Latest News

Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
Lego Group Investing $150M in R&D for Sustainable Materials
Lego Group Investing $150M in R&D for Sustainable Materials
Published on June 17, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 4 minute read

This week, LEGO Group announced an investment of 1 billion Danish Kroner (~US$152 million) in the research, development and implementation of sustainable raw materials to manufacture LEGO® toys and packaging materials. Read More...

Circular Economy
The Ocean Cleanup Sets Course for World’s Largest Landfill — On Water
The Ocean Cleanup Sets Course for World’s Largest Landfill — On Water
Published on June 8, 2015
Written by Mike Hower
About a 4 minute read

The largest landfill in the world can’t be found on land at all — but in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The so-called “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” consists of millions of pounds of trash, mostly plastic, which have created an oceanic desert where only tiny phytoplankton can survive. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
#SB15SD: How to Inform Supply Chain Engagement Strategy with the Latest Data
#SB15SD: How to Inform Supply Chain Engagement Strategy with the Latest Data
Published on June 5, 2015
Written by Linda Peia
About a 2 minute read

With nearly 500 eco-labels in 200 countries and across 25 industry sectors, it is easy for both consumers and producers to get confused. A Thursday morning panel at SB ’15 San Diego featuring Sheila Bonini, CEO of The Sustainability Consortium (TSC), and Adam Gordon, Supply Chain Account Manager at CDP, shared two innovative ways of addressing that challenge. Read More...

Circular EconomyCircular Economy
AB InBev Reportedly Most Water-Efficient Brewer in the World
AB InBev Reportedly Most Water-Efficient Brewer in the World
Published on June 5, 2015
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

Anheuser-Busch InBev today announced it achieved a water use ratio of 3.2 hectoliters per hectoliter of production from 2013 to 2014, which the company says makes it the most water-efficient brewer in the world.This resulted in saving the equivalent of the amount of water it takes to make more than 4 billion cans of beers.In addition to the work done within its brewery walls, the company says it also engages in a comprehensive water stewardship program, including watershed protection measures in brewery communities facing water stress and working with barley growers to obtain the most "crop per drop." The efforts aim to improve the quality and quantity of available water for all users. Read More...

Finance & InvestmentCollaboration & Co-Creation
How New Engagement Tools Are Making Carbon Offsets More Accessible for Business
How New Engagement Tools Are Making Carbon Offsets More Accessible for Business
Published on June 4, 2015
Written by Candice McLeod
About a 2 minute read

Given the packed room for Wednesday afternoon’s panel discussing carbon offsetting, it’s evident that as organizations become increasingly aware of their environmental risks, carbon management has become a critical tool. Read More...

10 Critical Corporate Sustainability Trends to Watch in 2015 and Beyond
10 Critical Corporate Sustainability Trends to Watch in 2015 and Beyond
Published on May 11, 2015
Written by Dimitar Vlahov
About a 9 minute read

If the global business community is to thrive in the long term — and carry us to that flourishing future we are trying to imagine and help build — it needs to continue to scale up the ambition and influence of its efforts. That’s much easier said than done, of course, though we are seeing a number of encouraging trends within the Sustainable Brands community that, while still nascent, are promising to deliver a lot of value for years to come. Here is a list of 10 such trends that are top of mind for our team at the moment: Read More...

Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Purdue Students Develop Device That Harnesses Energy from Nuclear Waste
Purdue Students Develop Device That Harnesses Energy from Nuclear Waste
Published on May 5, 2015
Written by Caitlin Kauffman
About a 4 minute read

Three Purdue students and a graduate have launched a startup called Atlas Energy Systems, that has found a way to turn nuclear waste into its own source of energy, according to The Purdue Exponent. The project that started in an apartment as a prototype held together with Scotch tape has gone on to win the Indiana Clean Energy Challenge. Read More...

Supply Chain
Two Years On, How Are Global Fashion Supply Chains Changing in the Wake of Rana Plaza?
Two Years On, How Are Global Fashion Supply Chains Changing in the Wake of Rana Plaza?
Published on April 24, 2015
Written by Ieva Vilimaviciute
About a 3 minute read

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. It also marks the second Fashion Revolution Day, launched last year to commemorate the Rana Plaza disaster with the aims of encouraging greater collaboration across the fashion sector supply chain. Read More...

Supply ChainMarketing & Communications
Fashionistas Around the World to Demand Industry Clean Up Its Act on Fashion Revolution Day 2015
Fashionistas Around the World to Demand Industry Clean Up Its Act on Fashion Revolution Day 2015
Published on April 23, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 4 minute read

On Friday, the second annual Fashion Revolution Day, people in 66 countries around the world will challenge global fashion brands to demonstrate commitment to transparency across the length of the value chain, from farmers to factory workers, brands to buyers and consumers.One in six people work in the global fashion supply chain. It is the most labor-dependent industry on the planet, yet the people who make our clothes are hidden from us, often at their own expense, a symptom of the broken links across the fashion industry. Read More...

Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Successful Stakeholder Engagement 101 (or How Prince Ea Is Rallying Millions to #StandForTrees)
Successful Stakeholder Engagement 101 (or How Prince Ea Is Rallying Millions to #StandForTrees)
Published on April 22, 2015
Written by Jennifer Elks
About a 8 minute read

For those of us in the sustainability field, stakeholder engagement that leads to action is the Holy Grail for creating the change needed for a healthy world and future. Read More...

Innovation & Technology
adidas Partners to Help End Ocean Destruction, Releases Sustainability Progress Report
adidas Partners to Help End Ocean Destruction, Releases Sustainability Progress Report
Published on April 20, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 4 minute read

Today, the adidas Group announced a partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the beauty and fragility of the oceans and to collaborating on projects that can end their destruction. Together, the organizations will implement a long-term program that builds on three pillars: communication and education; research and innovation; and direct actions against ocean plastic pollution. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyCircular Economy
’10 Million Better’ Campaign Rallying Travel, Tourism Industries Around Protecting Destinations, Communities
’10 Million Better’ Campaign Rallying Travel, Tourism Industries Around Protecting Destinations, Communities
Published on April 14, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 5 minute read

At the World Travel & Tourism Council 2015 Global Summit in Madrid today, Sustainable Travel International (STI) unveiled an industry-wide campaign, entitled “10 Million Better,” to monitor and scale up social and environmental benefits from travel and tourism.The 10-year initiative convenes leading tourism corporations, organizations and destinations around the globe with the goal of tracking and demonstrating improvements in the lives of at least 10 million people and their families by 2025. Improvements to be monitored include growth of income and opportunity, and better protection of destinations’ natural, cultural and heritage sites. Read More...

Organizational GovernanceOrganizational Governance
JetBlue Once Again to Offset Carbon Emissions For All Flights During Earth Month
JetBlue Once Again to Offset Carbon Emissions For All Flights During Earth Month
Published on April 10, 2015
Written by Caitlin Kauffman
About a 4 minute read

This week, JetBlue Airways announced it is once again partnering with the Carbonfund.org Foundation to offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (CO2e) generated by all scheduled flights from April 1 to April 30, in honor of Earth Month. Now in its eighth year, this partnership has allowed travelers to offset part of the carbon footprint from their flights by making a donation to support carbon-reduction projects. To date, JetBlue says it has purchased offsets totaling more than 350 million pounds (158,000 metric tons) of CO2 and CO2e emissions. Read More...

Consumer Behavior Change
REI, National Parks Encouraging People to #FindYourPark and Truly Experience the Great Outdoors
REI, National Parks Encouraging People to #FindYourPark and Truly Experience the Great Outdoors
Published on April 1, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 4 minute read

REI has announced its support of the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 through a multi-year, multimillion-dollar partnership with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. The partnership kicks off this week with the launch of Find Your Park, a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service and setting the stage for the next 100 years. Read More...

Supply Chain
Discovery of 'Heat-Beater Beans' Could Safeguard Vital Crop from Climate Change
Discovery of 'Heat-Beater Beans' Could Safeguard Vital Crop from Climate Change
Published on March 31, 2015
Written by Sustainable Brands
About a 6 minute read

As the effects of climate change on our global ecosystems continue to reveal themselves, fears are growing that it could threaten food security, particularly a vital source of protein that has sustained humans for centuries. Luckily, bean breeders at the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global food research consortium, have announced the discovery of 30 new lines of “heat-beater” beans that could keep production from crashing in large swaths of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa. Read More...

New MetricsOrganizational Governance
SAP: Increased Employee Engagement Helping Bottom Line
SAP: Increased Employee Engagement Helping Bottom Line
Published on March 23, 2015
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

German software company SAP’s operating profit improves EUR35 million ($38 million) to EUR45 million ($49 million) when its employee engagement index rises one percentage point, according to the company’s 2014 integrated report.The financial impact of a higher employee engagement index results, among other things, from the fact that dedicated employees are more innovative and absent from work fewer days. Likewise, because they are more loyal to the company, there is less missed revenue and less recruiting and training costs traditionally associated with higher turnover rates. Read More...

New Metrics
What Makes a Board Fit for the Future?
What Makes a Board Fit for the Future?
Published on March 9, 2015
Written by Geoff Kendall
About a 4 minute read

Any regular follower of SB knows that most companies must transform their business models if they are to start helping - rather than hindering - society's transition to a sustainable future; and this year will only see expectations grow, with the launch of the SDGs. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
Beyond Incremental: Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan Takes Innovation to Scale
Beyond Incremental: Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan Takes Innovation to Scale
Published on February 25, 2015
Written by Malaika Thorne
About a 10 minute read

Once companies tackle the low-hanging fruit of operational improvement — carbon footprints, energy-efficiency retrofits and waste reduction — they are ready to address deeper sustainability challenges. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
Kuli Kuli Shines Through in Crowded ‘Superfood’ Market
Kuli Kuli Shines Through in Crowded ‘Superfood’ Market
Published on February 20, 2015
Written by Mike Hower
About a 4 minute read

The Oakland-based social enterprise sources its key ingredient, moringa, from women’s cooperatives in West Africa in an effort to help those communities move away from dependency on food aid and towards nutritional and economic self-sufficiency. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyCircular Economy
tonlé's Creative Approach Showing Fashion Industry How Zero Waste Is Really Done
tonlé's Creative Approach Showing Fashion Industry How Zero Waste Is Really Done
Published on February 18, 2015
Written by Hannah Ritchie
About a 9 minute read

Cambodian fashion brand tonlé is revolutionizing the textile industry not only with its ethical business model, but also a creative approach to zero-waste. Read More...

Upcoming Events

June 8-10, 2026
SB'26 San Diego
US Event
February 18-19, 2026
SB'26 Tokyo
US Event
See All Events >