Hannah Ritchie
tonlé's Creative Approach Showing Fashion Industry How Zero Waste Is Really Done
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Cambodian fashion brand tonlé is revolutionizing the textile industry not only with its ethical business model, but also a creative approach to zero-waste. - 8 years ago
Activist Groups Challenging Signet to Show Its Supply Chain Some Love This Valentine's Day
Behavior Change / Despite being one of the most popular gifts for a loved one on Valentine’s Day, jewelry has been notorious for coming at a social and environmental cost that goes well beyond the price tag. Now Signet, the world’s largest jewelry retailer, is being challenged by social and environmental groups across the world to demand that its major diamond and gold supplier, Rio Tinto, clean up its act this Valentine’s Day. - 8 years ago
Caesars Rallies Vegas Competitors to Help 'Clean the World'
Waste Not / “Sustainability” isn’t something most of us associate with Las Vegas. However, as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, the Las Vegas Strip presents a host of opportunities for tackling the rampant waste created by the industry. - 8 years ago
Shell Endorses Shareholder Resolution That 'Boldly Questions Its Own Business Model'
Organizational Change / Last week, Royal Dutch Shell’s board of directors ratified a shareholder resolution that commits the oil giant to investing in a low-carbon future. The resolution called for the company to commit to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, invest in renewable energy, scrap bonus systems that are associated with climate-harming activities, and base its business model risk assessment against the widely considered “safe” warming limit of 2ᵒC (as signed by 141 governments at the UN’s Copenhagen Accord). - 8 years ago
Sprint Launches Encore Challenge to Find Smart Ways to Revamp Used Smartphones
Waste Not / Sprint today launched its Smartphone Encore Challenge — an attempt to inspire students to generate new ideas about how to revive old smartphones and their components. The competition — launched in partnership with Brightstar Corporations and HOBI International — calls upon students to come up with innovative ways to retrofit their old devices that could be scaled into a commercial business model. The Encore Challenge will be supported by Net Impact, the leading nonprofit that motivates younger generations to find sustainable ways to work within and beyond business. - 8 years ago
Carlsberg Working to Develop Biodegradable Wood Fiber Bottle
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Beer giant Carlsberg last week announced its plans to develop the world’s first fully biodegradable wood-fiber bottle.After its participation on a panel on “Wasteless Supply” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carlsberg launched its three-year project with development partners to design a bio-based, biodegradable bottle made from sustainably sourced wood fiber, which it is calling the “Green Fiber Bottle.” The company will work alongside packaging company ecoXpac, and in collaboration with Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark. - 8 years ago
Two Birds Apparel Bring Sustainable Fashion Home to Canada
Product, Service & Design Innovation / If you ask Daniel and Tiffany Andrew — the husband-and-wife team behind Canadian men’s fashion brand Two Birds Apparel — what sustainability means to them, they’d say local, ethical supply chains and environmentally friendly materials, which is exactly what their brand encapsulates.Launched in 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, and now headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Two Birds is fairly new to the stage, but is trying to diverge from the status quo by sourcing, manufacturing and distributing all of their clothing domestically. - 8 years ago
Valentines Can Now Show Their Love Sustainably with Locally Grown ‘Slow Flowers’
Supply Chain / US nationwide floral directory Slow Flowers is encouraging its customers to show their love in a more thoughtful way this Valentine’s day by sourcing local American-grown bouquets.The US cut flower retail market is flourishing, with sales topping US$7-8 billion annually. However, apparently only 2 percent of the 224 million roses sold in 2012 were American-grown. The US flower market has been dominated for decades by 1-800 teleflorists who import their bouquets from overseas. In an attempt to change this trend and support local farmers, Slow Flowers now has a directory of roughly 500 florists committed to sourcing their flowers from the US for Valentine’s Day this year. - 8 years ago
Millennials Up Pressure on Brands for Sustainable Packaging
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Millennials have higher expectations for sustainable product packaging than their older counterparts, according to a new study by Finnish packaging solutions company Stora Enso.Millennials, defined as those born between 1980 and 2000, are the focus of the Stora Enso Packaging divisions’ fourth Viewpoint report, which looks at their preferences and decisions when it comes to product packaging. Since this age group will comprise almost half of the European workforce (and therefore dominant consumers) by 2025, it is a key target for retailers and a prime category for brands to win over. - 8 years ago
Energy Upgrade California Launches 'Play Your Part' Sweepstakes to Enlist Residents' Help in Meeting Energy Goals
Behavior Change / Energy Upgrade California®, a statewide initiative aimed at helping residents make more informed energy-management choices, has launched a ten-week contest that will reward Californians playing their part in reducing the state’s energy demands.The winners of the “Play Your Part” contest will win a package containing products that will help them reduce their overall home energy usage. - 8 years ago
'This Girl Can' Campaign Empowering Women of All Shapes and Sizes to Get Active
Marketing and Comms / Sport England, previously known as the English Sports Council, has launched an ad campaign called “This Girl Can,” which uses real women to promote exercise among females.The campaign’s first 90-second film, aiming to inspire women of all shapes and sizes to get off the couch, has generated more than 2.9 million views on YouTube in its first week and trended at number two on Twitter. FCB Inferno, the London agency behind the film, described it as "a celebration of active women designed to make the attainable aspirational." - 8 years ago
Asda's 'Wonky Veg' Campaign Aims to Show Ugly Produce Is 'Beautiful on the Inside'
Behavior Change / UK supermarket giant Asda is trialing a new range of vegetable products it’s calling “Wonky Veg,” in a bid to reduce food waste.The retailer created its new range of misshapen fruit and vegetables — sold at reduced prices — after working alongside TV chef Jamie Oliver on initiatives to reduce food waste. The project is to be trialed in five stores across the UK beginning January 26. - 8 years ago
Stonyfield Farm Continues to Drive Transparency with Ingredient Source Map
Marketing and Comms / Stonyfield Farm has taken the transparency of its supply chain to a new level by creating a source map for each of its ingredients.The New Hampshire-based organic dairy brand worked with SourceMap to create a map detailing the location, farm conditions and history for each of its ingredients, ranging from the dairy farms that supply its milk to the peaches, pears and raspberries that flavor its products. - 8 years ago
Forbo Closes Loop on Its 'Back to the Floor' Recycling Scheme
The Next Economy / Dutch flooring supplier and manufacturer Forbo Flooring has now closed the loop on its Back to the Floor recycling scheme, according to Environmental Expert. Now in its third year, the scheme now recycles Forbo flooring off-cuts into new products. - 8 years ago
Bill Gates Tastes Proof of Latest Breakthrough Concept in Wastewater Treatment
Cleantech / Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently took a leap of faith when he personally put the latest technology for wastewater processing to the ultimate test — by drinking water produced from recycled human sewage. - 8 years ago
Sainsbury's Inching Toward 100% Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
Leadership / UK grocery giant Sainsbury’s has announced that 95 percent of the palm oil used in its own-brand products is now certified as sustainably sourced. The supermarket revealed this statistic late last month, on the day it also became the first UK retailer to launch a dishwashing liquid made with palm oil certified as sustainable by mass balance analysis. - 8 years ago
BMW, Nestlé, Rio Tinto Alcan Develop New Standard for Sustainable Aluminum Sourcing
Supply Chain / BMW Group, Hydro, Nestlé Nespresso SA and Rio Tinto Alcan and other members of the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) have generated a new Standard to help improve environmental and social standards for sourcing the material, as well as government performance to improve the sector’s conditions throughout its value chain. The new Standard also aims to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, which are historically high. - 8 years ago
UK's First 'Social Supermarket' Tackling Food Waste and Poverty
Product, Service & Design Innovation / The UK’s first “social supermarket” opened in London last week — the first in a project aimed at reducing food waste as well as supporting low-income households. Surplus food from some of Britain’s largest supermarkets (such as Asda, Tesco and M&S) is being resold at highly discounted prices to food-insecure locals at the country’s first Community Shop in Lambeth. - 8 years ago
Dow, Nestlé UK, Unilever Researching New Options for Recycling Flexible Packaging
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Nestlé UK and Unilever are among organizations coming together on a new project aiming to improve the recyclability of flexible packaging products, in the hope of pushing the resource industry closer towards a circular economic approach. - 8 years ago
Fashion, Scuba Giants the Latest to Close the Loop on Textiles
The Next Economy / The concept of the circular economy — a more thoughtful approach to how we process materials and manufacture products — continues to gain traction, especially in the textile and fashion industry. In the last few weeks, some of the industry’s biggest players have upped their involvement in the market shift. - 8 years ago