Latest News

Innovation & Technology Circular Economy

Amidst Industry Boom, Brands Find More Sustainable Solutions to eCommerce Logistics

Published on May 24, 2021

Written by Pablo Päster

About a 6 minute read

From rethinking sourcing to shipping, here are some of the key carbon- and waste-reducing strategies brands big and small are using to better balance sustainability and business goals. Read More...

Organizational Governance Circular Economy

Report: US Health Costs from Climate Change, Fossil Fuel Pollution Top $820B a Year

Published on May 21, 2021

About a 5 minute read

New NRDC report synthesizes dozens of scientific research papers and is among the first to tally a broad financial toll on public health from climate-change-driven extreme weather, unprecedented heat waves, spikes in air pollution and a rise in vector-borne diseases. Read More...

Innovation & Technology Materials & Packaging

10 Nature-Inspired Innovations Compete for 2021 Ray of Hope Prize

Published on May 21, 2021

About a 6 minute read

Sustainable building materials, textiles, cooling systems and water-filtration technologies are among the top 10 nature-inspired solutions participating in the Biomimicry Institute’s 10-week accelerator program and in the running for the annual $100K prize. Read More...

Materials & Packaging Collaboration & Co-Creation Innovation & Technology

Trending: Fashion, Beverage Industries Continue to Advance Solutions to Plastic Waste

Published on May 20, 2021

About a 6 minute read

The $1.2M Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize seeks scalable, alternative solutions for thin-film plastic; while Paboco has eliminated plastic from Absolut’s bio-based beverage bottle, making it fully recyclable. Read More...

Consumer Behavior Change Circular Economy

Second Life: Are Consumers Really Ready for a Circular Shopping Economy?

Published on May 20, 2021

Written by Tom Idle

About a 7 minute read

In GlobeScan’s 2020 survey of global consumers, 74% said they agree that they need to consume less to preserve the environment for future generations, vs 66% in 2019. But opinions are mixed when it comes to shopping secondhand, renting or leasing items — pointing to the persistence of that pesky intention-action gap. Read More...

Marketing & Communications

P&G & GLAAD’s ‘Visibility Project’ to Advance LGBTQ Visibility in Advertising

Published on May 19, 2021

About a 5 minute read

P&G has committed $1M over three years and partnered with GLAAD to work with brands and agencies to advance LGBTQ inclusion in advertising. New study finds senior marketing and ad execs recognize LGBTQ inclusion as a force for positive social change, yet worry about authentic representation. Read More...

Innovation & Technology Circular Economy Materials & Packaging

Are 3D-Printed Buildings the Sustainable Future of Construction?

Published on May 19, 2021

Written by Tom Idle

About a 5 minute read

The construction industry must adopt technologies that increase productivity while mitigating the impact of our growing housing needs on the climate crisis. Mighty Buildings’ technology may be ‘one of the only in existence’ that could unlock the needed productivity alongside reduced emissions. Read More...

Organizational Governance Organizational Governance

US Demand for CSOs Grew 228% in 10 Years, But Diversity Remains a Challenge

Published on May 18, 2021

About a 3 minute read

The good news: According to a new report from the Weinreb Group, hiring of Chief Sustainability Officers surged in 2020 in the US, and women now account for 54% of CSO positions. The not-so-good news: The field remains overwhelmingly white. Read More...

Circular Economy Innovation & Technology Organizational Governance

How to Empower the Next, Diverse Generation of Inventors

Published on May 17, 2021

Written by Vicki Mealer-Burke and Janell N. Catlin

About a 6 minute read

For those who cultivate innovation and invention, it is our responsibility to provide opportunity for those historically marginalized. Our society must take the harsh realizations uncovered by the pandemic and use them to fuel ambition and drive, to ensure access and opportunity for every student. Read More...

Innovation & Technology Circular Economy

Atlanta’s Food Forest Pioneering Potential Solution to Urban Food Deserts

Published on May 14, 2021

Written by Scarlett Buckley

About a 4 minute read

The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill caters to one of 35 food-insecure communities in Georgia’s capital — and provides a scalable model for other cities to begin to address this all-too-common systemic inequity in US cities. Read More...

Materials & Packaging

Why Community Clean-Up Action Is More Important Than Ever

Published on May 14, 2021

Written by Dow

About a 6 minute read

Noticing that litter is a problem is the first step in taking action to create a cleaner, more sustainable planet. The next step is taking action. Partner with community members and local organizations to get involved and create meaningful change. Read More...

Supply Chain

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Dispelling Sustainable Forestry Misconceptions

Published on May 13, 2021

Written by Kevin Hudson

About a 6 minute read

At WestRock, we are helping people better understand the importance of virgin fiber — and the role sustainably managed forests play in ensuring that we continue to protect and reinvest in this valuable, renewable resource. Read More...

Supply Chain

How to Streamline Supply Chain Emissions Accounting

Published on May 13, 2021

Written by Nick Aster

About a 6 minute read

Climate change exposure and carbon emissions remain barriers to resilient supply chains. Here, South Pole and SupplyShift discuss new developments in supply chain visibility that can help mitigate these risks once and for all. Read More...

Organizational Governance

Is Sustainable Business ‘Complicit,’ a ‘Distraction,’ and ‘Duplicitous’? A Response, Part 2

Published on May 12, 2021

Written by Matt Polsky

About a 5 minute read

Schendler is clearly most right in his assertion that sustainable business has not achieved its potential. But I believe it is still possible for the field to become the hero we need more than ever, along with other complementary and synergistic changes from others. Read More...

Circular Economy Innovation & Technology

Mattel PlayBack to Give Old Toys New Life

Published on May 11, 2021

About a 3 minute read

With new takeback program, families can now send old toys back to Mattel, which will recover and reuse materials for use in future Mattel products. Read More...

Materials & Packaging Circular Economy Innovation & Technology

Trending: Fashion Industry Advancing Transparency, Circularity – Thread by Thread

Published on May 11, 2021

About a 7 minute read

Two new initiatives leveraging connected products and scaling recycled polyester aim to accelerate industry transparency, and circular materials and business models. Read More...

Organizational Governance Organizational Governance

Just Brands ’21: Where the Rubber Meets the Long, Bumpy Road to Truly Equitable Workplaces

Published on May 10, 2021

Written by Maxine Perella Tom Idle Sustainable Brands and Max Pinnola

About a 24 minute read

At Sustainable Brands’ latest Just Brands event, experts from across the spectrum of business discussed corporate efforts to support diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) issues — and how stakeholders will no longer tolerate a gap between commitments and actions. Read More...

Materials & Packaging

Decoding Ocean Plastic for Brands: Small Details, Big Impacts

Published on May 10, 2021

Written by Vanessa Coleman

About a 6 minute read

While the terminology soup of recycled plastic sourcing is daunting, at the end of the day every ton of plastic recycled and put back into a circular economy is part of the solution. The key for brands is to be clear and honest in communications with customers. Read More...

Marketing & Communications

‘Moms Deserve More’ Flower Store Quantifies What Moms Really Deserve This Mother's Day

Published on May 7, 2021

About a 5 minute read

The online flower shop’s bouquets — which include The Unpaid Work Bouquet and The Lack of Childcare Bouquet — cost up to $800B, reflecting the true value of mothers' work and the true economic cost of adequately thanking them. Read More...

Materials & Packaging Innovation & Technology

Pandora Nixes Mined Diamonds for Lab-Grown

Published on May 7, 2021

About a 3 minute read

The world’s largest jewelry company aims to make diamond jewelry accessible to a wider audience. Its new Pandora Brilliance collection marks its first collection without mined diamonds. Read More...