Sustainable Brands
Sustainable Brands is tagged in 2149 stories.
Page 95 of 108.
Blog /
This is the latest in a series of posts in which we will poll our global community of business leaders and practitioners — what we call the “SB Vanguard” — on a variety of issues pertinent to the evolving sustainable business landscape.IKEA and GAP have both raised their minimum wage; Starbucks is now subsidizing employee education; and H&M is fighting for higher worker wages in both Cambodia and Bangladesh ... Despite the expected added brand value, it must be a challenge to justify such a dramatic and costly shift.So we asked the SB Vanguard: How can more companies make the business case internally for prioritizing such investments in employee and worker well-being? And how could companies go about measuring the ROI?
- 9 years ago
Products and Design /
Tarkett, a global leader in flooring and sports surfaces solutions, has reached an agreement in principle with Bencis Capital Partners and minority investors to acquire 100% of Netherlands-based Desso, producer of high-end and Cradle to Cradle Certified carpet flooring for the commercial, consumer and sports markets throughout Europe.“The acquisition of Desso will enable Tarkett to accelerate its profitable growth strategy by targeting the European market of added value carpet for commercial and residential use, as well as innovative sports surfaces.
- 9 years ago
Product, Service & Design Innovation /
Wecyclers, an initiative that enables low-income communities in Nigeria to make money from waste piling up in their streets, wins the 2014 Sustainia Award, chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger. By deploying a fleet of cargo bicycles to collect and recycle unmanaged waste in Nigeria’s capital, Lagos, Wecyclers lets families exchange garbage for consumer goods via an SMS-based point system.
- 9 years ago
Collaboration /
Fashion Loved by Forest, the campaign spearheaded by Canadian forest conservation nonprofit Canopy that is rallying the fashion industry to commit to deforestation-free materials, continues to gain momentum. Just weeks after announcing the addition of EcoPlanet Bamboo — the largest global developer of certified bamboo plantations on degraded lands, Canopy announced today that Levi Strauss & Co., Marks & Spencer, fashion brand Aritzia, online retailer ASOS, and lifestyle brands Under the Canopy and Portico are joining the initiative.
- 9 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging /
Isn’t it great when a simpler solution makes the most sense? This week, Marks and Spencer (M&S) rolled out a much less aggravating alternative to the dreaded plastic and metal ties traditionally used to secure products inside packaging, particularly that of toys.The company told edie.net that its patent-pending 'PaperTies' lock products in place and, while strong enough to withstand transport and other wear and tear, are easily torn by the buyer, making receiving a new toy a much less frustrating experience for its recipient. And unlike the standard plastic and metal version, the 100% FSC-certified PaperTies are easily recyclable.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
A team consisting of engineers, architects, urban planners, economists and plant scientists at MIT has set out to shift traditional farming from the distributed, water- and energy-intense practices of the present to a high-performing, affordable, urban agricultural system with the potential to feed many people.
- 9 years ago
ICT and Big Data /
On Thursday, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) announced the launch of a new technology infrastructure region in Frankfurt — the 11th such region globally for AWS and the second region in the EU (the first being in Ireland). The company says Frankfurt is the third of its regions that will enable customers to run their cloud computing on carbon-neutral power.
- 9 years ago
Product, Service & Design Innovation /
The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) has announced that a comprehensive climate change adaptation and community development project, Living Breakwaters has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Fuller Challenge, what has been dubbed by the Institute as "socially responsible design’s highest award." The project was submitted by SCAPE / Landscape Architecture PLLC based in New York.
- 9 years ago
Organizational Change /
The Carbon Trust and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) today announced that they will be working together to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore to improve their energy efficiency. The announcement of the collaboration is being made at Kew Gardens in London as part of the official state visit to the UK of Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of the Republic of Singapore.The SEAS is leading a S$17 million SME Energy Efficiency initiative, with support from SPRING Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). The goal is to help some 300 SMEs achieve at least 10 percent savings in energy costs over the next three years.
- 9 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging /
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company — the Ohio-based parent company of a global family of companies that specialize in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tires — has completed tire builds using rubber derived from guayule plants and new guayule-related materials. The company says the tires are being evaluated by Cooper’s technical team using rigorous wheel, road and track tests, which are ongoing, but to date suggest tire performance that is at least equal to tires made of components derived from traditional rubber, derived from the Hevea rubber plant.
- 9 years ago
Waste Not /
As more and more organizations are finding ways to create fuel from waste — case in point: Italy is about to become the first country to require cars and trucks to run on biofuel made from agricultural waste — Chevrolet says its 2015 Bi-fuel Impala will be able to run on leftovers, table scraps and, oh, yeah, grains from brewing beer (welcome to the present, Back to the Future fans!).
- 9 years ago
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging /
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble has made a qualified commitment that 90 percent of its packaging will be recyclable by 2020. The commitment came the day before an October 14 vote on a shareholder proposal filed by shareholder advocacy group As You Sow asking the company to phase out unrecyclable packaging. The proposal won significant support — 25 percent of shares voted, representing more than $35 billion of investments, according to a P&G filing yesterday with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
- 9 years ago
Products and Design /
The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute announced today it will now offer a Material Health Certificate, a tool for manufacturers across industries to communicate their work toward chemically optimized products. The Material Health Certificate marks the first time the Institute has offered reporting of its comprehensive methodology in only one category.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
Abengoa Bioenergy has announced the official grand opening of its second-generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, roughly 90 miles southwest of Dodge City. The biorefinery finished construction in mid-August and began producing cellulosic ethanol at the end of September with the capacity to produce up to 25 million gallons per year.
- 9 years ago
The Next Economy /
A new report, The Emerging Collaborative Economy in Australia, produced by Vision Critical in partnership with Collaborative Lab and Nine! Rewards, reveals promising momentum and enthusiasm for collaborative economy platforms that use technology to enable people to share and exchange a variety of goods and services.
- 9 years ago
Leadership /
This week, CDP revealed its list of 187 companies illustrating that a low-carbon future does not mean low profit.The 2014 Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI), which highlights companies taking action to mitigate climate change, outperforms The Bloomberg World Index by 9.6 percent.
- 9 years ago
Stakeholder Trends and Insights /
On average, Americans are willing to spend 31 percent more per week on grocery food produced safely and responsibly, according to the Conscious Consumer™ Study issued today by Gibbs-rbb Strategic Communications.
- 9 years ago
Supply Chain /
Canadian forest conservation nonprofit Canopy announced Wednesday that EcoPlanet Bamboo, the largest global developer of certified bamboo plantations on degraded lands, has committed to a sourcing policy designed to offer a more sustainable option for clothing brands seeking alternatives to ancient and endangered forest fibers.
- 9 years ago
Cleantech /
Rechargeable lithium batteries, used in everything from portable electronic devices to electric cars to large-scale energy storage, are convenient and efficient but less than stellar when it comes to resource and environmental impacts. Now researchers at Uppsala University’s Ångström Laboratory have come up with an entirely new battery concept based on recovery and renewable biological material, with an energy content corresponding to that of current lithium-ion batteries.
- 9 years ago
Collaboration /
Today, in recognition of Global Handwashing Day, Dow and Unilever have collaborated on an improvement that is expected to positively impact health and hygiene around the world.Unilever's Lifebuoy, the world’s #1 germ protection soap, now uses DOW POLYOX™ Water-Soluble Polymers in its unique formulation, creating a soap that lasts longer, providing better value while still feeling great on the skin.
- 9 years ago