Talia Rudee
Scotland (and the Rest of Us) Urged to Shop, Cook Thoughtfully to Prevent Holiday Food Waste
Marketing and Comms / As we indulge in holiday goodies, food waste becomes an inevitable consequence. This holiday season, a projected 50,375 tons of food and drink will be thrown out; Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is aiming to show citizens how to avoid this – and to save money – simply by shopping smart and avoiding food waste. According to figures from ZWS, in December alone Scots are expected to throw away over 3.5 million mince pies, more than 240,000 Christmas puddings, and the equivalent of over 100,000 turkeys. Using these items up – or not over-buying them in the first place – could represent a potential saving of over £3 million. - 6 years ago
117 Orgs, 70k People Urge Obama to Fulfill Pledge to Fund Climate Action Before Inauguration
Leadership / Just one month from the inauguration of Donald Trump and the appointment of his cabinet of climate deniers, an international coalition of human rights and environmental groups is appealing to President Obama to take one final action to advance justice and action on climate change in spite of Trump. - 6 years ago
Trending: New Research Looking to Turn Fabric Into Fuel, Keep Microfibers Out of Water
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / We’ve seen a rash of textile-recycling schemes emerge of late — in which the textiles in question may become new garments, but for the most part they remain, well, fabrics. - 6 years ago
Hospitals Share Successes, Challenges from Pilot Healthcare Plastics Recycling Program
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / On Monday, the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) announced the completion of a multi-hospital plastics recycling project in Chicago, collaborating with the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS). Focused on non-infectious plastic packaging and products collected from clinical areas of the hospitals, the project sought to demonstrate a viable business model for recycling healthcare plastics on a regional level. - 6 years ago
IKEA to Invest Over €3B to Ensure Stable Supply of Sustainable Materials
Product, Service & Design Innovation / As companies and governments around the world are working to meet climate goals set out by the Paris Agreement, the IKEA Group’s 2016 Sustainability Report shows considerable progress towards its People & Planet Positive strategy and continued long-term investments in sustainability. - 6 years ago
Patagonia Challenges Businesses to Eschew Lax Textile Standards, Support Regenerative Agriculture
Supply Chain / Purpose-driven US outdoor clothing giant Patagonia is calling for business leaders to back regenerative organic agriculture, claiming that certain textile standards are “not going far enough.” - 6 years ago
Trending: European Packaging Solutions Continue to Drive a Circular Economy
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Ambitions of a circular economy continue to drive decisions around Europe as more circular packaging solutions emerge as a prominent piece to the puzzle. - 6 years ago
C40 Pledges End to Diesel, Partners with J&J to Link Urban Air Quality to Human Health
Collaboration / At the recent C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City, the City – along with Paris, Madrid and Athens - pledged to remove all diesel vehicles by 2025, as part of an effort by mayors to improve the quality of air for citizens. The pledge also includes a plan to incentivize alternative vehicles and promote walking and cycling infrastructure, helping to deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement. - 6 years ago
'Incorporated' Portrays Business in a World Ravaged by Climate Change
Organizational Change / Last week saw the premiere of “Incorporated,” a dystopian Syfy series produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. - 6 years ago
Cross-Party Group of MPs Launches Campaign to Divest Pension Funds from Fossil Fuels
Leadership / A cross-party group of British MPs has launched the ‘Divest Parliament’ campaign, with the help of environmental group 350.org. ‘Divest Parliament’ aims for greater transparency on the Parliamentary Pension Fund’s £589 million investments and demanding a commitment to divest from fossil fuels to tackle climate change. - 6 years ago
Shell Considering Linking Executive Bonuses to GHG Emissions Management
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Coming off a string of apparent strides toward recognizing the benefits of sustainability – including ratifying a shareholder resolution that commits the company to investing in a low-carbon future, earning a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) earlier this year, launching an online tool for low-carbon startups to access financing, and last month - 6 years ago
Carbon Trust Launches Zero-Waste-to-Landfill Certification
Waste Not / As businesses around the world continue to innovate closed-loop solutions and other initiatives to eliminate waste throughout their operations, The Carbon Trust will now be able to audit those efforts through its new standard for Zero Waste to Landfill. - 6 years ago
Trending: Finally, End-of-Life Solutions for Two of Our Least Recyclable Products
Waste Not / As the ongoing effort to mitigate climate change leads many businesses and governments to create a circular economy, we still face a number of roadblocks – namely in the end of life of certain products that weren’t designed for reuse, recycling or safe disposal. But two initiatives announced this week could represent progress. - 6 years ago
Organic Standards Board Cracking Down on Next-Generation GMOs
Marketing and Comms / The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted unanimously to update U.S. organic standards to exclude ingredients derived from next-generation genetic engineering and gene editing. - 6 years ago
Barry Callebaut Targets 100% Sustainable Chocolate by 2025
Supply Chain / B2B chocolate giant Barry Callebaut has pledged to lead the charge to 100 percent cocoa and chocolate sustainability by 2025. This week, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products launched “Forever Chocolate,”a comprehensive sustainability strategy with four main goals that address the key sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain, namely to: - 6 years ago
Trending: Business, Other Countries Still Plowing Forward on Renewables
Leadership / Despite uncertainty as to whether the U.S. will continue to play a part in global renewable energy adoption and fossil fuel reduction, business and other countries’ governments continue to ride the wave of commitments that have arisen from COP22 last month. - 6 years ago
Diageo Unveils VR Experience That Reminds Holiday Drinkers to Make Better Driving ‘Decisions’
Behavior Change / Alcohol and spirits giant Diageo has unveiled “Decisions,” a first-of-its-kind virtual reality (VR) experience that puts consumers of legal drinking age in the middle of a fatal drunk driving crash. This launch is Diego’s latest effort to educate and meaningfully impact consumers about the importance of responsible decision-making when drinking. - 6 years ago
Trending: BioSteel, Self-Healing Protective Fabrics Among Latest Innovations Revolutionizing Textiles
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Hot on the heels of its release earlier this month of the world’s first football and running performance products made from upcycled marine plastic waste, adidas continues its journey toward revolutionizing materials with the unveiling of the world’s first performance shoe made using Biosteel® fiber – a synthetic version of spider silk. - 6 years ago
Trending: New Technologies Aiming to Turn the Tide on Home, Business Food Waste
Product, Service & Design Innovation / As we head into the most gluttonous week of the year here in the U.S., it’s helpful to be reminded that companies large and small continue to churn out new technologies in the ongoing war against food waste – both at the business and consumer level. - 6 years ago
WRAP Advises Electronics Shoppers to Keep Calm and Be 'SMART' This Black Friday
Behavior Change / As retailers and shoppers gear up for another “highly charged” Black Friday, UK anti-waste advocacy organization WRAP has provided a ‘SMART’ guide for buying electronic products. Each year the UK buys 1.4 million tonnes (or £21 billion worth) of electrical and electronic products; WRAP estimates that consumers discard a similar amount. The SMART guidelines are designed to help consumers keep calm, buy smarter, and avoid unnecessary waste of devices and their components. - 6 years ago