Jennifer Elks
Managing Editor
Sustainable Brands
Royal DSM Approves Genomatica's Bio-Based BDO for Use in Arnitel Thermoplastics
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Royal DSM, the global life sciences and materials sciences company, announced last week that in-depth testing has proven that Genomatica’s renewable form of the organic compound 1,4-butanediol (BDO) has excellent purity and shows equivalent performance as fossil-based BDO. The company says using BDO made with Genomatica's bio-based process technology in its Arnitel thermoplastic products can increase Arnitel's bio-based content up to 73%; because of this and its level of performance, DSM says it considers the renewable BDO a suitable raw material for commercial production of Arnitel. - 9 years ago
Closing Loop on Waste Helping German Brewery Become Net Zero by 2018
Waste Not / Just in time for Oktoberfest, the Hofmühl Brewery in Eichstätt, Bavaria has announced that a combination of solar and bioenergy is not only supplementing its energy supply, but making it completely self-sufficient, according to 2degrees. - 9 years ago
Disney, Yahoo!, Google Top List of 100 Companies 'Most Loved' by Consumers
Marketing and Comms / Global opinion research consultancy APCO Insight last week revealed its list of the 100 Most Loved Companies, based on findings generated by its Emotional LinkingSM model, which measures consumers’ emotional attachment to brands. The Walt Disney Company was ranked #1, but the list was largely dominated by tech companies — Yahoo!, Google and Sony rounded out the top four. - 9 years ago
Unilever Expands 'Help a Child Reach 5' Campaign to Mark Global Handwashing Day
Behavior Change / To mark Global Handwashing Day (GHD) — October 15th — Unilever’s Lifebuoy brand has announced a significant expansion of its Help a Child Reach 5 campaign. Launched in February in Thesgora, India, a rural village known to have one of the highest rates of diarrhoea in the country, the campaign aims to end preventable deaths of children under five by changing hand-washing behaviors, one village at a time. Today, Lifebuoy has confirmed it will extend this program to communities and villages across 17 countries globally. - 9 years ago
McDonald's to Offer Educational Books in Lieu of Happy Meal Toys for National Family Literacy Day
Behavior Change / Last week, McDonald’s USA announced the launch of a new Happy Meal Books promotion, coinciding with National Family Literacy Day on Nov. 1. From Nov. 1–14, Happy Meals will be accompanied by one of a series of four original books designed to encourage children to eat right and be more active.As part of the launch of Happy Meal Books, McDonald’s is collaborating with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the U.S., to help more children and their families discover the joy of reading. RIF will distribute 100,000 Happy Meal Books to children who do not have easy access to books. - 9 years ago
IKEA, M&S, lululemon Join Brands Protesting Forced Child Labor in Uzbek Cotton Fields
Supply Chain / In the lead up to Uzbekistan’s annual cotton fair, a mounting number of international brands and retailers have declared their refusal to source from the country until it ceases the forced labor of children and adults in the cotton fields. Representing an estimated $1.024 trillion USD in revenue, 136 brands and companies have now signed the "Company Pledge Against Forced Child and Adult Labor in Uzbek Cotton," according to the Responsible Sourcing Network. - 9 years ago
Investors Call For Food Companies That Oppose Labeling to Stay Out of Washington State GMO Battle
Marketing and Comms / Companies that donated funds to oppose ballot initiatives to require the labeling of products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are facing new pressure from shareholders to stay out of future elections. - 9 years ago
Target Takes Important Step Toward Sustainable Product Standard
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Target today announced an important step toward increasing product transparency, which the company says it hopes will lead to more sustainable and innovative products. - 9 years ago
Canepa Becomes First Textile Manufacturer to Sign Greenpeace's Detox Agreement
Supply Chain / Italian textile manufacturer Canepa recently announced it has accepted the challenge set by Greenpeace during fashion week last February to create clean and sustainable fashion. The company voluntarily signed up to abide by the guidelines set forth in the Detox Solution Commitment, which aims to abolish the toxic chemicals currently used in the fashion industry by 2020. The challenge has already been accepted by a host of major retail, sportswear and luxury brands — including H&M, Mango, Patagonia and adidas — but this is the first public commitment made by a textile manufacturer. - 9 years ago
2.5 Billion Aspirational Consumers Mark Shift in Sustainable Consumption
Product, Service & Design Innovation / A new global consumer study by BBMG, GlobeScan and SustainAbility confirms the rise of nearly 2.5 billion consumers globally who are uniting style, social status and sustainability values to redefine consumption. According to the report, The 2013 Aspirational Consumer Index, more than one-third of consumers globally (36.4%) identify as Aspirationals, defined by their love of shopping (78%), desire for responsible consumption (92%) and their trust in brands to act in the best interest of society (58%). The study draws from telephone and in-person surveys of 21,492 consumers across 21 international markets conducted in April 2013. - 9 years ago
University of Bath Researchers Treating Wastewater with Seafood Shells
Waste Not / The thousands of tons of waste seashells created by the edible seafood sector are being used to treat wastewater in a new project undertaken by researchers at the University of Bath in the UK.Dr Darrell Patterson, from the University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, used waste mussel shells to create what he says is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way of ‘polishing’ wastewater, which could remove unwanted substances such as hormones, pharmaceuticals or fertilizers. - 9 years ago
SAC and Schneider Electric Developing Higg Index 2.0 for Apparel and Footwear Industries
Supply Chain / Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, has announced that it has teamed with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) to develop and implement a dynamic web-based solution for the SAC’s sustainability assessment tool, the Higg Index 2.0. Utilizing Schneider Electric’s sustainability and energy management software platform, StruxureWare™ Resource Advisor, the platform will be a groundbreaking tool for the apparel and footwear industries. - 9 years ago
Dr. Bronner's Backing GMO Labeling Legislation with a Label of Its Own
Marketing and Comms / Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, family-owned maker of the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America and advocate for sustainable agriculture, has created a special agitprop label for its quart-size liquid soaps in support of GMO labeling and the Washington State voter initiative to label GMOs, Yes on I-522 — “The Washington Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.” Last week, natural product stores nationwide and Dr. Bronner’s webstore began stocking products featuring the limited edition soap label, which will be available through November. - 9 years ago
M&S, BT, Unilever, Sainsbury's Top FTSE 100 Carbon Ranking
Marketing and Comms / For the second year in a row, retailer Marks & Spencer has topped Carbon Clear’s ranking of the carbon performance of the FTSE 100. This is the third year that Carbon Clear has undertaken the research, examining the extent and depth of FTSE (London stock exchange) 100 companies’ carbon measurement and reporting practices, ranking companies based on a well-developed scoring matrix. - 9 years ago
New NRDC Report Finds Progress on Promises Made at Rio+20, But Calls for More Accountability
Marketing and Comms / There has been significant progress on many of the key globally negotiated and voluntary commitments made at Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in June 2012, according to a new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Stakeholder Forum.“Fulfilling the Rio+20 Promises: Reviewing Progress Since the UN Conference on Sustainable Development” is a first-of-its-kind assessment by civil society organizations on progress toward some of the key commitments made at Rio+20. - 9 years ago
Mosaic Enabling Public to Invest in Renewable Energy on U.S. Military Base, Starting at $25
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Mosaic, America's first online marketplace to offer solar investments to the public, presents the first major U.S. military solar project to be funded by the public. This is a historic opportunity for Americans to invest in the nation's energy independence and troop preparedness. Launched Friday, investors large and small in the state of California can now put their dollars to work investing in solar panels on military housing. - 9 years ago
Sims Recycling Solutions Launches ‘Zombie Phone’ Buyback Business
Waste Not / Just in time for Halloween, Sims Recycling Solutions, a global electronics reuse and recycling company, today announced the launch of Zombie Phone, an online service that allows individuals to sell their used cell phones directly to Sims. Based in Australia, Sims Recycling Solutions operates 16 North American sites in Arizona, British Columbia, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Ontario, Quebec, Tennessee and Texas.To begin the buyback process, visitors to the Zombie Phone website select their current wireless carrier and identify the make, model and condition of their phones. Based on this information, an offer is instantly calculated. - 9 years ago
BASF and Heritage Plastics Partnering to Bring ecovio® Bioplastics Production to U.S.
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / BASF has announced a strategic manufacturing partnership with Heritage Plastics, Inc. to produce the chemical company’s ecovio® compostable bioplastic products in North America.The partnership enables BASF to expand manufacturing of its ecovio biopolymers, which are currently only produced in Europe. ecovio production will begin immediately at the Heritage facility in Picayune, Mississippi. - 9 years ago
Patagonia Launches 'Responsible Economy' Campaign
Marketing and Comms / Leaders from outdoor apparel company Patagonia have announced a new campaign, The Responsible Economy, which calls on consumers and businesses alike to rethink disposability for more effective resource allocation. - 9 years ago
McDonald's Announces Commitment to Promote Balanced Food and Beverage Choices
Marketing and Comms / McDonald's announced it is partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association, to increase customers' access to fruit and vegetables and help families and children to make informed choices in keeping with balanced lifestyles. President Bill Clinton, founder of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation; Don Thompson, President and CEO of McDonald's; and Dr. Howell Wechsler, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, announced the groundbreaking Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment on Thursday at the 2013 CGI Annual Meeting in New York City. - 10 years ago