Latest News
The New Reuse Economy: What’s Working (and Not Working) on the Quest for a Packaging Waste-Free Future
WASTE NOT - While recycling and lightweighting packaging strategies are helpful, they still align more with a linear rather than circular economy. Here, Upstream CEO Matt Prindiville lays out his organization’s vision for a truly plastic waste-free future.
2 New Funds Show Companies, Investors Putting Money Where Their Mouths Are on Biodiversity Commitments
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - With a fresh spotlight on the critical role of biodiversity in the health of the planet, climate and economy, two ambitious new funds aim to mobilize millions in resources to scale on-the-ground, nature-preservation and -regeneration projects and nature-based climate solutions around the world.
Cocoa Will Never Be Sustainable Without Living Wages for Farmers; New Action Guide Helps Companies Get There
SUPPLY CHAIN - The VOICE Network’s Cocoa Barometer links the range of challenges facing cocoa-farming communities to pervasive poverty. The IDH’s new, free Living Wage Action Guide helps companies find the path to the best interventions for their situation.
Our Innate Psychology Is Fueling the Climate Crisis — Here’s How to Combat It
MARKETING AND COMMS - We can’t keep communicating about climate change in ways that feed our evolutionary prejudices and continue kicking the can down the road. We must outsmart our biases using strategic communication tactics so we can take action when it matters — which is now. Here are 3 ways to hack our brains for climate action.
Putting Recycling to Work for People, Communities and the Planet
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER - To create a truly circular ecosystem for plastics, we need scalable innovations to close the gap between what consumers can recycle now and which plastics might become a regular part of a future recycling system.
2022 Trends in Purpose and What They Mean for the Year Ahead
THE NEXT ECONOMY - This year, we saw companies double-down on purpose amidst a rise in consumer skepticism and politically motivated attacks on ESG. Below are six notable trends and what they might mean for 2023.
3 Predictions for Cellular Agriculture in 2023
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Due to the urgency of solving our most formidable climate- and health-related challenges, we regard decision-makers’ behavior vis-à-vis cellular agriculture — and cultivated food products, in particular — to be of some consequence when considering what lies in store for 2023.
Politics and Purpose: The US Consumer Response to Purpose-Driven Marketing Across the Political Spectrum
MARKETING AND COMMS - How does identifying with a certain political party, generation or minority group influence whether consumers think more highly or more disapprovingly of a brand taking on a cause? Here is what we learned.
Can Insuring Nature Encourage the Necessary Action to Protect It from Climate Risks?
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - COP15 again highlighted the importance of ensuring money moves in the right direction to bring about lasting environmental protection. One example is The Nature Conservancy’s recent purchase of a coral reef insurance policy to protect Hawai‘i’s marine environment from damage by hurricanes or tropical storms.
Stella McCartney to Pilot Mixed-Textile Recycling Venture
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Protein Evolution’s technology can turn unused polyester and nylon fabrics from Stella McCartney’s previous collections into good-as-new, infinitely recyclable fibers — and could present a new circular solution for the fashion industry.
Meet the World's First Vegan Honey — A Sustainable Solution to a Sticky Problem?
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Oakland-based startup MeliBio has created the world's first vegan honey — molecularly identical to the bee-made version, but a delicious and sustainable alternative that supports bee biodiversity.
Climate Policymakers Denounce UK Approval of New ‘Net-Zero’ Coal Mine
THE NEXT ECONOMY - The mine’s operator and UK government pledge to offset nearly 500,000 annual tons of emissions through carbon credits; but the clear greenwashing has been lambasted by critics the world over.
Great Expectations: Evaluating ESG Initiatives to Reach Target Consumers
MARKETING AND COMMS - When it comes to ESG initiatives and their relationship to consumer behavior, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; but leveraging ongoing research into consumer attitudes can help align corporate ESG initiatives that can help steer your brand through uncharted waters and changing sentiments.
Give Greater: The 2022 SB Holiday Gift Guide
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - As always, the goal of our gift guide is to encourage a more conscious approach to gift-giving by highlighting products, services and experiences that create value and benefits beyond short-term gratification for the recipient. Here’s this year’s list of some of the many companies, platforms and products that we’d be happy to support anytime.
Opinion: Why Some Big Brands ‘Aren’t Convinced’ by Plastic Credits
THE NEXT ECONOMY - 80M tons of plastic waste will end up in the environment just in the next 10 years. Without voluntary, global producer responsibility programs to unlock capital towards infrastructure and bridge the policy vacuum, how else do polluters suggest for us to tackle this massive financing gap in the meantime?
COP15 Must Mark a Turning Point for Meat and Dairy Investors
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Meat and dairy companies need to go further and faster to protect our natural world — before politicians, regulators and investors make the decision for them. The latest FAIRR Index shows what’s possible and shines a spotlight on the investment risks of maintaining the status quo.
Creating Life from Death: Transcend Attempts to Reverse the Environmental Impacts of Burial
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - The new startup offers a regenerative ‘tree burial’ service that reimagines cemeteries as forests — enabling the dearly departed to truly give back to the land and encouraging younger generations to think about death in new ways.
A Completely Different Definition of ‘Waste’: 5 Key Takeaways from the Sustainability Next Summit
FROM PURPOSE TO ACTION: BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER - Last month, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics and Fast Company co-hosted the virtual summit to convene policy experts, industry leaders and innovators with the expertise and resources to drive real progress toward a circular economy.
Vinyl Sustainability Council Delivers Annual Sustainability Report, Outlines Ongoing Adoption of Council’s Verification Process
PRESS RELEASE - +Vantage Vinyl® Verified Gaining Traction as Industry Standard
New Marketplace Matches Tesco Suppliers to Swap Surplus Stock to Cut Costs, Reduce Waste
SUPPLY CHAIN - Tesco Exchange, aka ‘Tesco Tinder,’ matches suppliers who have too much of a product — for example, crops, byproducts, ingredients or packaging — with other Tesco suppliers that can put it to use.
