NewsRack: 'Environment' news in 'Sustainability-Independent' topic for user flenvcenter

Coca-Cola has made progress on sustainability — and there’s still more to do	18.9.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
Coca-Cola has made progress on sustainability — and there’s still more to do The year 2020 has been a reckoning of sorts for many people and companies across the globe. For Coca-Cola, the last five months have made the company realize how critical it is to move more quickly and accelerate change. “The circular economy has been worked on for years and several people have made amazing progress towards it,” said Bea Perez, senior vice president and chief communications, public affairs, sustainability and marketing assets officer at Coca-Cola. “Now it’s time to accelerate that progress and start to deliver global results across every aspect of every business and every society.” Over the last few years, recycling rates in the U.S. have not improved much. So, what will it take for that to change for the health of the planet? A lot of intentional design and collection work, partnerships and accountability. “It’s within our control and our accountability to put the innovation to work,” Perez said. Deonna ...
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Sustainable Innovation in the Textile Industry	17.9.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
Sustainable Innovation in the Textile Industry As global apparel consumption continues to rise—an expected increase of 60% by 2030—that growth could have a dangerous impact on the environment. Currently, 87% of textiles are landfilled or incinerated and 10% of GHG emissions come from fashion industry. As Earth’s resources become more and more constrained, the global fashion industry is looking toward innovative materials and strategies to reduce its environmental impact and carbon footprint. But bringing consumers and others in the apparel industry value chain along on the sustainability journey can be a challenge. Join Eastman and H&M for a webcast to learn about: Eastman’s recent launch of Naia™ Renew that addresses the need to have more sustainable fibers. Why H&M chose to use Naia™ Renew in their new clothing line How H&M is supporting these types of initiatives through accelerating the use of preferred materials across the global textile industry. Moderator: John Davies, Vice President, ...
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Why agtech is critical for regenerative agriculture	17.9.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Why agtech is critical for regenerative agriculture Heather Clancy Thu, 09/17/2020 - 01:30 Early this month, McDonald’s made headlines when it teamed with Cargill, Target and The Nature Conservancy to put $8.5 million toward helping Nebraska farmers cultivate regenerative agriculture practices over the next five years. The initiative, like others emerging in the past several years from Cargill , General Mills, Danone and other big companies in the food system, is aimed at promoting natural carbon sequestration practices — and it is piloting ways farmers can be rewarded for embracing them. As much as I’m encouraged by these efforts, I’ve often wondered: What metrics are being used to evaluate them? What does success look like? What will it take to scale these pilots? And how on earth is this all being measured? A new relationship between Microsoft and Land O’Lakes points to part of the answer. The multiyear alliance centers on the farmer cooperative’s agtech software portfolio, including its Winfield ...
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Don’t be square: How to tell a successful, circular story that sticks	15.9.2020	GreenBiz.com
Don’t be square: How to tell a successful, circular story that sticks How can companies effectively communicate circular initiatives without confusing or alienating customers and stakeholders? The circular economy is becoming a centerpiece of many corporate sustainability strategies. Yet companies often struggle to translate this into stories that inform and engage employees, customers, investors and other stakeholders. This poses a problem because if we hope to unlock the circular economy’s full potential, we’ll need to make sure that it’s understood and embraced by all — and not just sustainability wonks. In this session, panelists explore how companies are learning to leverage the power of narrative to educate and inspire stakeholders on their circular ambitions, products and service offerings. Speakers: Mike Hower, Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact, thinkPARALLAX Devin Giles, Sustainability Project Leader, International Paper Tamay Kiper, Project Director, McDonough Innovation Holly ...
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An idea for solving the plastics crisis	15.9.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
An idea for solving the plastics crisis Sara Kingman Tue, 09/15/2020 - 01:30 A major problem with behavior-change programs in the waste industry is that they rely on consumers being taught to feel the guilt of plastic in the ocean, and the harm to turtles and whales. They’ve tried to condition people to believe that if we buy so-called "zero waste kits," choose zucchini and cucumbers without plastic shrink-wrap and champion our favorite reusable metal straws, these choices alone somehow will drive a reduction in single-use plastics. While these steps can provide some benefit — and the strategy of creating consumer guilt shouldn’t be entirely discredited — this narrative is misguided. Ultimately, it never will address the root of the issue. Instead, savvy leaders in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) are focusing more attention on the plastics industry — and by extension, the oil industry. First, those producers and their trade groups for decades have driven misleading, consumer-centric ...
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Supporting Business in the Race to Create the World’s Most Sustainable Package	15.9.2020	Business Operations \| GreenBiz.com
Supporting Business in the Race to Create the World’s Most Sustainable Package Fossil-based plastic production is still growing exponentially. Only 9% of all plastic is recycled and it can take hundreds of years to degrade. Recycling is critical, but the world cannot rely on that alone. In recent years, we’ve seen over 450 companies pledge to dramatically slash their use or production of plastic by 2025 as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy commitments. We’ve watched as retailers have made public commitments to remove products packaged in non-recyclable materials from their shelves and have seen governments implement policies to support the circular economy. But how do we develop sustainable packaging solutions that protect food safety and availability everywhere, while living up to critical environmental and climate commitments? Join Tetra Pak in this discussion about ways companies can incorporate more renewable and recyclable content into their packaging to have the lowest impact ...
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A Roadmap for Best of Class Circular Partnerships	14.9.2020	Small Business \| GreenBiz.com
A Roadmap for Best of Class Circular Partnerships How can companies navigate internal and external roadblocks in order to unlock circular advancement? Fueled by consumer activism and investor demand, the transition from a linear to a circular economy is disrupting how the private sector conventionally positions its sustainability agenda. Traditionally siloed in a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), the infusion of circular economy into sustainability has provided companies a platform to unlock financial value and demonstrate ROI, while appealing to a broad range of diverse stakeholders. For many companies however, the rapid shift to a circular platform is causing tension in how a company prioritizes, partners and communicates sustainability and circular economy initiatives both internally and externally. To ensure that companies are aligned on their sustainability, shared value and philanthropic initiatives, this discussion will address: How to identify and overcome internal barriers that ...
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Return to Sender: Navigating Reverse Logistics	11.9.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
Return to Sender: Navigating Reverse Logistics How can companies establish efficient reverse logistics to reclaim products and enable more circular outcomes? Product take-back programs are commonplace at retailers keen to have customers walk their used printers and sweaters back into the store. Manufacturers commonly offer mail-in programs, and even cosmetics brands have begun accepting empty packaging for discounts on the next purchase. But all this is very old fashioned, and oftentimes the path of used items is not circular, or even sustainable. This discussion examines efforts to modernize take-back and reverse logistics to forge stronger links in a circular supply chain. Speaker Katie Fehrenbacher, Senior Writer & Analyst, Transportation, GreenBiz Group Ezgi Barcenas, Global VP of Sustainability, Anheuser-Busch InBev Crystal Lassiter, Senior Director of Global Sustainability, UPS Holly Secon Thu, 09/10/2020 - ...
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The How, What and Why of Bioplastics	11.9.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
The How, What and Why of Bioplastics What is the current state of bioplastics, and what role should they play in a sustainable packaging future? In the scramble to swap single-use plastics for sustainable alternatives, some companies are turning to bioplastic as a seemingly effective replacement. These plant-based alternatives promise the same advantages of traditional plastics without contributing to the world’s growing waste epidemic. Yet bioplastics raise a slew of tough questions for the packaging industry and leave significant confusion in their wake. Do bioplastics count as plastic? Do they work? How, where and under what conditions can they be recycled? What about composting? When does it make sense to use them? This discussion provides an overview of the family of bioplastics and their fit in the world of sustainable packaging. Olga Kachook, Project Manager, SPC, GreenBlue Jason Locklin, Director, New Materials Institute, University of Georgia Kelly Murosky, Senior Packaging Engineer, Seventh ...
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Designing Better Products with Biomimicry	11.9.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
Designing Better Products with Biomimicry How are four new companies using biomimicry to design more efficient, sustainable and circular products, disrupting some of the world’s biggest industries? A perfectly circular system — one without waste, non-renewable inputs or inefficiencies — already exists in nature. Of course, it’s not that simple for humans. With capital flows on top of material flows, industry on top of ecosystems, our system isn’t quite as perfectly designed. But why start a design from scratch when you can learn from the 3.8 billion years of evolution that have taken place on Earth? Biomimicry, the practice of looking to nature for inspired ideas, can speed up the circular design process by borrowing from the elegance and efficiency of nature to solve complex human problems. Four new companies are embracing biomimicry to disrupt some of the world’s biggest industries including fashion, sanitation and construction. These startups share a snapshot of their work, showing how nature-inspired ...
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Episode 236: Banking for the planet and behind the scenes of Generation Green New Deal	11.9.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
Features Bank of the West's checking account for climate (23:40) In July, Bank of the West, part of BNP Paribas, announced a partnership with 1% for the Planet to launch a checking account designed for climate action. Joel Makower, chairman and executive editor at GreenBiz, speaks with Ben Stuart, Bank of the West's chief marketing officer, about how the account works and the company’s motivations and goals for the effort. Behind the scenes of Generation Green New Deal (32:35) The upcoming feature documentary Generation Green New Deal tells the story of how young people are pushing climate change to the center of American politics. Julian Brave NoiseCat, vice president of policy and strategy for Data for Progress, is one of the young people who has played a critical role in shaping the Green New Deal. Shana Rappaport, vice president and executive director of VERGE at GreenBiz, sat down with NoiseCat. They discussed the biggest misunderstandings about the Green New Deal that are important to demystify ...
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Episode 235: The value of informal waste collectors, reusable packaging prevails	4.9.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
Features Mainstage highlights from Circularity 20 (15:30) Last week, GreenBiz hosted Circularity 20, the largest North American conference focused on circular economy issues. We'll be posting videos for many sessions in mid-September. Meanwhile, here are highlights from five mainstage speakers. Circularity and equity in cities: Mark Chambers, director of the mayor’s office of sustainability for New York, and Jose Manuel Moller Dominguez, founder and CEO of Algramo, comment on how brands can participate in motivating systemic change. The human dimension of waste collection: Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group in India, and Kieran Smith, co-founder and CEO of Mr. Green Africa, discuss why informal collectors of plastics and recyclables should embrace within formal supply chains — and how to do it. Creative disruption: Design thinker TIm Brown, chair of IDEA, discusses the two major models that catalyze systems change. Thoughts on leadership ...
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Aligning Action with Ambition: How Leadership Companies Approach Audacious Sustainability Goals	3.9.2020	Small Business \| GreenBiz.com
Aligning Action with Ambition: How Leadership Companies Approach Audacious Sustainability Goals The pressure is on when it comes to sustainability in the private sector. No longer is it sufficient to announce new ambitions. Now, driven by new reporting requirements in the form of TCFD, new regulatory regimes being enacted by the EU, increasing shareholder and consumer pressure around the pace of climate change, companies are being asked to not only set goals – but to share detailed plans about their roadmap to transform their business to reach those targets and their progress against those. These new expectations go beyond the goal-setting and reporting process – it also is now expected that companies will have multifaceted sustainability goals and programs that encompass carbon but also water, waste and biodiversity and also are creating new tools and services to enable others to build on their work. There’s also increased competitive pressure, as more and more companies step up to the plate. Despite ...
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Paper, plastic or neither? Inside the collaboration to reinvent the shopping bag	2.9.2020	GreenBiz.com
Paper, plastic or neither? Inside the collaboration to reinvent the shopping bag Tali Zuckerman Wed, 09/02/2020 - 01:45 Replacing the single-use shopping bag may be one of the most complex sustainability challenges of our time. At GreenBiz’s Circularity 20 virtual conference last week, sustainability leaders from Target, Walmart and CVS came together to discuss how they are planning to do just that, and why working together despite being competitors is critical to achieving success. Their initiative, which launched last month , is called "Beyond the Bag" — a $15 million, three-year commitment to developing, testing and implementing an innovative replacement for single-use retail bags. The project, led in collaboration with managing firm Closed Loop Partners and a few other nonprofit and private members, aims to redesign the way customers get goods from store to home. "It’s great to think of a slightly better bag, but the real excitement is when you are open to a transformative idea and a way that hasn’t ...
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Extreme heat is here, and it’s deadly	1.9.2020	High Country News Most Recent
Gearing up for the fight against a new climate enemy.
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Circular economy startups compete at Circularity 2020, taking on shoes to shelf-life	31.8.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
Circular economy startups compete at Circularity 2020, taking on shoes to shelf-life Holly Secon Mon, 08/31/2020 - 01:00 A circular economy is urgently required for the shift to a more sustainable planet. But it will take new, innovative ideas to build a global system that uses and reuses all of the resources within it and moves us away from the deeply entrenched extractive system under which the modern world functions. At Circularity 20, GreenBiz’s online circular economy event, five startups presented their potentially world-altering ideas during the Accelerate competition. This GreenBiz tradition began in 2012 at its VERGE events, offering a venue where startups make a 2.5-minute pitch of their technology to the audience. During last week's event, the online audience voted on its favorite, and an expert panel of Taj Eldridge, senior director of investments at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), and Monique Mills, with the Startup Catalyst at the Advanced Technology Development Center at ...
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Episode 234: Circularity 20 highlights, talking green chemistry	28.8.2020	Energy & Climate \| Greenbiz.com
Features Mainstage highlights from Circularity 20 (19:10) This week, GreenBiz hosted Circularity 20, the largest North American conference focused on circular economy issues. We'll be posting videos for many systems in coming weeks. Meanwhile, here are highlights from four of our mainstage speakers. (A second batch is forthcoming next week.) Dame Ellen MacArthur, founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which has been instrumental in catalyzing collective corporate action to address key circular economy issues such as plastics and food waste, kicked off the conference. This outtake feature her thoughts on systems change and the link between climate change and circularity. Audrey Choi, chief marketing officer and chief sustainability officer of Morgan Stanley, gave a great presentation on ways to engage the C-suite about circular economy issues. "I can’t think of another instance in which it would be a smart business position to take a finite natural resource, turn it into a product we use on average ...
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Ensuring Performance and Safety in Recycled Plastics	26.8.2020	Design & Innovation \| GreenBiz.com
Ensuring Performance and Safety in Recycled Plastics As companies and consumer brands incorporate recycled plastic content into their products and as part of their circularity goals, product integrity becomes an important consideration. There are many ways to evaluate the performance and safety of recycled materials. This one-hour webcast will show you tools to evaluate these aspects and how brands like HP are increasing recycled content in their products and assessing performance and sustainability. Topic include: How regulations and brands are driving the use of recycled plastics The safety and performance considerations of recycled plastics How companies can develop mitigation strategies and reduce risk with testing and certification How to ensure that claims of recycled content are valid and to avoid greenwashing Moderator: John Davies, Vice President & Senior Analyst, GreenBiz Group Speakers: Fred Arazan, Innovation & Partnerships Manager, UL Bill Hoffman, Corporate Fellow & Research Scientist, ...
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Who has the most sustainable fleets? Time to name names	26.8.2020	Resource Efficiency \| GreenBiz.com
Who has the most sustainable fleets? Time to name names Katie Fehrenbacher Wed, 08/26/2020 - 00:30 Sustainable fleets are at an inflection point , and we here at GreenBiz are looking to celebrate them. That's why I'm particularly excited to share that GreenBiz plans to publish the top 25 list of sustainable fleets the week before our annual VERGE 20 conference (which will run virtually the last week in October). The list will highlight the most innovative and aggressive companies, cities, governments and organizations buying and advocating for zero- and low-carbon vehicles, as well as using other technologies that can significantly reduce transportation emissions. Many types of vehicle fleets move people and goods, or do important work in our cities, and we'll consider them all as contenders — from passenger vehicles to delivery vans to transit and school buses to garbage trucks to long haul trucks. We'll also consider all technologies from battery electric to alternative fuels to efficiency ...
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The rise (and rise) of sustainability-linked finance	24.8.2020	Small Business \| GreenBiz.com
The rise (and rise) of sustainability-linked finance Joel Makower Mon, 08/24/2020 - 02:11 One silver lining of this horrific moment is the rise of loans, bonds and other financial instruments linked to sustainability outcomes. In this sense, "sustainability" is broadly defined to include environmental issues as well as social ones. And, more recently, a new subcategory of, yes, pandemic-related issues. Indeed, the pandemic response is being financed in part through bonds designed to fund development of vaccines or treatments, support healthcare systems fighting the outbreak or provide relief efforts, such as for cities and counties facing budgetary challenges due to lost revenues and emergency spending. As of the end of May, governments, banks, companies and others raised just over $150 billion globally from selling pandemic bonds, according to research by BNP Paribas, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. "These instruments will contribute to the economic recovery of many sectors and will emphasize ...
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