Latest News
Is Your Brand RAD? Partnering with the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program
WASTE NOT - In 2012, EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program celebrated six years and 50 partners. EPA launched the RAD program in 2006 as a voluntary partnership program to help protect the ozone layer and climate system. In its first year, RAD partnered with nine utilities.
Coke, Sainsbury’s Among First To Achieve Carbon Trust Water Standard
SUPPLY CHAIN - Water scarcity has been recognized by the United Nations as one of the most pressing problems facing the 21st-century world. Although 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is water, nearly 1.2 billion people, or one-fifth of the human race, live in areas of physical water scarcity, and another 1.6 billion face economic water shortages.
Sonoco Lightens Materials Load with Cradle-to-Cradle Approach to Packaging
WASTE NOT - Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has always prided itself on ‘closing the loop.’ Our company began recycling in the 1920s, before recycling was even a buzzword. Today, we successfully offer a full range of services from creation to reclamation that separates Sonoco from its packaging peers.
FlashFood Mobile App Diverts Restaurant Food Waste To Feed the Hungry
WASTE NOT - The statistics are staggering: One in five children goes to bed hungry every night in America, while 40 percent of food in this country is sent to the landfill, according to a recent report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. There is an immediate solution to redirecting this excess wasted food to families in need, but fear is choking the supply chain.
Paper Supplier Suspends Forest Clearance After Losing Disney, Levi’s
BEHAVIOR CHANGE - In response to its recent abandonment by nearly 100 international corporate customers, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has announced an immediate end to the clearing of natural forest across its entire supply chain in Indonesia. Disney, Levi’s and Mattel were among some of the major brands to jump ship after years of criticism over the paper company’s role in harming Indonesia’s endangered rainforests and communities.
Communicating Sustainability: How Do We Go From Talking to the Wall to Preaching to the Choir?
MARKETING AND COMMS - Calling all innovators and creatives! During April 2013, Sustainable Brands will be publishing a new “Issues in Focus” editorial package highlighting the most effective and engaging examples of sustainability communications.
By-Product Synergy Networks Offer Zero-Waste Solutions for Businesses, Cities Worldwide
WASTE NOT - By-product synergy (BPS), a process that turns one company’s waste into valuable raw materials for another, offers an innovative, collaborative way to divert waste from landfills, cut costs and improve the environment.
Curtis Packaging Partners with NativeEnergy to Bring Clean Water to Rural Kenya
PRESS RELEASE - 2013 carbon offset project to prevent deforestation and carbon emissions from wood burning by providing water filtration systems
Solar Panels and Schoolyard Chickens: A Net-Positive Campus
WASTE NOT - This post first appeared on GOOD on January 22, 2013.
Strong, Flexible Leadership Drives Sustainability at Caesars Entertainment
LEADERSHIP - Amidst the wanton extravagance of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Entertainment is making notable strides in reducing its environmental impact. Estimates find that for every $10 million in revenue earned, Caesars produces fewer than 1,300 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which monetize at less than $28,000 in environment costs (compared to an average 3,800 metric tons for S&P 500 companies, which monetize at over $80,000 in environmental costs).
PUMA Introduces C2C-Certified, Recyclable Track Jacket, Backpack as Part of InCycle Collection
WASTE NOT - Did you know that 31 waste-disposal trucks are needed to clear the waste that 100,000 pairs of conventional sneakers create during the production process and consumer life (until their owners throw them away and they end up in landfills or incinerators)?
Solazyme and Mitsui Enter into Multi-Year Agreement to Jointly Develop a New Suite of Tailored Algal Oils
PRESS RELEASE - New suite of sustainable, highly functional oils brings significant breakthroughs to the oleochemicals and functional fluids industries
Dell Reconnect: Turning E-Waste into a Community Resource
WASTE NOT - Irresponsible destruction of electronic waste can be a nasty business. Dell recognized many years ago that our customers wanted a convenient, safe and secure program for disposing their used electronics. We also recognized that our responsibility to our communities and the environment extends beyond simply building a product with the Dell name on it.
Consumers More Likely To Trust Peers, Experts Than Companies, Edelman Says
LEADERSHIP - Fewer than 20 percent of consumers believe business leaders tell the truth when confronted with difficult issues, and they are twice as likely to trust academics, technical experts or even their peers, according to the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer.This may come as no surprise following several high-profile scandals in 2012 involving CEOs and government officials, including former McKinsey managing partner Rajat Gupta, Chinese government official Bo Xilai and Lance Armstrong, former chairman of the Livestrong Foundation.
Sears Automotive on Its Way to Zero Waste with Multiple Recycling, Recovery, Reuse Programs
WASTE NOT - Sears Holdings Corporation (SHC), which operates over 2,600 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada under the Sears and Kmart brand formats, is taking significant steps to reduce its waste stream in specific areas of its enterprise. The company’s commitment is reflected in its participation in the EPA’s WasteWise program, which started in 2010.
How Are Circular Economic Models Driving Innovation and Social Good?
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Calling all innovators and implementers! In March 2013, Sustainable Brands will launch a new “Issues in Focus” editorial package, including daily features, interviews and case studies on the circular economy as a driver of business model innovation and social good.The Issue in FocusYou can't get a soy latte these days without hearing the words collaborative consumption, the circular economy, crade-to-cradle or the sharing economy. But how are these quasi-utopian concepts becoming real? What implications could they have for the future of business and the economy?
UK Retailer John Lewis Closing Loop on Plastic Waste
WASTE NOT - This post first appeared on 2degrees on January 21, 2013.The John Lewis Partnership has committed to developing a 'closed loop' waste plastics strategy in what is claimed to be a first for a UK retailer.
Dell named as a top company for executive women
PRESS RELEASE - By Lisa Mink, executive director of global diversity and inclusion, Dell I’m thrilled to announce that Dell has made its debut among the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives, which recognizes U.S. companies for commitment to female leadership.
Kendall-Jackson Goes Green with Renewable Energy Purchase
PRESS RELEASE - January 25, 2013 - The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced Wednesday that Kendall-Jackson and parent company Jackson Family Wines, based in Santa Rosa, CA, have joined Green-e® Marketplace after purchasing 36,000 megawatt-hours of Green‑e Energy-Certified renewable energy certificates from NativeEnergy.
Oregon's New '2050 Vision' Plan Goes Beyond Managing Waste to Managing Materials
WASTE NOT - In December 2012, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, which is the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) policy and rulemaking board, voted unanimously to adopt Materials Management in Oregon: 2050 Vision and Framework for Action.
