Jennifer Elks
Managing Editor
Sustainable Brands
Investors Continue to Express Support for Conflict Minerals Disclosure Rule
Marketing and Comms / Investors representing more than $450 billion of the world’s assets released a statement today expressing their support for the "Conflict Minerals" final rule, Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, according to the Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN). The statement comes exactly a year before companies will have to send the U.S. - 9 years ago
Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe's Top Greenpeace's Newest Seafood Sustainability Scorecard
Marketing and Comms / Greenpeace today released its 2013 Carting Away the Oceans (CATO) report, which evaluates and ranks supermarkets on their sustainable seafood policies. - 9 years ago
New Research Finds UK Consumers Earning and Saving £4.6 Billion Through the Sharing Economy
Product, Service & Design Innovation / New research commissioned by The People Who Share shows that 65% of adults in the UK are already part of the sharing economy, and a further 28% would consider taking part, if they don’t already. Conducted by Opinium, The State of the Sharing Economy polled 2,005 adults in the UK to demonstrate the growing consumer appetite for the sharing economy, just in time for Global Sharing Day 2013 on Sunday, June 2nd. - 9 years ago
Nestlé USA Commits to Sourcing 100% Certified Cocoa Beans For Its Crunch Bars
Supply Chain / Socially conscious Nestlé® Crunch® lovers can soon enjoy their favorite chocolate bar even more. At the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago today, Nestlé USA announced that it will source 100% certified, Nestlé Cocoa Plan cocoa beans for the entire line of Nestlé Crunch bars. - 9 years ago
Greater Good Science Center Conducts Compassionate Organizations Quiz
Organizational Change / The Greater Good Science Center, based at the University of California, Berkeley, has launched an online Compassionate Organizations Quiz, co-developed by CompassionLab and based on more than 10 years of research by CompassionLab and Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. - 9 years ago
Walmart Partners with LaborVoices To Ensure Factory Safety in Bangladesh
Supply Chain / LaborVoices has announced a new partnership with Walmart that will provide visibility into the retail giant's supply chain through real-time, anonymized worker feedback, to help Walmart ensure safe factory working conditions throughout its Bangladeshi supply chain. - 9 years ago
What Are the Most Effective Ways to Drive Changes in Consumer Behavior?
Behavior Change / Calling all innovators and implementers! Beginning in June, Sustainable Brands will launch a new “Issues in Focus” editorial package examining ways brands are “activating sustainability” — driving behavior change toward sustainable consumption. - 9 years ago
Consumers Rank Ingredient Transparency Among Most Important Issues for Brands
Marketing and Comms / Horsemeat found in five percent of beef tested in the European Union. One in three fish commonly mislabeled in the United States. Up to 30 states now considering GMO labeling laws. Ingredient transparency is trending for brands looking to restore consumer trust. But how much do consumers care about what they put in, on and around their bodies? - 9 years ago
Back to the Roots Growing Food Education, Reducing Waste Thanks to Smart Design
Waste Not / Each week leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 5th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote at SB '13, we will feature an article on one of our SBIO semi-finalists. This week, we re-introduce you to local innovators Back to the Roots. There’s nothing like attractive design for turning people on to something new and unusual. - 9 years ago
Bumble Bee Foods Announces New MSC-Certified 'Wild Selections®' Line To Benefit WWF
Collaboration / Bumble Bee Foods today announced the introduction of Wild Selections® – a new line of products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Wild Selections® will support World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) efforts to protect marine life, expand sustainable fishing practices globally and help build continued awareness of the MSC-certified seafood program. Announcing the promotion with WWF and MSC and the arrival of the new product line at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, Bumble Bee President and CEO Chris Lischewski said that the company is committing thirteen cents per can, for a minimum of $1 million, to WWF from the sale of Wild Selections® products over the next five years. - 9 years ago
United To Launch Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative
Supply Chain / Hot on the heels of its announcement earlier this week of a goal to save 85 million gallons of fuel in 2013, United Airlines is launching a Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) initiative in an effort to better understand the environmental performance of and deepen relationships with its suppliers. - 9 years ago
Polluting Paradise: Gap, Inc Among Companies Exposed in Indonesian Toxic Water Scandal
Supply Chain / In its latest investigation into the polluting effects of the textile industry, Greenpeace International has uncovered the dumping of industrial wastewater containing a cocktail of toxic and hazardous chemicals, and caustic water, directly into the Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia. - 9 years ago
Proposed Laws Would Require 'Not Recyclable' Label on Biodegradable Plastic Containers
Marketing and Comms / In an effort to mitigate consumer confusion and help maintain the integrity of recyclable materials streams, three laws proposed in North Carolina and Alabama would require containers made from biodegradable or compostable plastic to be labeled “non-recyclable,” according to Plastics News. - 9 years ago
Bacardi Cuts Water Use in Half, Energy Consumption and GHGs by a Third
Marketing and Comms / Bacardi Limited has achieved a nearly 50 percent drop in water usage and roughly 33 percent reductions in both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the last six years, according to its latest corporate responsibility report, released online Wednesday. Reductions were achieved through a combination of conservation measures that included more efficient equipment and greater use of renewable energy sources.The digital report, “Our Spirit is Clear,” embodies Bacardi’s commitment to reduce both its carbon footprint and impact on the earth’s natural resources. The company says the water saved is equivalent to providing a glass of water to every person on the planet. - 9 years ago
Kellogg Is Latest Company To Adopt GreenBlue's How2Recycle Label
Marketing and Comms / This week, GreenBlue announced the successful completion of the soft launch phase of its How2Recycle labeling system, and the addition of The Kellogg Company to the 11 other brands already using the label. - 9 years ago
"The Interests of the Commons": Eric Lowitt on the Collaboration Economy
Product, Service & Design Innovation / In this recent interview, guest editor Adam Werbach talks with Eric Lowitt, author of the forthcoming book, The Collaboration Economy (Wiley, April 2013). As Lowitt explains, the collaboration economy describes a situation in which “the interest of the commons now affects the common interest.”To illustrate the concepts explored in the book, an excerpt from a chapter of The Collaboration Economy appears below the video. - 9 years ago
Nike Partners With Bluesign Technologies To Scale Access to Sustainable Textiles
Supply Chain / Nike today announced a partnership with Swiss company bluesign technologies to broaden the supply of sustainable materials and chemistries for use in Nike products. - 9 years ago
Tom’s of Maine Shares Sustainability Goals, Progress in New ‘Goodness Report’
Marketing and Comms / Tom’s of Maine has launched a new website that makes it easier for people to learn about the way it does business, its goals and its progress against those goals.The Tom’s of Maine Goodness Report breaks the company’s efforts into six categories — energy, ingredients, waste, water, packaging and community. The Report features 2011 benchmarks, updates on recent projects and a goals tracker for 2015 and beyond. Highlighted goals include: - 9 years ago
Intel Awards High School Senior Grand Prize for Work with Algae Fuel Viability
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / This week, the Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public (SSP) honored high school seniors with exceptional promise in math and science in the Intel Science Talent Search. - 9 years ago
NGOs Collaborate on Practitioner's Guide for Sustainable Sourcing of Agricultural Raw Materials
Collaboration / Seven global organizations are jointly launching today the world’s first practitioner’s guide to sustainable sourcing of agricultural raw materials. The guide is an open-source innovation tool that captures best practices and experiences from global corporations within a strategic, business logic-focused framework; the goal is to empower managers by providing a user-friendly, step-by-step roadmap to building and rolling out sustainable agriculture sourcing strategies effectively. - 9 years ago