. Signatories include author Naomi Klein, 350.org’s Bill McKibben, and Greenpeace’s Kumi Naidoo. - 7 years ago
Countries Ranked on Sustainable Competitiveness; US and UK Score Below China, Russia
New Metrics / Think tank and sustainable management consultancy SolAbility recently released its fourth Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI), a ranking of 180 countries for “sustainable competitiveness,” defined as the ability to generate and sustain inclusive wealth and dignifying standard of life for all citizens in a globalised world of competing economies.Iceland topped the list for the second year running, followed by other Scandinavian nations. The only non-European countries in the top 20 are Japan (11), New Zealand (12), and Canada (16). The US ranked 41 and the UK ranked 48; China and Russia ranked above them at 25 and 33, respectively. - 7 years ago
Novelis Achieves 49% Recycled Aluminum Inputs, Makes Progress on Water, GHG Targets
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Aluminum rolling and recycling leader Novelis released its sustainability report for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) on December 22. The company doubled its recycling capacity over the past five years, among other achievements. - 7 years ago
Colgate Hoping to Rally Super Bowl Viewers to Save Water with Debut Ad
Behavior Change / Colgate toothpastes and toothbrushes will not be the focus of the brand’s first-ever Super Bowl advertisement. Rather, it will be using its airtime to remind viewers to turn off the tap when brushing their teeth. - 7 years ago
Trending: Could Healthy Vending Machines, Powdered Meals Be the Next Big Thing in Sustainable Food?
Product, Service & Design Innovation / The future is uncertain — especially when it comes to food. As the need to transition to a more sustainable food system becomes apparent, many have speculated on what the future of food will hold. Will we consume crickets for protein, or stick with something more familiar, like drought-resistant beans and plant-based burgers? - 7 years ago
Progress for Fashion and Forests: Two Years of CanopyStyle
Collaboration / Viscose and rayon fibers are made from wood pulp and are some of the most widely used in clothing and textiles, threatening endangered forests. Approximately 120 million trees are logged annually for fabrics and about one third of them are sourced from ancient and/or endangered forests. Since its launch in October 2013, 60 companies have committed to eliminate endangered forests from their fabric supply chains by 2017 through the CanopyStyle initiative. - 7 years ago
Study: Sustainable Forestry Policies May Lead to Increased Deforestation
Supply Chain / Policies aimed at protecting tropical forests may lead to increased deforestation and timber production, according to new research. Rising international demand for timber, foreign investment and other factors have encouraged governments and corporations to adopt sustainable forest management practices, but it seems they may have unexpected negative consequences. - 7 years ago
Ford Testing Autonomous Hybrids in California, Sensors for Mobility Data in Rural Africa
Cleantech / The Ford Motor Company is ‘going further’ with its Smart Mobility Plan, which focuses on innovation in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics. Two recent developments include the use of sensor technology on motorcycles to collect mobility data in Africa, and autonomous vehicle testing on public roads in the US. - 7 years ago
Trending: This Week in Upcycling – Champagne Packaging, Rice Waste, Yoga Mats
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Upcycling is a great way to use waste to create new products and take the world one step closer to a circular economy. These companies are some of the latest to creatively incorporate the practice to optimize products while utilizing a variety of waste streams. - 7 years ago
Trending: While WRAP, Scottish Designers Tout Merits of ‘Durable’ Fashion, MANGO Has a Different Idea
Behavior Change / Waste reduction charity WRAP’s new Clothing Durability Report reveals that extending the active life of clothing items by nine months could reduce carbon, waste and water footprints of clothing in the UK by 20 to 30 percent each and cut resource costs by £5 billion. - 7 years ago
EPA Accused of 'Covert Propaganda' for Social Media Campaign Behind Clean Water Rule
Marketing and Comms / The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law with its social media campaign to promote the >Clean Water Rule, according to a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruling from earlier this week. - 7 years ago
Colorado State Chemists Develop Recyclable, Biodegradable, Petroleum-Free Plastic
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Chemists at Colorado State University (CSU) have developed a new biodegradable polymer. The plastic is made from the bio-renewable monomer Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and it converts back to GBL when heated — ready for reuse. The new material, called poly(GBL), could represent a fully recyclable and biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based materials. - 7 years ago
$13M in Clean Energy Investment to Power Agriculture Innovation in Emerging Markets
Product, Service & Design Innovation / 13 ventures have been announced as the recipients of $12.9 million in funding from the Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC) program. - 7 years ago
Video: ‘Koch Brothers’ Sponsor Star-Studded Climate Denial Anthem
Marketing and Comms / A satire music video in the style of the 1985 collaboration “We Are The World,” highlights the flawed thinking of climate change deniers, with the help of some celebrities. Mocking the ultra-wealthy Koch brothers, Beau Bridges plays both David and Charles Koch, and invites “the world’s hottest conservative pop stars to sing a song.” - 7 years ago
Trending: Dow, Avery Dennison Wrap Up Latest Innovations in Renewable, Recyclable Packaging
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / An award-winning stand-up pouch from The Dow Chemical Company will now be used to hold packs of Seventh Generation’s natural dishwashing detergent. - 7 years ago
Trending: Shirts, Shoes and Umbrellas with Purpose
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Looking for some ethical fashion options for your holiday shopping, or even your daily life? If you can’t wear a T-shirt to work, you may have the same frustrations that lead Yale School of Management grads Amanda Rinderle and Jonas Clark to co-found Tuckerman & Co.. - 7 years ago
Ford: New Manufacturing Method Could Cut Emissions By 50%
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Saving engines from the scrapyard and reusing them could deliver a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to producing a new engine, according to news from Ford Motor Company. The automaker has announced that its new, patented plasma coating technology unlocks new recycling potential. - 7 years ago