Latest News
How to Calculate Fair Company Carbon Targets for the Energy Sector
WALKING THE TALK - Fair carbon-reduction targets and the assessment of a company’s performance relative to targets are an incredibly powerful way to assess how well a company is performing. It also sends a clear risk message: The greater the difference between a company’s fair target and its actual performance, the greater its value at risk.
Moving Toward a Circular Economy for Packaging
WASTE NOT - A circular economy for plastics is achievable in our lifetime, though it will require consumers and manufacturers to work together. Whether companies decide to keep it in-house or partner with like-minded third parties, an investment in our future now will lead to more profitable operations and create relentless forward progress.
The Vibe Shift Is Here: What That Means for Us and the Planet in 2023
WALKING THE TALK - From my perspective as a scientist who’s been working on climate change and environmental resilience since before the crisis made front-page headlines, here are the four biggest trends I foresee defining 2023.
H&M’s 'Loooptopia' Metaverse Experience Rewards Players for Creating Circular Fashion
MARKETING AND COMMS - The new H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox allows users to experiment with their digital identity and learn about fashion and circularity in a fun, creative and playful environment.
Two Years On, Amazon Lead Reflects on Success, Opportunities Within Climate Pledge Friendly Program
MARKETING AND COMMS - The retailer’s marketplace for more sustainable products now includes 300,000 products and 20,000 brands vetted through a range of well-known certifications.
Panasonic, Samsung Unveil Latest Sustainability Innovations at CES 2023
CLEANTECH - The electronics giants announced a series of innovations including personal-care device recycling, smart home energy-efficiency improvements, and a new laundry cycle and filter designed to eliminate microplastic pollution from synthetic materials.
Steakholder Foods, Umami Meats Win $1M Grant to 3D Bio-Print Structured, Cultivated Fish Products
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - The collaboration, using Steakholder’s proprietary 3D bio-printing technology, is a significant step forward in both companies’ mission to cultivate and scale sustainable alternatives to conventionally farmed and fished foods.
2022 Lessons: How to Improve Employee Engagement Through Responsive Company Culture
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Many employees are re-evaluating what they want and expect from their employers. This is a pivotal moment for companies to recalibrate program offerings and better support employees in applying their unique talents to purposeful projects in the communities where they live, work and raise their families.
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.
