MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS - The political unrest seems to be good for advertising with a conscience, as this year’s Super Bowl saw the highest number of Goodvertising campaigns ever.
REGULATION & PUBLIC POLICY - President Donald Trump issued two executive orders last week geared at scaling back or replacing financial regulations that he deems a burden to commerce and growth. The move signals a big win for Wall Street —whose elite are up for top spots in Trump’s cabinet — and comes at the expense of the working class. It exposes investors and the average American to a less-regulated landscape reminiscent of the pre-financial crisis era — and the risks that go along with it.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - Tech startup Intuition Robotics has unveiled an artificial intelligence-based robot companion designed to improve the quality of life of the elderly populations.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - There are about 3 trillion trees left on earth, or roughly 400 trees per person. Seems like a lot, but what if we told you that since the advent of human civilisation, half of all trees have been cut down, or that 15 billion trees are lost each year?
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - 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
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - I’ve yet to meet a corporate CSO or sustainability team member who told me that they really look forward to filling in their annual sustainability questionnaires. In fact, the opposite is almost unanimously true. It’s not that questionnaires don’t have their place per se; they absolutely do. But it seems like every new framework comes with yet another set of (different) questions, requiring participants to input sensitive company information into a ‘black box’ mechanism in order to get a single number or rating in return.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS - Moving the needle on consumer behavior remains a monumental task - but a necessary one if we are to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With household consumption accounting for nearly 70 percent of economic activity in the United States, consumers’ choices can make a real difference. At the same time, consumers are faced with so many decisions in their day-to-day lives that “decision fatigue” is commonplace. We cannot expect consumers to weigh the environmental and social implications of each of their actions and purchases.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - Today, sportswear leader adidas and environmental organization Parley for the Oceans unveiled the first football and running performance products made from upcycled marine plastic waste, recovered via Parley’s interception and cleanup operations in coastal areas of the Maldives.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING - The latest textile innovations include a new TENCEL® made from cotton fabric waste, recently picked up by Patagonia, and a research breakthrough that could lead to ‘tarantula blue’ textiles.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY - In the midst of talks on “marketing,” “driving business forward” and “creating competitive advantages” this week at SB’16 Copenhagen, Sirikul “Nui” Laukaikul - founder of the Brandbeing Consultant and representing the Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation (TSDF) - started her talk with a simple ask: “Smile.”
MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Renewable diesel and materials producer Neste and spoken word artist Prince Ea have unveiled the latest collaboration in their Pre-order the Future project, this time with a film that focuses on the future of learning. In “The People vs.
NEW METRICS - “I think we have to be challenging to each other. If we look at the state of the planet, and we look at the performance of business, there’s something not working there.” Chris Davis, The Body Shop’s international CSR and campaigns director, isn’t afraid to cut to the chase. The company’s Enrich not Exploit commitment, launched earlier this year, is a quest to deliver what Davis calls “true sustainability” – in simple terms, it means putting the needs of the planet before corporate interests.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE - It’s that time of year again: S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) and Sustainability Investing specialist RobecoSAM have announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - Meet two racers who share a need to push the envelope - whether the subject is figuring out how to go a few millimeters per second faster than before or preserving endangered species.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - Carpet might not seem like a major player in the climate change fight, but the process of making it actually is quite impactful on the environment. Most carpets are synthetic — nylon, polyester, acrylic — all of which are petroleum-based products. Throw in other petroleum-based adhesives and materials used to back the synthetic fibers, chemical dyes to repel stains and fire, and a lack of reliable recycling methods, and you’ve got a recipe for some unsustainable practices.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY - One of the biggest trends in business for years has been the paperless office. Many brands have taken the digital or paperless office to extremes; social media platform Buffer, for example, does not have a central office, relying on its employees to produce remotely. While this model is great for sustainability purposes, it isn’t ideal for larger organizations. However, that doesn’t mean that a brand the size of Amazon isn’t capable of going paperless. The conversion simply has to happen differently.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY - Both the Biomimicry Institute and Net Impact launched food-focused competitions earlier this year, seeking innovative ideas for new products or services. This week, the winners of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge and Forward Food Competition were announced.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE - “Failure is temporary but change is real,” said Sophia Mendelsohn, head of Sustainability at JetBlue Airways, during the Wednesday evening plenary at SB'16 San Diego. While many Silicon Valley tech firms wear failure as badges of honor, many brands shy away from admitting their defeats. But this is beginning to change, as companies learn that confessing and even celebrating failure is is key to building sustainability strategies and purpose-driven innovation. “We need to communicate more about our failures,” said Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer at Keurig Green Mountain. However, this is easier said than done.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS - The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) has demonstrated the power of harnessing brand affinity and the growing awareness of ethical choice. Three recent and inspiring examples in Spain, Italy and Germany illustrate their success in fostering both individual and collective action in each of these markets.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY - Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is transforming both consumers’ shopping carts and companies’ supply chains by allowing intelligent barcodes to talk to a networked system that tracks products from Point A to Point Z. A technology once limited to tracking cattle, RFID tags are now tracking consumer products worldwide. Many manufacturers use the tags to monitor the location of each product they make from the time it's made until it's pulled off the shelf and tossed in a shopping cart.