PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - New research commissioned by The People Who Share shows that 65% of adults in the UK are already part of the sharing economy, and a further 28% would consider taking part, if they don’t already. Conducted by Opinium, The State of the Sharing Economy polled 2,005 adults in the UK to demonstrate the growing consumer appetite for the sharing economy, just in time for Global Sharing Day 2013 on Sunday, June 2nd.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Nick Miller is the CEO of Parking Panda — a service that enables parking space owners (both individuals and commercial lots) to capitalize on underutilized parking spaces by renting them to a community of drivers. On the flip side, drivers can save time and money by reserving a spot in advance and paying online.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Today there are three ways to ship wine in the mail: cardboard, molded pulp or expanded polystyrene (EPS). Pfeiffer Lab, a Bay Area design firm, has been working on a design strategy project to re-envision wine packaging using new bio-based materials developed by Malama C
MARKETING AND COMMS - A recent study by BBMG, GlobeScan and SustainAbility claims social sources such as consumer reviews, blogs and message boards as well as friends, family and co-workers now rival traditional sources such as certifications and media reports as consumers’ most trusted sources for determining whether a product is socially and environmentally responsible.
SUPPLY CHAIN - Socially conscious Nestlé® Crunch® lovers can soon enjoy their favorite chocolate bar even more. At the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago today, Nestlé USA announced that it will source 100% certified, Nestlé Cocoa Plan cocoa beans for the entire line of Nestlé Crunch bars.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Companies crowdsourcing their sustainability strategies is a growing trend, and I was lucky enough to experience this first-hand last month, through a Unilever Sustainable Living Lab session, as a guest speaker discussing sustainable packaging design (interest declared: they’re a Seymourpowell cl
PRESS RELEASE - SAN DIEGO -- As the first event organizer in North America to achieve conformity to the ISO 20121 Standard, environmental consulting firm Three Squares Inc. will deploy a comprehensive event sustainability management system for this year’s Sustainable Brands® Conference taking place June 3-6, 2013 in San Diego, California.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - The Greater Good Science Center, based at the University of California, Berkeley, has launched an online Compassionate Organizations Quiz, co-developed by CompassionLab and based on more than 10 years of research by CompassionLab and Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
PRESS RELEASE - Focus is on a recycling communication pilot program for cities
SUPPLY CHAIN - Fashion company Indigenous says some 75 percent of the artisans in its supply chain are no longer at risk of poverty and many have achieved milestones of financial security, with some even starting their own artisan workshops.
MARKETING AND COMMS - With transport now the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, sustainable travel can make a significant contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change.
LEADERSHIP - As a leader, at one point or another, you may have felt trapped by circumstance. Maybe you felt bound by red tape, frozen inside a political battle or constrained by the past. When all you can see are limitations, chances are you’re not able to lead anybody.So how can you lead when you feel trapped? How can you create your own path and step into a place of possibilities and promise?
MARKETING AND COMMS - At 2degrees, we’re all about engagement.
WASTE NOT - In a recent report from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), researchers determined that consumer attitudes and behaviors surrounding food packaging could help reduce household food waste.
PRESS RELEASE - SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2013 – Sustainable Brands® recently announced the twelve semi-finalists selected from over 100 entries received from across the globe to compete at the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) business plan competition.
SUPPLY CHAIN - LaborVoices has announced a new partnership with Walmart that will provide visibility into the retail giant's supply chain through real-time, anonymized worker feedback, to help Walmart ensure safe factory working conditions throughout its Bangladeshi supply chain.
WASTE NOT - Coca-Cola Enterprises, Unilever, AB InBev, Nestlé, and 45 other retailers, manufacturers and brands have all recommitted to a joint reduction of food and drink waste by 1.1 million metric tons by 2015.
SUPPLY CHAIN - The current controversy over supply chain practices of global corporations such as Disney, Walmart and Sears in Bangladesh reminded me of Nike’s past and its subsequent corporate sustainability evolution. Fifteen years ago, Nike underwent arguably more intense scrutiny and brutal attacks for its global supply chain management policies and priorities.
MARKETING AND COMMS - SAP is using its integrated sustainability and annual report to promote more deeply embedded sustainability in its operations, the software company’s chief sustainability officer, Dr.
MARKETING AND COMMS - This is the second in a multi-part series of posts that comprise Future 500 founder Bill Shireman's insightful essay, The Two Deficits, from the book Towards a New Agenda for America: