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Marketing & CommunicationsMarketing & Communications
Report: CSR No Longer Optional, Now a Reputational Imperative
Report: CSR No Longer Optional, Now a Reputational Imperative
Published on May 24, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

Consumers now expect companies to be an active participant — if not a driving force — in solving the most pressing social and environmental issues, according to the 2013 Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study. Read More...

New Metrics
What I Learned About Sustainability At REI, Part 2: Metrics Over Intuition
What I Learned About Sustainability At REI, Part 2: Metrics Over Intuition
Published on May 20, 2013
Written by Kevin Hagen
About a 3 minute read

This is the second in a series of posts on things I learned while leading Corporate Social Responsibility at REI for the past seven years (read part one). Read More...

Materials & Packaging
Bridgestone Americas and Yulex Develop Renewable Alternative to Rubber
Bridgestone Americas and Yulex Develop Renewable Alternative to Rubber
Published on May 14, 2013
Written by Brady Hamed
About a 1 minute read

A little-known perennial shrub called guayule (pronounced why-u-lee), native to the Southwestern United States, has been tapped as a potential alternative natural source for rubber by Bridgestone Americas and agricultural-based biomaterials company, Yulex. Read More...

Materials & Packaging
BASF Licenses Genomatica Process for Creating BDO from Renewable Feedstock
BASF Licenses Genomatica Process for Creating BDO from Renewable Feedstock
Published on May 10, 2013
Written by Brady Hamed
About a 2 minute read

Chemical technology company Genomatica has announced a new partnership with BASF. The chemical giant has licensed Genomatica’s patented new manufacturing process for a renewable form of the organic compound 1,4-butanediol, more commonly known as BDO.BDO and its many derivatives are used for the production of plastics, solvents, electronic chemicals and elastic fibers. Read More...

Materials & PackagingMaterials & Packaging
Dell's Cube, Content, Curb Approach to Packaging
Dell's Cube, Content, Curb Approach to Packaging
Published on May 7, 2013
Written by Oliver Campbell
About a 4 minute read

If you’re a long-time Dell customer, you’ve probably noticed that our packaging looks far different than it did just a few years ago. It’s smaller, easier to recycle, and may even contain some materials you’re more likely to associate with your garden than your computer. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologySupply Chain
Startup Crowdfunding to Sell Superfood Bars in US to Aid West African Farmers
Startup Crowdfunding to Sell Superfood Bars in US to Aid West African Farmers
Published on May 2, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

Oakland-based social enterprise Kuli Kuli is launching an Indiegogo campaign to leverage its “superfood” nutrition bar to help alleviate poverty in West Africa.Kuli Kuli Bars are gluten-free, raw and made with just a few simple all-natural ingredients, the company says. The bars also are low in calories but contain high amounts of fiber, protein and vitamins. The bars are made from moringa oleifera, a tree that has been widely documented for its vast nutritional properties and ability to grow in poor soil with little water. Read More...

Innovation & Technology
Global Fresh Foods Technology Enables International Salmon Shipment by Sea
Global Fresh Foods Technology Enables International Salmon Shipment by Sea
Published on April 4, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

Global Fresh Foods, which specializes in extending the shelf life of fresh food, recently announced it has begun using its technology to ship fresh salmon from Chile by sea to the west coast of the U.S. without using ice, environmentally harmful polystyrene foam packaging or expensive carbon emissions-heavy air freight. Read More...

Innovation & TechnologyInnovation & Technology
Australian Social Enterprise Partners with WaterAid To Wipe Away Disease in Africa
Australian Social Enterprise Partners with WaterAid To Wipe Away Disease in Africa
Published on April 3, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

To prepare for this year's SB Innovation Open, we're catching up with some of our favorite entrepreneurial ventures from competitions past ... Read More...

Organizational Governance
Report: Employee Engagement Key to Successful Sustainability Program
Report: Employee Engagement Key to Successful Sustainability Program
Published on April 1, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

A recent report released by financial services firm Jones Lang LaSalle claims companies that implement successful sustainability initiatives solicit employee participation and recommends organizing the engagement process into three phas Read More...

Circular EconomyCollaboration & Co-Creation
Chevron, Shell Join Environmentalists To Regulate Fracking Standards
Chevron, Shell Join Environmentalists To Regulate Fracking Standards
Published on March 22, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

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. Read More...

Organizational Governance
Despite Climate-Related Damages, Insurers Lack Strategies
Despite Climate-Related Damages, Insurers Lack Strategies
Published on March 11, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 2 minute read

Only one out of eight insurers said they have in-depth climate change strategies, according to a recent survey by investor advocacy group Ceres. Read More...

Circular Economy
AB InBev’s Environmental Efforts Generate $420 Million in Revenue
AB InBev’s Environmental Efforts Generate $420 Million in Revenue
Published on March 6, 2013
Written by Mike Hower
About a 1 minute read

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. Read More...

New MetricsCircular Economy
Shell’s ‘New Lens Scenarios’ Predict Near-Zero Global Carbon Emissions by 2100
Shell’s ‘New Lens Scenarios’ Predict Near-Zero Global Carbon Emissions by 2100
Published on March 5, 2013
Written by Jennifer Elks
About a 3 minute read

Shell released new scenarios last week that explore two possible futures with dramatically different implications for society and the world’s energy system. One scenario sees cleaner-burning natural gas becoming the most important energy source globally by the 2030s and early action to limit carbon dioxide emissions. The other sees solar becoming the top source by about 2070, but with slower action to address the threat of climate change.The New Lens Scenarios look at trends in the economy, politics and energy as far ahead as 2100, and underscore the critical role government policies could play in shaping the future. Read More...

Organizational Governance
Guayakí Pioneers Market-Driven Restoration Business Model
Guayakí Pioneers Market-Driven Restoration Business Model
Published on January 14, 2013
Written by Melinda Cheel
About a 4 minute read

“We had this incredible product — yerba mate — that gives you the strength of coffee, the health benefits of green tea and the euphoria of chocolate. Read More...

New Metrics
GRI’s G4 Exposure Draft Undermines Sustainable Global Economy
GRI’s G4 Exposure Draft Undermines Sustainable Global Economy
Published on July 9, 2012
Written by Mark McElroy and Bill Baue
About a 5 minute read

We’re scratching our heads over the Global Reporting Initiative’s recent release of the Exposure Draft of its fourth generation of Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (dubbed “G4”). Read More...

New Metrics
GRI and Sustainability Context: Explain It Like We’re Four
GRI and Sustainability Context: Explain It Like We’re Four
Published on March 19, 2012
Written by Mark McElroy and Bill Baue
About a 8 minute read

“Now, explain it to me like I’m a four year old,” says Denzel Washington to Tom Hanks in the 1993 film Philadelphia. We pose this same question to the Global Reporting Initiative, the standard-setter for sustainability reporting. Read More...

Organizational GovernanceOrganizational Governance
A Vision of Real Corporate Leadership on Sustainability
A Vision of Real Corporate Leadership on Sustainability
Published on January 16, 2012
Written by Andrew Winston
About a 5 minute read

The basics of sustainability excellence are fairly well known by now: reduce your footprint, create products and services that help customers do the same, drive employee engagement, think value chain, track data and enable transparency, and on and on. But real leaders will go further and address the scale of the sustainability challenges we face by fundamentally remaking their Read More...

Consumer Behavior Change
Evolving Mobile Apps May Replace Eco-Labels
Evolving Mobile Apps May Replace Eco-Labels
Published on January 9, 2012
Written by Bart King
About a 3 minute read

Advances in mobile technology could do away with some eco-labels as an increasing number of consumer products are given smart barcodes, says consultant group Organic Monitor. Read More...

New Metrics
Are Materiality Matrices Really Material?
Are Materiality Matrices Really Material?
Published on December 1, 2011
Written by Mark McElroy
About a 5 minute read

While it is common practice now for corporate sustainability reports to include materiality matrices, whether or not they actually serve their purpose is debatable. Indeed, we (the Center for Sustainable Organizations) don't think they do, and have some suggestions for how to improve them. Read More...

New Metrics
GRI Responds to "Enforce or Explain"
GRI Responds to "Enforce or Explain"
Published on October 17, 2011
Written by Mark McElroy
About a 5 minute read

GRI has now formally responded to the Enforce or Explain campaign we (the Center for Sustainable Organizations) launched last month in which we suggested that it either enforce the ‘sustainability context’ principle in its Guidelines, or explain why it doesn’t. Motivated, in part, by GRI’s own Report or Explain Campaign, in which GRI exhorts businesses around the world to issue sustainability reports or explain why they don’t, our campaign was aimed at GRI itself. Read More...

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