Mike Hower
Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact
thinkPARALLAX
Bombay Sapphire Turns Derelict Mill into Sustainable Distillery
Cleantech / The Bombay Sapphire gin distillery in Hampshire, England has become the first to achieve an “Outstanding” design-stage Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) accreditation, according to a recent announcement. - 7 years ago
Chevron, Shell Join Environmentalists To Regulate Fracking Standards
Collaboration / A group of energy companies, philanthropic foundations and environmental groups have formed a new organization providing shale gas producers with performance standards certification for shale development.The Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) recently announced 15 initial performance standards designed to ensure safe and environmentally responsible development of the Appalachian Basin’s abundant shale gas resources. These standards will form the foundation of the CSSD’s independent, third-party certification process. - 7 years ago
Unreal Helps Unjunk Sweets with Easter Bunny Apology Tour
Marketing and Comms / Candy company Unreal is sponsoring the 2013 Easter Bunny Apology Tour, a social media and publicity campaign aimed at “unjunking” popular candy products, according to a recent announcement. - 7 years ago
eBay Launches Standard for Measuring Costs, Impacts of Online Transactions
New Metrics / eBay has released a new Digital Service Efficiency (DSE) dashboard to monitor and analyze the cost, performance and environmental impact of customer buy and sell transactions in an effort to balance and tune its technical infrastructure, according to a recent announcement. - 7 years ago
Dow Chemical Named Official Carbon Partner for 2014 Winter Olympics
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / The Dow Chemical Company has been selected to help the Olympic Organizing Committee reduce the carbon footprint of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, according to a recent announcement.The company says it will work with local companies and partners to mitigate the direct carbon footprint associated with Sochi 2014 through energy-efficient technologies and improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance in three key areas; upgrading building infrastructure, optimizing farming practices and enhancing industrial processes. - 7 years ago
UK Researchers Make Eggshells into Bioplastic
Waste Not / Researchers at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom say they have discovered a way to make a new kind of decomposable and recyclable bioplastic from the thin wrappers found in eggshells. - 7 years ago
Co-op, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s Using New Research to Inform Reduction in Supply Chain Footprints
Supply Chain / The Co-operative Group, Nestlé and Sainsbury’s say they will improve the sustainability performance of some of their products in response to research from the Product Sustainability Forum.The study, published by the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), analyzed 50 grocery products with the biggest environmental impact and found that together they contribute between 21 and 33 percent of household greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some of the products include such staples as bread, potatoes, bananas and milk. - 7 years ago
AB InBev’s Environmental Efforts Generate $420 Million in Revenue
Waste Not / Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) announced it has met its three-year global environmental goals on water, energy, carbon emissions and recycling operations.The company reached its goal of reducing its water usage by nearly 20 percent, the equivalent of 25 billion cans of AB InBev products. Energy consumption decreased by 12 percent and carbon emissions were reduced by almost 16 percent in breweries and soft drink facilities worldwide. The company also increased its recycling rate to just over 99 percent for solid waste and by-products. - 7 years ago
Clariant’s EcoTain Label Marks Sustainable Product Life Cycles
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Clariant recently announced it will begin using a new label on its products to certify sustainable attributes in response to environmental concerns and growing consumer eco-awareness.The chemical giant says the so-called EcoTain label indicates a four-step life cycle: Sustainable Design, Responsible Process, Safe & Efficient Use and Eco-Integration. Only products meeting all four requirements will be awarded the EcoTain label.The company says EcoTain represents a systemic approach to sustainable innovation by providing a tangible means of understanding the ecological, economic and social impact of its products over the entire value chain. - 7 years ago
PlanetReuse: Redirecting Building Waste from Landfill to LEED Projects
Waste Not / To prepare for this year's Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) competition, we're catching up with some of our favorite entrepreneurial ventures from competitions past ... - 7 years ago
Ecofiltro: Quenching Thirst in Guatemala One Family at a Time
Product, Service & Design Innovation / To prepare for this year's Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) competition, we're catching up with some of our favorite entrepreneurial ventures from competitions past ...In most of the developed world, few of us give much thought to where our drinking water comes from. When thirsty, we need only to walk to the nearest faucet for an endless supply of fresh, potable water. Studies show the average American household wastes 100,000 to 200,000 gallons of water every year, while 780 million people in developing countries lack access to reliable drinking water — about one in nine people on the planet. - 7 years ago
Sustainable Brands Announces “The Revolution Will Be Branded” as Rallying Cry and Theme for SB’12 Conference, June 4-7, 2012
Press Release / SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 31, 2012 – Sustainable Brands today revealed the theme and program focus for SB’12, the sixth annual gathering of 1000 brand leaders and sustainability executives. “The Revolution Will Be Branded” is set to explore the business trans - 8 years ago
Sustainable Brands Releases 2012 Editorial Calendar, Continuing Mission of Inspiring, Equipping and Engaging Sustainability Leaders
Press Release / SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 19, 2012 – Sustainable Brands has released its full calendar of topics for the successful Issues in Focus series, continuing to explore a wide spectrum of issues including impending global regulatory changes, economic pressures, and changing customer demands. - 8 years ago