PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Cactus cookies, banana-peel snacks, wrinkled-pea pasta are contenders in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Challenge for companies to design new products — or redesign existing ones — using circular principles that help address climate change and regenerate nature.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Mired in short-termism, many investors and company bonus structures incentivize optimizing for cost and efficiency. The lesson from nature: Successful organizations stay within their own window of vitality by understanding and balancing the tension between efficiency and resilience.
MARKETING AND COMMS - “This puts the onus firmly on brands to properly educate consumers so that awareness and understanding of major climate-related terms are increased across the board.” — Paul Flatters, founder/CEO, Trajectory
PROTEIN PACT - Through its continuous-improvement initiative, the Protein PACT, the industry is on a mission to ensure meat is part of the climate conversation.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - “By detecting wildfires while they are still small, we stand a much better chance of stopping them before they cause too much damage — saving money, the environment and, ultimately, lives.” — Dryad Networks' Carsten Brinkschulte
SUPPLY CHAIN - By shortening supply chains, optimizing resource utilization and reducing waste, nearshoring enhances economic resilience and embodies a shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to manufacturing.
WALKING THE TALK - A new benchmark analysis of 12 of the largest US electric utility companies finds significant inconsistencies between utilities’ public climate commitments and their direct and indirect climate lobbying practices.
NEW METRICS - Pilot companies say the newfound understanding of their impacts and dependencies on nature is helping change mindsets internally regarding the urgency of meaningful action.
SUPPLY CHAIN - The two have partnered to help Stonyfield build out a program aligned with its science-based climate targets that empowers its farmers with actionable insights to bolster emission-reduction and carbon-sequestration efforts.
WALKING THE TALK - In the US, LEGO’s ‘Community Builders Challenge’ builds on Comic Relief US’s Red Nose Day in School program; while it brings its LEGO Replay brick take-back program to the UK.
MARKETING AND COMMS - Tracksmith’s brand purpose: To celebrate the competitive spirit that unites runners around the world and support dedicated runners at every stage of their journey.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE - Building a culture of sustainable living can only be achieved when brands and consumers align their efforts and take action together on the most impactful behaviors.
SUPPLY CHAIN - Abalobi's easily scalable app enables traceability previously unseen in small-scale fisheries and connects fishers directly with buyers — reducing dependency on middlemen, resulting in fairer prices and ethical produce for consumers.
WASTE NOT - Ford engineers are conducting trials on parts made from 40% olive tree fibers and 60% recycled plastic — which is heated and injection-molded into the shape of the selected part.
CLEANTECH - By recycling organics, producing renewable natural gas, and yielding nutrient-rich soil amendments, it exemplifies a harmonious relationship between environmental responsibility and economic growth.
THE NEXT ECONOMY - Food investors and entrepreneurs would do well to mark the major focus on plant-based protein innovation happening for our neighbors to the South.
BUSINESS CASE - Corporate Knights’ 20th annual ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations shows them tripling down on sustainability investments and reaping significant returns.
MARKETING AND COMMS - We caught up with TrusTrace co-founder and CEO Shameek Ghosh to discuss companies’ tendency to ‘greenhush’ to avoid scrutiny around sustainability and his advice for overwhelmed retailers.
WASTE NOT - With 'Speak Volumes,' we aim to draw awareness to overproduction and create a more just distribution of responsibility for fashion waste clean-up — which builds on our overall goal of promoting a shift towards a justice-led, circular fashion economy.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Assessing how products resonate with consumers and using those insights to refine them is a critical part of product development — and just one way that strategic insights add value for brands.